Summer Aid

Types of Summer Federal Aid

  • Federal Pell Grant: If you were eligible for a federal Pell grant during the fall/spring, you may be eligible for Pell grant funds for summer courses.
  • Federal Loans: If you did not use all of your federal loan amount for the academic year, you may be eligible to use the rest in the summer. You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits undergraduate, 3 credits graduate).
  • Federal Parent Plus Loan: If you are a dependent undergraduate student (required to put parent information on your FAFSA) and are enrolled at least half-time, your parent can apply for a PLUS loan for the summer for you. They will need to log into studentaid.gov to do this.
  • Federal Graduate Plus Loan: If you are a graduate student registered at least half-time, you can apply for a Graduate PLUS loan at studentaid.gov for the summer.
  • Private Education Loan: Most private education loans require a cosigner and require students to be registered at least half-time. Check your lender’s requirements to be sure and apply directly on your lender’s website for a summer loan.

Students must have submitted a valid 2024-2025 FAFSA by June 30, 2025 to be eligible for summer financial aid. No additional application is needed. Students registered for summer courses with a valid FAFSA will be awarded and sent an email notification starting mid-March.

Any summer charges, including housing, that are not covered by financial aid need to be paid by June 15.  You can reach out to studentaccounts@vermontstate.edu if you have questions about your summer bill, need to make payments, or set up a payment plan.

Adjustments to Summer Aid

Summer aid will start posting to most student accounts after the add/drop period is over for the courses they are enrolled in. At the time of disbursement, students must be eligible for the aid, which requires them to be enrolled in the classes the award is based on. If a student is scheduled to receive a second disbursement of aid, that disbursement will only post if the student remains eligible. Any adjustments to aid if a student drops a course will be made based on the school refund policy associated with the specific course.

If your summer aid does not cover your full summer bill, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance out of pocket.

Please Read Carefully

In order to be eligible for summer aid, you must meet the following criteria:

  • For Federal Loans in the summer, you must be a matriculated Vermont State student who is enrolled at least half-time for the summer.
  • Students eligible for Federal Pell Grants during fall/spring may be eligible for summer Pell Grants even if enrolled less than half-time.
  • Students applying for work-study must be enrolled or intend to be enrolled at least half-time for the Fall 2025 semester; this includes incoming Vermont State matriculated first-year students.
  • Be in good academic standing and making satisfactory academic progress.
  • Have a valid financial aid application (FAFSA) on file with the Financial Aid Office for the 2024-2025 academic year. Students applying for Federal Work Study must also have a valid 2025-2026 FAFSA on file.
  • Have submitted all forms requested by the Financial Aid Office. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, verification must be complete.

Your summer financial award may change due to the following:

  • Change in the number of credits you are enrolled in during the summer session.
  • Change in the sessions you will be enrolled in during the summer session.
  • Change in the school/location where you will be taking classes during the summer.
  • Any other summer aid including scholarships and tuition reimbursement for the summer session.

Summer Federal Work Study

Students awarded federal work study during the summer may be expected to save a portion of their earnings to help meet educational expenses for the 2025-2026 academic year. This expected savings is called Summer Savings. It is calculated as the difference between your summer earnings and your summer costs. The calculated expected savings may reduce eligibility for a loan and/or federal work study during the 2025-2026 year. Federal work-study eligible students may work up to 37.5 hours per week. The hourly rate of pay will be based on the job classification and experience. Estimated summer savings will be recalculated based on actual summer earnings once the fall semester begins.