FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Richmond, VA – To assist students and families file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) application, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia College Access Network have partnered on a statewide effort to offer one-on-one assistance. These free appointments will occur from April 1 – June 15, 2022.
Registration is now live. To make an appointment in either English or Spanish, students and families should visit www.virginiacan.org/fafsa. During their appointment, students will be connected with an access provider from ECMC’s The College Places, Great Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP), or the Virginia College Advising Corps (VCAC) who will guide them through the process of completing either the FAFSA or VASA application.
This statewide FAFSA/VASA assistance effort is designed to address lower FAFSA completion rates among low-income and underrepresented students; and assist with the VASA application for those ineligible to file a FAFSA, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented students.
“High school graduates in Virginia who were unable to complete the FAFSA in 2021 left $76 million in Pell Grants on the table according to the National College Attainment Network. This free aid could have made the difference in thousands of students continuing their education, collecting greater earnings over their lifetime and improving their quality of life,” said Erin McGrath, SCHEV’s assistant director of college access & PK12 outreach.
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Media resources including news advisories, logos and releases are available at www.schev.edu/media.
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is the state’s coordinating agency for higher education. With Pathways to Opportunity: The Virginia Plan for Higher Education, SCHEV is dedicated to making Virginia the best state for education by 2030. For more on this statewide strategic plan, visit the Strategic Plan page.
