ADDISON COUNTY — Changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA, are here. Find out what it means for your financial aid plans at a Paying for College workshop, hosted by Vermont Student Assistance Corp.
The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will provide parents and students with information on the new filing dates for the FAFSA and applying for a Vermont State Grant. A workshop will be held at each of the five local high schools that Addison County students attend.
The FAFSA is the basis for determining eligibility for federal Pell grants, VSAC’s Vermont State Grant, financial aid from the school and for student loans. Simply put: no FAFSA, no financial aid.
The presentation, which normally runs about 90 minutes, provides students and their parents with information on ways to consider costs when searching for colleges, types of financial aid and how to apply, how family contribution is calculated, how financial aid is awarded and student and parent loans — including VSAC’s Vermont Advantage loans.
Students and parents should sign up for a FSA ID at https://www.fsaid.ed.gov prior to the workshop. The form takes about 10 minutes to complete and 1-3 days to verify and issue the ID from Federal Student Aid.
The workshops will be offered at the following high schools; check with the school for starting time and room location.
•  Otter Valley Union High School: Sept. 13
•  Vergennes Union High School: Oct. 4
•  Fair Haven High School: Oct. 4
•  Middlebury Union High School: Oct. 11
•  Mt. Abraham Union High School: Oct. 18
If you cannot attend the session at your local high school, consider attending one in at a nearby school. A complete schedule is available at www.vsac.org/schedule. To watch a pre-recorded version, visit http://vsacroadmaps.org/online-presentations.
Vermont Student Assistance Corporation is a public, nonprofit agency established by the Vermont Legislature in 1965 to help Vermonters achieve their education and training goals after high school. VSAC serves students and their families in grades 7-12, as well as adults returning to school, by providing education and career planning services, need-based grants, scholarships and education loans.
VSAC has awarded more than $600 million in grants and scholarships for Vermont students, and also administers Vermont’s 529 college savings plan. Find us at www.vsac.org.