Randolph, VT · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for Vermont State University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what paying in the order that costs least is worth for a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$101,433
Paying it in the order that costs least saves a family like this about $6,607.
Your plan shows, with your own numbers:
- Which money pays each bill, semester by semester
- Which loans to take, if any, and what they will cost a month
- The dates that matter, from the FAFSA to the first bill
Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
A family of four with $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at Vermont State University
| Full price, in state | $29,804 |
| Full price, out of state | $41,200 |
| After grants, at your income | $23,990 |
At this income, 3 of Vermont's other 6 colleges cost less after grants, and 3 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. In state: The Trailblazer Scholarship, $1,000 to $2,000 a year by academic performance, renewable while the student makes satisfactory progress (and 2 more below).
Vermont State University's promise. Freedom & Unity — free general tuition for Vermonters with a household income of $85,000 or less. The conditions ↓
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What Vermont State University says it awards for grades and test scores.
In state: the Trailblazer Scholarship, $1,000 to $2,000 a year by academic performance, renewable while the student makes satisfactory progress
Out of state: the Trailblazer Scholarship, $7,000 to $10,000 a year by academic performance, renewable while the student makes satisfactory progress
Out of state: the Good Neighbor Program lowers tuition to match Vermont State's in-state tuition for new students who live in a county next to Vermont
Published guarantees you may qualify for
We do not assume you qualify for any of these, and our plans never bank on them. Check each against your own situation with the aid office.
Freedom & Unity — free general tuition for Vermonters with a household income of $85,000 or less
Household income up to $85,000. Covers tuition.
- A program of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation with Vermont State, for Vermonters who do not have a bachelor's degree and are enrolled in eligible undergraduate degree programs at Vermont State. The $85,000 limit is for the 2026-27 academic year (it was $65,000).
- The college's separate Free Tuition Guarantee, for family incomes of $50,000 or less, covers general tuition only. It does not cover program tuition for engineering and technology, nursing and respiratory therapy, or the dental and radiologic programs.
“Freedom & Unity, a program managed by the Vermont Student Assistance Corp (VSAC) in partnership with Vermont State, provides free tuition to Vermonters with a household income of $85,000 or less, who do not have a bachelor’s degree and are enrolled in eligible undergraduate degree programs at Vermont State.”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what Vermont State University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What the order saves
The difference, over four years, between paying in the order that costs least and the usual way: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: Vermont State University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2024-25 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Vermont State University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Norwich University$21,842 a year
- Middlebury College$23,438 a year
- Vermont State University$23,990 a year
- Saint Michael's College$28,590 a year
- Bennington College$29,480 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every Vermont college →