Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. Â When the Vermont State Colleges System announced it was providing free tuition for students pursuing training in nursing and other âcritical occupationsâ at Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College, it did so with the hope there would be strong demand for the roughly $5 million in federal funds set aside for the program. Half a month into fiscal 2022, most of that money has been spoken for, due to demand more than doubling supply for free classes at those three schools. The system has put new awards at those campuses on pause and started a waiting list as it works to identify additional funding sources for the project.