History and Program Description

• The Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The program was created in 1972 to assist state residents in paying for their undergraduate and graduate schooling. However, students pursuing a religious or theological program are not covered by the grant.
  
  

Eligibility Requirements

• To qualify for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG), applicants must be residents of Virginia for at least a year prior to applying. They must be full-time students at one of 33 approved schools and must submit a completed application form to their school's financial aid office. Undergraduate students can be those seeking an associate degree or a bachelor's degree. For associate degree students, they cannot receive funding for more than two years. Bachelor's degree students cannot receive funding past a four-year period. VTAG funding is available to graduate students for three years, except for students pursuing a medical or pharmacology degree. The maximum award period for those students is four years.
  
  

Amount Granted

• The amount granted to recipients is determined every two years by the state's General Assembly. However, the declared funding amount is not guaranteed and will depend on the funding available and the number of applicants. In the event that there is insufficient funding, some applicants will receive no awards. For the 2011-2012 academic year, the declared amount for undergraduates is $2,650, while for graduate students, it is $1,150. The grant is automatically renewed as long as recipients remain residents and have not exceeded the maximum years of eligibility.
  
  

Award Distribution Criteria

• In the event that funding is limited, a priority system is applied to determine the award amount given to each selected candidate. Students that qualify as Category 1 are returning and transfer students who received a VTAG award in the previous academic year. These students receive full funding before other students are considered. Category 2 students for 2011 are new or re-admitted students who applied for the grant program by July 31. Returning and transfer students who were eligible for the grant in the previous year, but did not receive an award also fall into this category. Category 3 students include new and re-admitted students who are eligible for fall or spring term awards and applied between August 1 and September 14. Category 4 students are those who are eligible for spring term awards and applied by December 1. Award amounts for categories 3 and 4 are determined in the spring.