The Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) Application is an alternative application available for Virginia students who are ineligible to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The application is free and secure.

Virginia students who are undocumented, DACA recipients, certain non-immigrants or are otherwise ineligible to complete the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should complete the VASA application.

A student is considered a Virginia student if the institution confirms that the student is eligible for in-state tuition through domicile, the military dependent provision or the tuition equity provision. Visit www.schev.edu/domicileguidelines for more information.

The sole purpose of the VASA application is to calculate the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for Virginia institutions to use to determine if the student is eligible for need-based state aid. The VASA application, by itself, does not provide final verification of whether any student is eligible for state aid. To award state aid, the institution must first confirm that the student is a Virginia student (usually within the admission process) and then that the student meets all the eligibility requirements for the state program.

Each Virginia institution determines its own deadline for students to submit applications for financial aid. Students should follow the same deadline institutions set for filing the FAFSA unless otherwise noted. A list of the deadlines can be found at www.schev.edu/financialaiddeadlines. Please contact the institution for questions and updates.

The VASA application calculates the EFC based on a specific tax year and therefore needs to be completed annually.

Once the student has submitted their application (application status must be “Satisfied”), the results, including calculated EFC, are sent to the Virginia institution(s) they selected. Public institutions will use the EFC to determine financial need for state aid such as the Virginia Commonwealth Award, Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program, Two-Year College Transfer Grant and possibly institutional aid. Private institutions will use the EFC to determine financial need for Two-Year College Transfer Grant applicants and possibly institutional aid. Visit www.schev.edu/stateaidprograms for more information on state aid programs.

Virginia’s financial aid process is decentralized, so state and institutional award amounts are determined and announced by the institution’s financial aid office through their student notification system following their own timeline. Students should monitor their student accounts and email on file with the institution for updates. If a student has questions about the status of their aid, eligibility, award amount, etc., they should contact the institution’s financial aid office for assistance. An institution may request documents from a student to verify their application information.

To view the student’s EFC, the student should log into their VASA application account, select "Review and Update" under the appropriate “Satisfied” application then click on the download icon to view the PDF file. Their EFC will be located above the “Certifications and Signatures” section usually on the last page of the PDF. For dependent students, there will likely be two application PDFs, so they should look for their EFC on the version that includes their parent’s signature.

If you are receiving portal error messages, having issues with screens freezing, etc., send an email tuitionequity@schev.edu.

Go to www.VASAapp.org and click the “File a VASA Application” button and you will be taken to the login page. At the initial registration, the student must sign up for an account by clicking “Sign Up” on the login page. The registration process requires you to provide an email address and create a password. You should provide your personal email address, not a school-issued or parent email address. Once you have completed the initial registration process, you can sign into your account and begin your application by clicking on the appropriate application under “Documents.” Note: Parents will create an account separately during the e-signature process.

No. Your email address becomes your VASA application account ID and it cannot be changed, which is why you should use a personal email address that you will always have access to.

Click "Reset Password" on the login page. An email with instructions to reset your password will be sent to the email address you used to create your account.

To make changes to your application (application status must be “Satisfied”), log into your account, select "Review and Update" under the appropriate application then select "Start, Edit, or Complete a Form." Go to the appropriate section of the application in the left column and make your updates. Once you’ve made your updates, you must go through the entire e-signature process again for both the student and parent, if applicable, to successfully complete the application.

Important note: Please review your application thoroughly. Each revision creates another application transaction which will require that the student and parent, if applicable, complete the e-signature process again.

To add schools to your application (application status must be “Satisfied”), log into your account, select "Review and Update" under the appropriate application then select “Start, Edit, or Complete a Form.” Locate the “School List” section in the left column and add the school. Once you’ve made your updates, you must go through the entire e-signature process again to successfully complete the application.

Important note: Please review your application thoroughly. Each revision creates another application transaction which will require that the student and parent, if applicable, complete the e-signature process again.

Yes, all male applicants must respond. While the federal government has removed this requirement for eligibility for federal student aid, currently, the Commonwealth of Virginia still requires that state aid recipients meet Selective Service requirements. You can learn more about who is required to register at www.sss.gov/register/who-needs-to-register/.

Parent signature invitations expire after 72 hours. To have the invitation sent again, have your student log into their account and click “Request Parent Signature” under the appropriate application.

Confirm that the information you entered matches up exactly with what your student entered in the parent fields of their application. Make sure your First Name, Last Name, SSN/ITIN/DACA number and Date of Birth match exactly. If you do not have an SSN/ITIN/DACA number, enter zeros for the last four digits (i.e., 0000).