VSAC will be closed Thursday, July 4, 2024 in observance of Independence Day.
Blog Archive: Preparing for College Costs
![5 VSAC Staff who are first-generation college grads](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-11/FIRSTGEN_VTD%20Spotlight%201024x768.jpg?itok=R8nrEclm)
For First Generation Day, meet first-gen students who now work for VSAC: Jessi Krause Herron (bottom left), Monda Kelley (bottom right), Dylan Bertolini (upper right), Beth Clay (upper middle), Sarah Friend (upper left). If your parents didn't graduate from college, you're less likely to pursue…
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“I think FAFSAs are fun,” says Chris Barry, VSAC’s Resource Center Supervisor, flashing a bright smile and sitting up a little straighter in his seat. “But,” he concedes, “not everybody does.” For parents of college-bound high school seniors, who are just now starting the bewildering process of…
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![VSAC Scholarships booklet and student in grad cap](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-10/Scholarship%20Spotlight%20VTD-1024x768-px.jpg?itok=oR21w7H3)
VSAC's Scholarship Booklet features about 150 VSAC-administered scholarships and more than 40 additional scholarships for students in college or training. If you had a 1 in 100 chance of winning $5,000, you’d probably buy that lottery ticket, right? Many of the college scholarship programs…
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![Halley Riley-Elliott: from diesel shop to pageant stage](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-09/Halley.png?itok=MKug3I2n)
GEAR UP helped Halley Riley-Elliott of Mt. Holly pursue her passions—from diesel shop to pageant stage Every September, VSAC celebrates National GEAR UP Week to make more Vermont families aware of the resources offered through the Vermont GEAR UP program. This federally funded program, which VSAC…
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![John Dell'anno First Day](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-09/John%20Dellano%20FirstDayofSchool_0.png?itok=bTmlXpmB)
Over the last two decades, John Dell’Anno of Shaftsbury had built a career as a carpenter. Employed by a company out of Manchester, John worked on high-end residential job sites, and found plenty of work in towns like Stratton, Windham, and Dorset. But in 2014, after suffering a few accidents (one…
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![student with ipad](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-09/Budgeting.png?itok=JU1xV_1q)
If you're thinking about college plans or a workforce training program, worrying about how to pay for education is likely one of your top concerns. For students and graduates alike, it often comes down to juggling a variety of priorities when it comes to money. The Vermont Student Assistance…
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![Mimi Duong](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-09/Mimi%20Duong%20photo%20resized%204-3%20aspect%20ratio.jpg?itok=Oka1Jyi1)
When Mimi Duong was applying to college during her senior year at St. Johnsbury Academy, she found herself at a bit of a disadvantage, since her parents, who had emigrated to Vermont from Vietnam, weren’t totally familiar with the American college admissions system. When we last spoke with her in…
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![student and adult](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-08/students_adult_image_reduced.png?itok=Vy7eIGah)
If you have a middle school or high school student, you may want to add college and career planning to your annual back-to-school to-do list. It’s never too early for students to start thinking about their lives beyond high school: preparation can start as early as 7th and 8th grade. And if you have…
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![3 grads in the Green Mountain Job & Retention Program](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-08/3panelVTD.jpg?itok=kEb5Pu3W)
Jessica Neilson of Rutland, Emma Nadeau of Derby, and Ben Hulett of Shaftsbury are benefitting from a $5,000 loan repayment incentive to launch their careers and stay in Vermont. A brand-new student loan repayment program, designed to incentivize recent college graduates to stay in Vermont, is…
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![students at computers](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_featured_image_850x300_/public/2023-08/students_library_computers.png?itok=Islr4QUr)
Facing unexpected expenses or a change in family income? Consider appealing for more financial aid. UVM junior David Richardson knows a lot about financial hardship and the unexpected ways it can strike a family. When David was seven, his family’s financial stability literally slipped out from…
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