Free Tuition Money for Virginia Residents

Despite a ton of brochures dropped off every fall at virtually every high school in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) Program is probably one of the least recognized “free money” grants around. Neither merit- nor need-based, VA TAG is a little gift from state legislature designed to bring down tuition rates for Virginia residents attending private, nonprofit colleges and universities located within the Commonwealth. Under the terms of the program, students do NOT have to

• Pay the money back
• Demonstrate financial need
• File any kind of financial statement
  

The exact amount of each academic year’s award is determined by both the amount appropriated by the Virginia General Assembly and the total number of eligible applicants. Until all the numbers are added up, the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) generally only provides an estimated amount for applicant planning purposes. This year’s undergraduate grant, however, totaled $3000 for the academic year. Over four years, this translates to about $12,000---free money, no strings attached! Note that graduate students in health professions programs also qualify for tuition assistance grants, which for the 2009-10 academic year amounted to $1300.

Application forms are available from the admissions or financial aid offices of eligible colleges and universities. In order to receive the maximum award, a student must submit a completed application by July 31^st of the award year.

Participating Institutions
Appalachian School of Law	GW University (VA campus only)	Marymount University
Averett University	Hampden-Sydney College	Randolph College
Bluefield College	Hampton University	Randolph Macon College
Bridgewater College	Hollins College	Regent University
Christendom College	Institute for Psychological Sciences	Roanoke College
Eastern Mennonite College	Jefferson College of Health Sciences	Saint Paul’s College
Eastern VA Medical School	Liberty University	Shenandoah University
VA College of Osteopathic Med	Lynchburg College	Southern VA University
Emory & Henry College	Mary Baldwin College	Sweet Briar College
Ferrum College		University of Richmond

For more information, contact the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) at 804.225.2600.