Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Vermont: the 3 state programs and what each asks for
As of October 2026: Vermont has 3 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Vermont high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
Vermont state aid is need-based, not merit-based. None of the state programs on this table turns on a GPA or a test score. They ask about family income instead, through the FAFSA. A strong student looking for a merit award in this state will find it at a college rather than from the state.
The state's own pages are the only place these rules live. Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
What this table does not tell you. Every figure on the table was read off the state's own page for that program. Nothing is estimated and nothing is carried over from an earlier year.
Every state scholarship in Vermont
Read the row, then open the state's own page before you count on a figure.
| Program | Merit or need | What it pays | GPA it asks for | Test score it asks for | Who qualifies | Deadline | Renewable | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont Grant | Need-based | Eligible students have received from $1,000 to $15,350 in Vermont grants for the 2025-2026 academic year | — | — | Vermont resident; accepted or enrolled in a full-time or part-time undergraduate degree or certificate program; must complete the FAFSA (or Vermont Grant Pathway Application) and Vermont Grant application every year | Reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funding is available | Must apply for financial aid every year the student is in school, whether or not they transfer | Source |
| 802Opportunity | Need-based | Tuition covered in full at the Community College of Vermont when combined with federal and state grants, plus the $125 CCV administrative fee; textbooks and other materials not covered | — | — | Vermont resident; high school graduate or equivalent; no bachelor's degree already earned; must complete the FAFSA and Vermont grant application; must enroll at CCV; continuing students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress | Tied to CCV's own academic-calendar enrollment dates | Renewable while enrolled at CCV and making Satisfactory Academic Progress | Source |
| Freedom & Unity | Need-based | General tuition (for courses registered by the add/drop deadline) covered in full at Vermont State University when combined with federal, state, and institutional grants; program tuition, mandatory fees, and supplies not covered | — | — | Vermont resident; high school graduate or equivalent; no bachelor's degree already earned; admitted to Vermont State University in a bachelor's or associate degree program; must complete the FAFSA (or Vermont Grant Pathway Application) and Vermont Grant application | Vermont State has rolling admissions; no separate program deadline stated | Renewable while enrolled and making Satisfactory Academic Progress | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a Vermont high school graduate going to an undergraduate program, as of October 2026. A scholarship from a single college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all left out. A blank cell means the state's own page does not state it. Dollar figures and GPA floors change every year.
How to read a state scholarship
State awards come in two shapes. A merit award asks about grades, a course list, or a test score, and it does not care what a family earns. A need-based award asks about income and assets through the FAFSA, and it does not care about grades. Some awards ask about both, and the table calls those merit and need.
The deadline column is the one families miss. For most need-based state aid the deadline is really the FAFSA deadline, and it falls months before a college asks for a decision. A merit award more often has no application at all: the state or the high school nominates the student from records it already holds.
What a family should do with this
Open the official page in the last column for the one or two programs your student plausibly qualifies for, and write down two dates: the state aid deadline and the FAFSA deadline. Those are the two that close. In Vermont the earliest date on this table is the one to put on the calendar first.
Then look past the state. A state award is usually the smaller half of an offer. The college's own merit grid and its net price for your family income move more money than any state program on this page, and both are published.
Questions parents ask
What scholarships does Vermont offer?
Vermont has 3 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
Does Vermont have a merit scholarship?
None of the state programs on this table turns on a GPA or a test score.
How do I find the rules for a Vermont scholarship?
Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
Method & sources: Programs come from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a Vermont high school and enrolls as an undergraduate. A scholarship offered by one college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all out of scope. A value the agency's own page does not state is left blank rather than filled from elsewhere, and a page that could not be read drops every figure.
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-vermont.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Merit scholarships by college · State scholarships in every state · High schools in Vermont · Scholarship deadlines