Financial Aid & ScholarshipsFinancing your Verto semester

College and affordability rarely go hand-in-hand these days, but at Verto, access and affordability are core pillars of our mission. We believe that every student deserves to have a transformative global education experience on their path toward graduation without breaking the bank. While it’s up to you to determine how you’ll fund your college tuition, you’ve already taken the first step by starting college differently—along the way, we’re here to help. Read on to learn more about options for financing your Verto tuition.

Federal Financial Aid

At Verto, you can use your federal financial aid grants and loans toward the cost of your Verto tuition.

What is Federal Financial Aid?

Each year, the US Department of Education provides over 120 billion dollars in aid to help students pay their college tuition. They provide grants and loan options and eligibility is determined based on financial need.

What is FAFSA?

In order to determine your eligibility for federal aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Colleges use your FAFSA data to determine how much federal aid you’re expecting and as an indicator of whether you qualify for additional aid.

Advice for completing the FAFSA

Start on time

Every October 1st, FAFSA opens for the following year’s incoming college class. For example, on October 1, 2020, the FAFSA is now open for submissions for those who will be starting college in Fall 2021. You can file anytime after October 1. Each college or university will have unique deadlines for FAFSA submissions, but most require that you file before March 1.

Gather your information

It usually takes about 30 minutes to complete the FAFSA. Before you start, you may want to make sure you have information from your parent or guardian about your family finances or ask them to complete it with you.

How to complete your FAFSA

Set up your FSA ID
The FSA ID is the username and password that allows you to complete and review your FAFSA data. Students and parents or guardians must make their own FSA ID to view the results. Need additional help?
Check out this overview
Set up your FSA ID
Complete the FAFSA form
Complete the FAFSA form
Add Colleges (and Verto!) to your FAFSA
You can proactively send your FAFSA data to colleges and Verto. This is done by adding the school’s “code” to your FAFSA when completing. Add Verto to your FAFSA with the code 003707. Verto Education partners with Richard Bland College (RBC) as the Verto “school of record,” so you’ll see their name generated when you use our code. They help us to award course credits and produce final transcripts for simplified credit transfer to your school of choice.
Enroll at Verto and receive your financial aid package
Enroll at Verto

When you’ve been accepted to Verto and officially deposited, you’re an enrolled student! We’ll then guide you through the process with our partner college—Richard Bland College of William & Mary—to receive your formal financial aid package and apply it to your Verto semester.

How do you know how much aid you’ve received?

You’ve completed all your FAFSA. What’s next? In two weeks or less, FAFSA will send you an email to log in and view your Student Aid Report (SAR). This document gives you basic information about your federal financial aid eligibility.

If you’re looking for an estimate of how your federal aid will reduce your Verto tuition, we invite you to share your Student Aid Report with your Admissions Counselor—they’re here to help!

Verto Education Scholarships

As part of our core mission to make global education accessible and affordable to all, we provide both need- and merit-based opportunities for eligible students.

Verto Early Enrollment

Depending on how early you enroll in your semester, you may be eligible for a lower tuition rate. Since travel costs are variable, the earlier you enroll, the more we can plan ahead to keep your tuition costs low. Speak to your Admissions Counselor about upcoming deadlines.

Verto’s Opportunity Grant

Depending on your family’s income, you may be eligible for this grant to Hawaii or Latin America.

Learn more about the Opportunity Grant

Verto’s International Leadership Award (ILA)

This merit-based scholarship is available for graduating seniors who have made a contribution to their school or community, based on reference from a teacher or counselor.

Learn more about the ILA

Change the World: Verto’s International Honors Program

Both a merit- and financial need-based scholarship, this yearlong honors program combines world class honors-level coursework with intensive field work to explore topics like international politics, climate change, clean water, food security, and cross-cultural communication.

