The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the Commonwealth’s coordinating body for higher education, has deployed Regent Education’s Regent Access solution to support the Virginia Alternate State Aid (VASA) Application. With this application, Virginia students who are ineligible to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) application, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and undocumented students, now have a way to access state financial aid to help pay for college.
This streamlined, automated solution delivers an online experience that mirrors the FAFSA, making it easy for undocumented students to apply for state aid and minimizing the time and resources required to process applications. Powered by the Regent Access solution, the VASA Application:
- includes a responsively designed, user-friendly student interface with an intuitive interview format that features advanced skip logic to allow users to begin the application process then save their progress and finish later;
- allows for secure document uploads for students and parents;
- enables students and parents to electronically sign their applications;
- exports students’ application data in Institutional Student Information Record- (ISIR) formatted files to allow for easier integration with a school’s Financial Aid Management system;
- calculates the appropriate expected family contribution (EFC) based on the “FAFSA-like” questionnaire and provides the results to institutions selected by the student in a format that is comparable to the federal ISIR standard;
- allows students to select multiple participating institutions and then subsequently allows the institutions to access and edit the students’ records securely, to include ISIR-field corrective actions; and
- provides integrated help and Spanish translations throughout the process.
The VASA Application and related student portal can be accessed via www.VASAapp.org as well as individual Virginia institution websites.
Said SCHEV Director, Peter Blake, “We are proud to offer this alternative resource for state financial aid for non-citizen Virginia residents. The VASA Application not only supports previously ineligible students, it also supports the statewide strategic plan’s goals of making college access more equitable and affordable for all Virginia students.
“Regent Education was proud to work with SCHEV to deliver the Virginia Alternate State Aid Application. We are especially pleased to help enable Virginia’s undocumented students to be one step closer to attaining a higher education degree,” said Jim Hermens, CEO of Regent Education.
About The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the state’s coordinating agency for higher education. With Pathways to Opportunity: The Virginia Plan for Higher Education, SCHEV is dedicated to making Virginia the best state for education by 2030. For more on this statewide strategic plan, visit
