College aid workshops scheduled throughout area schools

Vermont Student Assistance Corp. will offer free workshops at more than 50 local high schools — 10 of them in Windsor and Windham counties — beginning in late September and running into  early November to help families learn how to manage college costs and to fill out financial aid forms.

Each year, Vermont families leave millions of dollars of financial aid on the table by failing to file either the federal or state financial aid forms — $4.5 million last year, according to NerdWallet.com.

At the Financial Aid & Managing College Costs workshop, families will get an overview on how pay for college costs and the different types of financial aid available. VSAC will also share with families several resources and websites that offer additional tools to file financial aid forms.

VSAC’s Financial Aid Forms workshop offers guidance on filling out the FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — and the Vermont State Grant application. FAFSA is the basis for determining eligibility for federal Pell grants, the Vermont State Grant, financial aid from the school that the student attends, and for student loans. Income-eligible students average nearly $6,000 between the Pell and Vermont grants – that’s money that doesn’t need to be paid back.

Students and parents will each need to create their own FSA ID a few days prior to the workshop by visiting https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm. Check out the VSAC website for a list of other information to bring to be ready to successfully complete the applications.

Students and parents also can ask questions and learn about the college financial aid process, including how to apply for scholarships. Internet access will be available and space is limited.

Dates and locations for the workshops are listed below. Information on VSAC’s college planning resources can be found at www.vsac.org.

County	School	Date	Workshop
Windham	Bellows Falls Union High School	10/10/19	Financial Aid Forms, 6-7:30 p.m., Library
Windham	Vermont Academy	10/11/19	Financial Aid & Managing College Costs, 3 p.m., College Seminar Room
Windham	Leland & Gray Union High School	10/15/19	Financial Aid Forms, 3-4:30 p.m. and 5-6:30 p.m., Library
Windham	Brattleboro Union High School	10/30/19	Financial Aid Forms, 4-5:30 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m., Library Computer Lab
Windsor	Hartford High School	9/26/19	Financial Aid Overview, 6 p.m., Library
Windsor	Hartford High School	10/9/19	Financial Aid Forms, 6 p.m., Library
Windsor	Springfield High School	10/16/19	Financial Aid Forms, 6 p.m., School Library
Windsor	Windsor High School	10/22/19	Financial Aid Forms, 6-7:30 p.m., Upstairs Conference Room
Windsor	Green Mountain Union High School	11/5/19	Financial Aid Forms, 6:30 p.m., School Library
Windsor	Black River High	11/7/19	Financial Aid Forms, 6 p.m., School Library