Explore CTW International Honors Program

Learn about our scholarships

Using External Scholarships to fund your Verto semester

Beyond federal aid and Verto’s own scholarships, you may have received additional scholarships. We applaud your achievements and accept external scholarships toward the cost of your Verto tuition, provided that they can be used at institutions outside your home state.

Looking for external scholarships? You may be eligible for additional scholarships based on your academic performance, intended major, or beyond-the-classroom achievements.

We also recommend you reach out to your local community for scholarship or grant opportunities, such as local businesses and community organizations.

Paying for your Verto Semester: Tuition, Dates, & Payment Plans

Planning and paying for college can be a challenge. We’re here to help. Verto counselors aim for transparency and understanding. We can help develop a plan that works for you.

Verto Tuition Costs & Process

Each Verto semester has a unique tuition cost. This is because 100% of Verto tuition goes right back into developing the best international education programs possible and operation costs vary from country to country. To find out how much your tuition costs, refer to your selected semester page.

Paying your Verto tuition

Tuition can be paid through personal finances, 529 accounts, internal scholarships, external scholarships, federal financial aid (Pell Grant, student loans, parent plus loans), or—most likely—some combination of these methods. If you don’t see your method of payment listed, don’t hesitate to ask.

When you enroll in a Verto semester, you’ll receive an invoice from our team. From there, you can easily pay your tuition by check, ACH bank transfer, or a credit card (3% credit card fee does apply).

Verto Payment Plans

Depending on your situation, it may be challenging to navigate an up-front tuition payment. Our financial team works with students and families individually to design a payment plan that works for your college goals and budget. Once enrolled, ask your Student Success Coach to connect you with a finance team member who can assist you with this.

Important Dates

Updated each admissions cycle

December 15

Spring 2021 tuition due

June 1

Fall 2021 tuition due

Answers to Your Financial Questions

How much Federal aid is available through FAFSA?

The amount of federal aid you receive will depend on your family’s financial profile. You need to complete the FAFSA in order to receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) with this information. The SAR will also indicate to you if you’re eligible for one of the following special aid packages.

Federal Pell Grant
This grant never needs to be paid back, and is awarded to students who have the lowest Expected Family Contributions and highest financial need.
For the 20-21 school year, the maximum Pell Grant amount awarded was $6,345 for the school year.
Federal Direct Student Loans
These are subsidized (need-based, no interest) and unsubsidized (non-need-based , low-interest) federal loans. Dependent freshmen can borrow up to $5,500 per school year total; loan amounts increase during the sophomore and junior years, and independent students can borrow higher amounts.
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
This is a loan that credit-worthy parents can apply for to help pay the cost of education for their dependent undergraduate children.

Once awarded, how do I formally accept my financial aid?

Once you’ve been awarded financial aid by Verto’s partner, Richard Bland College, you’ll need to formally accept that aid in order to apply it to your Verto semester tuition. Get started by reading the How to Accept your Aid Guide.

Can we use Parent PLUS loans on a Verto semester?

Yes—if you are using Parent Plus Loans, these will be processed by Richard Bland College and be available once your financial aid has been processed. This loan has a fixed interest rate of 5.30% for the 2020-2021 year. The credit check for the Parent PLUS loan through studentloans.gov is good for 120 days.

Can my GI Bill be used on a Verto semester?

Yes, if you are using the GI Bill and you have not applied for benefits, you should start here. Once you are approved by the VA, please submit your Certificate of Eligibility to financialaid@rbc.edu or fax (804) 862-6260. This form is required by Richard Bland College’s certifying officer to begin the process.

Can I use private loans on my Verto semester?

If you are planning to use private loans, the lender will require you to connect them with your school of choice. For this purpose, you’ll direct them to or list your school as Richard Bland College of William & Mary. Richard Bland College (RBC) does not have a preferred lender list; however, many students use lenders such as credit unions, banks, or lenders such as Sallie Mae. If your loan is approved, then your lender can fax the loan certification directly to the RBC Financial Aid Office at (804) 862-6260.