Eligibility to complete the Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) application

If you are a United States Citizen or an Eligible Noncitizen (see below), you should file a federal FAFSA to apply for federal and Virginia financial aid each academic year. Note: if you complete both the federal FAFSA and the state application, the institutions will use the results from the federal FAFSA and disregard the state application.

Eligible Noncitizens: (complete FAFSA instead)

An eligible noncitizen is a U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island), U.S. permanent resident (who has an I-151, I-551 or I-551C [Permanent Resident Card]), or an individual who has an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the following designations:

"Refugee"
"Asylum Granted"
"Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)"
"Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
Victims of human trafficking, T-visa (T-2, T-3, or T-4, etc.) holder
"Parolee" (You must be paroled into the United States for at least one year and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose and that you intend to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.)

If you are NOT a United States Citizen or an Eligible Noncitizen, you are otherwise ineligible to file a federal FAFSA and you can complete a VASA Application to see if you qualify to receive state financial aid.

Based on the information above, should you complete the federal FAFSA?

Sign In