VSAC asks for 3.6% state funding increase to expand tuition aid and forgivable-loan workforce programs

Scott Giles, president and CEO of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, told the House Education Committee on Feb. 7, 2025, that the governor pos;s proposed budget includes a 3.6% increase in VSAC pos;s state appropriation — roughly $945,000 — and that the additional funds are intended to expand need- and access-focused programs including the 802 Opportunity and several forgivable-loan workforce programs.

Giles said the $945,000 would raise the income threshold for the 802 Opportunity program (which currently serves families earning $75,000 or less at the Community College of Vermont) to $100,000, which he said would make roughly 70% of Vermont families eligible for the program. He described the proposed base increase as the core of VSAC pos;s budget request and highlighted other workforce-focused uses of state and federal funding.

The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, founded in 1965, administers the state grant program and a range of federal and state-funded counseling and loan programs, Giles said. VSAC…