Scholarship Guide

Virginia Scholarships for High School Seniors

Virginia's state aid works a little differently: most of it is delivered through your college's financial aid office based on your FAFSA, rather than a single central application. There are need-based grants, a notable grant just for private colleges, and workforce and transfer programs. Beyond the state programs, Virginia has strong public universities and a deep layer of local awards.

Paying for college in Virginia does not have to mean loans alone. Between the Commonwealth Award, the Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program, the Tuition Assistance Grant for private colleges, and thousands of local awards, there is real money available, and much of it goes unclaimed simply because students do not file the FAFSA or do not know these programs exist. This guide maps the major sources, from the state programs down to the local awards worth chasing.

Virginia state aid programs

Virginia's state aid is overseen by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), but here is the key thing to understand: most of the need-based programs are awarded through the financial aid office at your college, not through a separate state application. You apply by filing the FAFSA (or the Virginia Alternative State Aid application, VASA, if you cannot file the FAFSA), and your college determines your award. The main programs:

Virginia Commonwealth Award

A need-based grant for undergraduates with demonstrated financial need at Virginia public colleges. You just complete the FAFSA to be considered; the college awards it.

Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP)

A need-based program for low- and middle-income Virginia students, with a twist: it is aimed at students who prepared academically. To qualify as an entering student you generally need to have graduated from a Virginia high school (GED recipients are not eligible), have at least a 2.5 high school GPA, and be a dependent student. It can cover tuition, fees, and a book allowance, with the neediest students receiving the largest awards. Note you receive either VGAP or the Commonwealth Award in a given term, not both.

Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG)

This one is important and often missed: VTAG is a non-need-based grant for Virginia residents attending private, nonprofit colleges in Virginia. It is not based on income, it is essentially a discount for choosing an eligible in-state private school, and there is a separate VTAG application (with an annual deadline, historically September 15) submitted to your private college's financial aid office. If you are considering a Virginia private college, do not skip this.

Because the need-based programs run through your college rather than a central portal, the winning move in Virginia is to file the FAFSA (or VASA) early and let your college's financial aid office award you, and if you are headed to a private in-state college, submit the separate VTAG application by its deadline. There are also a Two-Year College Transfer Grant for community college students moving to a four-year school, and the G3 program (Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back) for community college workforce credential programs. Award amounts are set by the General Assembly and change year to year, so always confirm current figures and deadlines with SCHEV (schev.edu) before relying on any detail here.

Virginia colleges and institutional aid

Virginia's public universities are major aid sources in their own right, and because the state need-based aid flows through them, the college's financial aid office is central:

Public universities

Virginia's public universities (like UVA, Virginia Tech, William & Mary, and others) award their own scholarships and institutional grant aid alongside the state programs, and some have strong need-based commitments for Virginia residents. Filing your FAFSA is what makes you eligible for most of it.

Private colleges

Virginia has many private nonprofit colleges, and VTAG plus each school's own aid can bring their net price well below sticker. Do not rule one out on price before seeing the aid offer, and remember VTAG is money specifically for choosing an in-state private school.

The takeaway is that in Virginia, your college's financial aid office is the hub: filing the FAFSA unlocks the Commonwealth Award, VGAP, and institutional aid there, and the separate VTAG application unlocks private-college money.

Local, regional, and community awards

Beyond the state programs and college aid, Virginia has an enormous layer of local scholarships that most students overlook, precisely because they are scattered across hundreds of communities and organizations, from Northern Virginia to Hampton Roads to small towns across the state, and are not listed in any single national database. These have far less competition than national awards, which makes them some of the best odds available:

Community foundations

Virginia has community foundations serving regions across the state, and most administer donor-funded scholarships for local students. Because they are regional, they rarely appear in national searches.

Local credit unions and banks

Many Virginia credit unions fund scholarships for members and local students, and these are rarely listed anywhere central.

Civic and service organizations

Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks, Lions, and similar groups across Virginia towns award scholarships to local graduating seniors every year, often with very few applicants.

Your high school counseling office

Counselors keep lists of local awards that come to them directly, including ones tied to your specific school or district. These hyper-local lists are often the single best starting point and the hardest to find any other way.

Parents' employers and unions

Many Virginia employers offer scholarships to the children of employees. Overlooked because students do not think to ask.

Finding the Virginia awards you qualify for

The challenge with Virginia scholarships is not that they are scarce, it is that the state aid is delivered through colleges rather than one portal, and beyond it the awards are scattered across the state's public and private colleges, hundreds of regional community foundations, thousands of counseling offices, and countless local organizations. Finding the ones that actually fit your profile takes real time.

This is what ScholarScan does automatically. It searches for scholarships matched to your specific profile, including Virginia state, regional, and local awards, and tracks the deadlines so nothing slips, including that VTAG deadline for private-college students. Instead of visiting dozens of sites, you get a ranked list built for you.

Find the Virginia scholarships you qualify for

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Frequently asked questions

What scholarships are available for Virginia students?

The need-based Virginia Commonwealth Award and Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP) at public colleges, the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG) for private colleges, the Two-Year College Transfer Grant and G3 workforce program for community college students, institutional aid from Virginia's colleges, and local awards from civic groups, credit unions, and employers. State programs are overseen by SCHEV.

What is the Virginia Commonwealth Award?

A need-based state grant for undergraduates with financial need at Virginia public colleges. You qualify simply by completing the FAFSA; your college's financial aid office determines the award. Confirm current details with SCHEV.

What is VGAP?

The Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program, a need-based program for low- and middle-income Virginia students who graduated from a Virginia high school with at least a 2.5 GPA (GED recipients are not eligible). It can cover tuition, fees, and a book allowance, with the neediest students receiving the most. You receive either VGAP or the Commonwealth Award in a term, not both. Apply by filing the FAFSA or VASA.

What is VTAG?

The Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, a non-need-based grant for Virginia residents attending private, nonprofit colleges in Virginia, essentially a discount for choosing an eligible in-state private school. It has a separate application with an annual deadline (historically September 15) submitted to your private college. If you are considering a Virginia private college, do not skip it. Confirm current amounts and the deadline with SCHEV.

How do I find local scholarships in Virginia?

Start with your counseling office, your regional community foundation, local credit unions, civic organizations, and your parents' employers. These local awards have far less competition but are scattered across the state's many communities and organizations.