Scholarships for Youth in Foster Care: Requirements and Opportunities
For young people who have experienced foster care, the dream of higher education can feel out of reach. Fortunately, numerous scholarships and tuition waivers are available to help these students achieve their academic goals. This article explores various scholarships for youth in foster care, outlining their requirements and benefits.
Alabama Fostering Hope Scholarship
The Alabama Fostering Hope Scholarship covers tuition and required fees for eligible students pursuing a degree, certificate, or job-training program at a public community college, technical college, or four-year college or university in Alabama. It cannot be used for attendance at a private institution.
Who Qualifies:
- Students who were in the foster care system when they earned a high school diploma or GED certificate.
- Those in the State's Kinship-Guardianship program or adopted from Alabama foster care after the age of 14.
- Applicants must have net personal assets worth less than $30,000.
- Students may apply for this scholarship until their 26th birthday and can receive funds for one semester after turning 26.
- Students must complete at least 100 hours of paid work or community service each year to maintain the tuition waiver.
- Alabama’s waiver can be utilized for a maximum of 72 credit hours for an associate program and 144 credit hours for a bachelor’s degree program.
Alaska Tuition Waiver Scholarships
Alaska awards up to 10 tuition waiver scholarships each year to students at any University of Alaska campus, as well as some community colleges.
Who Qualifies:
- Alaska residents who have earned a high school diploma or GED certificate.
- Individuals who were in the custody of the Office of Children’s Services on or after their 16th birthday.
- Applicants must apply for at least two other scholarships.
- Applicants must include a copy of transcripts, two letters of recommendation, a personal essay, and proof that you have applied to other scholarships.
- The scholarship is valid for five years.
Arizona Tuition Waiver
The Arizona Tuition Waiver covers all remaining tuition and mandatory fees for students with experience in foster care after all other public financial aid has been applied. It can only be used to attend public colleges and universities in the state, including community colleges. A recipient will see their tuition and fees waived if they are pursuing an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or certificate.
Who Qualifies:
- Individuals under 23 years old who were in foster care at any point on or after their 14th birthday.
- Students must have personal assets - not including financial aid - under $10,000.
- The Arizona Tuition Waiver requires 30 hours of volunteer service each year to retain the scholarship.
University of Arkansas Fostering Success Scholarship
The University of Arkansas scholarship can be renewed for up to four years, or five years for architecture students. Students cannot be enrolled in more than 30 credit hours each academic year.
Read also: Funding for Foster Students
Who Qualifies:
- Students who have been in the foster care system in Arizona for at least one year.
- Applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form as an independent student.
- To retain the scholarship, students must maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA.
- Students selected as Fostering Success Scholars must also participate in the university’s peer and faculty mentoring program.
California Fostering Futures Program and Student Success Completion Grant
The Fostering Futures program covers all tuition and fees for students with experience in foster care attending any University of California (UC) school, public community college, or California State University (CSU) institution. It can be applied to degree or certificate programs, but students may only draw on funds from this program after all other aid has been applied. The Student Success Completion Grant awards up to $5,250 per semester to students with experience in foster care attending any of the state’s community colleges.
Who Qualifies:
- Eligibility criteria may vary due to the newness of the program.
Colorado Tuition Waiver
This program pays the total cost of attendance at any state public institution, local district college, or area technical college in Colorado.
Who Qualifies:
- Colorado residents who were in the foster care system at any point on or after their 13th birthday.
- Applicants must complete the FAFSA or Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA), plus the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) application.
- This program has no age limit. FosterEd covers up to 132 semester credit hours or 198 quarter credit hours.
- While the scholarship is only applied after all other financial aid has been awarded, it applies to the total cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, “reasonable” living expenses (on and off campus), books, and other expenses.
Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) Scholarship
The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) will cover tuition, fees, and housing expenses equal to the cost of tuition, fees, and housing at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). The cost of off-campus housing can’t exceed the cost of room and board at CCSU. This scholarship is applied only after all other financial aid has been applied to a student’s studies.
Who Qualifies:
- Students who were adopted from the state’s foster care system before their 18th birthday.
