A new tuition benefit can cover up to 100% of tuition for students preparing for some of Vermont’s most-needed health care careers.
There are plenty of reasons someone might be interested in a career in health care: meaningful work, strong career pathways, the chance to make a difference in your community. Then there is the practical question: How am I going to pay for the education to get there?
For Vermonters considering a health care career, there is a new answer worth knowing about.
The Vermont Rural Health Transformation Tuition Benefit Program, offered through the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) in partnership with the Vermont Department of Health and Agency of Human Services, can provide up to 100% of tuition for qualifying students pursuing education in eligible health-related fields.
In exchange, recipients make a commitment of their own: after completing their education and any required licensure, they work for five years as a health care professional serving a rural Vermont community.
Applications for the 2027–2028 academic year open October 1, 2026, making the beginning of Health Careers Awareness Month a pretty good time to start thinking about where a career in health care could take you. Funding is limited and awarded to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
What careers qualify?
One of the most important things to know is that this opportunity isn’t limited to one type of health care professional.
Eligible areas of study currently include:
- Nursing: LPN, associate, bachelor’s, graduate and advanced nursing degrees
- Mental health: clinical mental health, community mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, social work and psychology
- Allied health: dental hygiene, radiologic technology, respiratory therapy and occupational therapy
- Emergency medical services/paramedicine: degree programs
- Dentistry: graduate-level programs and higher
Students may pursue either undergraduate or graduate education, depending on the field, and must enroll at least half-time. VSAC says the eligible fields were selected based on areas of greatest workforce need in Vermont and will be reevaluated annually.
That range matters. When we talk about Vermont’s health care workforce, we aren’t talking only about doctors and nurses. The people who keep our communities healthy work across dozens of professions, in hospitals and health centers, schools, mental health organizations, emergency services, private practices and other settings.
This program opens another door into several of those careers.
So, what does “tuition free” actually mean?
The program can cover up to 100% of tuition, but there is an award limit.
The maximum award is generally equal to the University of Vermont’s in-state tuition, or the tuition of a higher-cost Vermont State University program when a student is enrolled in one. The actual amount paid is based on the student’s verified tuition charges, up to the award amount. Students can attend any qualifying accredited school; attendance is not limited to UVM or Vermont State University.
There is another useful provision: if other tuition-specific financial aid has already covered a student’s full tuition, the Rural Health Transformation award may be used toward room, board, books and supplies, up to the program’s maximum award.
In other words, for an eligible student, this can represent a significant reduction – and potentially the elimination – of one of the biggest financial barriers to entering a health profession.
There is a commitment on the other side
This isn’t a traditional scholarship with no strings attached, and that is important to understand before applying.
Recipients agree to work for five years, averaging at least 32 hours per week, as a health care professional in a Vermont health care setting serving a rural community after completing their degree and receiving their license, if one is required.
And the five-year commitment is the same whether you receive the tuition benefit for one year or several. Receiving three years of funding, for example, does not turn it into a 15-year commitment.
For this program, “rural” covers a substantial portion of Vermont. Eligible locations include facilities or offices throughout Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties, along with several designated Chittenden County communities. Certain Community Health Centers of Burlington locations, home health agencies and community mental health centers in Chittenden County also qualify regardless of ZIP code.
The FAQ is worth reading closely because it answers some very specific questions about what counts. A school nurse or mental health counselor working in an eligible community, for example, may qualify. Certain private-practice and self-employed positions can qualify, too. Traveling health professionals do not, and telehealth hours do not count toward the required 32 hours per week.
And there is a financial consequence if the commitment isn’t completed. Students who do not finish the degree or licensing requirements may be responsible for repaying the benefit. If someone completes only part of the five-year work commitment, VSAC says repayment is prorated based on the portion that remains.
So this is an opportunity worth looking at carefully – especially for someone who can already picture building a career in Vermont.
Who can apply?
Vermont residents receive priority, but the opportunity isn’t necessarily limited to people who currently live in Vermont. Non-Vermont residents who commit to working in Vermont for at least five years after graduation and licensure may also be considered if funding remains available.
Students must attend an accredited school approved for federal Title IV aid, enroll at least half-time and maintain good academic standing, including a minimum 2.5 GPA. There are also restrictions involving participation in other loan-forgiveness or tuition-benefit programs, so students who already have an existing service obligation should review those rules closely.
Ready to apply?
Applications for the 2027–2028 academic year open October 1.
VSAC uses its Unified Scholarship Application process for the program. The materials identified by VSAC include the application, FAFSA information, a general essay and transcript. Because funding is limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualifying applicants, this is one opportunity where it makes sense to look into the requirements sooner rather than later.
Most importantly, read the full VSAC FAQ before applying. There are details about eligible employment, prior tuition-benefit commitments, when the five-year service period begins, qualifying locations and repayment requirements that are important to understand before accepting an award.
Learn about the Rural Health Transformation Tuition Benefit Program through VSAC
The beginning of a career – and an investment in Vermont
Health Careers Awareness Month is about more than introducing people to job titles. It is about helping people see a pathway between I could see myself doing that and here is how I can actually get there.
Cost can be a very real part of that gap.
The Rural Health Transformation Tuition Benefit Program creates a pathway in which Vermont invests in someone’s education, and that future health professional brings their skills back to communities that need them.
For someone who already wants to build a life and a health care career in Vermont, that could be an opportunity worth taking a very serious look at.