2025-2026 Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) Application is Now Open

January 7, 2025 / Our Nighthawks

Students who are unable to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can now apply for state financial aid for the 2025-2026 academic year through the Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) application. The application is available at this link, where students can either create a new account or log in to their existing account. Once logged in, the VASA application will automatically appear on the dashboard.

To potentially qualify for state financial aid, students must:

  1. establish Virginia residency; and
  2. demonstrate financial need

Step 1: Establish Virginia Residency
To be considered a Virginia student, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  1. Commonwealth Domicile Requirements;
  2. Military Dependents Provision; or
  3. Tuition Equity Provision

Students who do not meet any of these requirements are generally not eligible for state financial aid. For example, students with F-1 visas, H-3 trainee visas, J-1 exchange visitor visas, or M-1 vocational visas are not eligible for state financial aid programs.

However, students who are nonimmigrants, undocumented or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status may qualify for state financial aid if they have:

  • completed at least two years of high school in Virginia or the recognized equivalent,
  • graduated from a Virginia high school after July 1, 2008, and
  • filed Virginia income tax returns for at least two years, or if the student is a dependent, at least one parent/guardian filed Virginia taxes for two or more years.

Step 2: Demonstrate Financial Need
To be eligible for state financial aid, students must demonstrate financial need through their completion of the financial aid process, and they must meet the requirements for a specific financial aid program.

Important Note:
Students who are eligible to file a FAFSA should submit the FAFSA, not the VASA application. The FAFSA allows students to apply for both federal and state financial aid. In contrast, the VASA application only provides access to state financial aid and does not consider students for federal student aid.

For more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit the VASA application webpage at www.VASAapp.org.

Students who require technical assistance with the VASA application may email tuitionequity@schev.edu.

Submitted by:
Clint Young, Financial Aid, JCYoung@nvcc.edu