- Applicants have until their 21st birthday to begin receiving this scholarship and will become ineligible after they turn 23.
- The adoption must have taken place after Dec. 31, 2004.
- Students must contribute at least $500 to educational costs each year to keep eligibility.
- Students must also be enrolled for at least 12 credits per semester and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA.
Delaware's Ivyane D.F. Davis Memorial Scholarship
The Ivyane D.F. Davis Memorial Scholarship covers costs like tuition, fees, books, meal plans, and on-campus housing for students with experience in foster care.
Who Qualifies:
- Delaware residents who have had experience in Delaware’s foster care system.
- Applicants must complete an application for this scholarship, which includes both an essay and an interview.
- Students can only qualify for up to five years of awards through this scholarship.
- The state encourages students to also apply for the Chafee Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) programs.
Florida's Postsecondary Tuition and Fee Exemption
Students with experience in foster care in Florida can have all tuition and fees waived to attend any of the state’s public universities, colleges in the Florida College System, or vocational schools. The waiver is valid until the student turns 28 years old. It does not cover additional expenses such as books or housing.
Read also: Healthy Future
Who Qualifies:
- Individuals who turn 18 while still in foster care or group care in the state.
- Students who were placed into guardianship or who were adopted from care after May 5, 1997.
- Students may qualify even if they reunified with a parent if they spent at least 18 months in out-of-home care after their 14th birthday.
- There is no limit on how long a student can utilize this program until their 28th birthday, meaning they can conceivably take advantage of it for an entire decade.
- There is no restriction on the type of degree students with experience in foster care can use it to attain, meaning students can use it for an undergraduate and graduate degree (including a law degree or doctorate).
Georgia Tuition Waiver Program
Georgia’s tuition waiver program covers most expenses related to students with experience in foster care college journey. The waiver applies to students enrolled in any Technical College System of Georgia institution.
Who Qualifies:
- Applicants must be under the age of 28 to qualify for this waiver.
- Students must have experienced foster care at any point after their 14th birthday and spent at least six months in care.
- If adopted, students must have been placed for adoption following their 14th birthday.
- Students must complete the FAFSA and apply separately for this waiver.
- Students must also apply for the waiver within three years of earning their high school diploma or GED certificate.
Hawaii Opportunities
Hawaii does not have a statewide scholarship program for students with experience in foster care. Still, students can apply for an Education and Training Voucher (ETV) to receive up to $5,000 per year. The state’s Higher Education Board allowance also provides $529 per month for college students’ living expenses. Geist Foundation scholarships are also available to students with experience in foster care. This scholarship awards $1,000 per semester, but students must reapply with a personal statement and letter from a social worker each year.
Idaho Opportunities
Idaho does not have a statewide scholarship program for students with experience in foster care. Still, students can apply for an Education and Training Voucher (ETV) to receive up to $5,000 per year.
Illinois Tuition Waiver
Students with experience in foster care attending any Illinois public college or university can qualify for this tuition waiver. It is applied to tuition and fees, but only after all Pell Grants and Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants have been applied.
Who Qualifies:
- Students must be enrolled in a qualifying college program before they turn 26.
- Students must have aged out of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) at age 18 or older to qualify, or for DCFS to have had guardianship over them at some point before 18.
- The waiver is available to students for up to five consecutive years.
Indiana's 21st Century Scholarship
Indiana’s 21st Century Scholarship isn’t designed solely for students with experience in foster care, but they do get automatic eligibility. This scholarship pays four years of college tuition at any of the state’s public colleges. Students can qualify for part of their tuition to be covered by this scholarship at some private or independent colleges.
Read also: Future Leaders
Who Qualifies:
- Students in foster care do not need to meet the traditional income threshold.
- Students with experience in foster care may apply at any point in high school, whereas other students must apply in eighth grade.
Iowa Scholarships
This state-funded scholarship provides students with experience in foster care assistance in paying for their college education.
Who Qualifies:
- Applicants must be under the age of 23 by the time their college program starts to qualify.
- Students must currently be or have been in foster care within 30 days of their 18th birthday or have been placed under a juvenile court order to live with a relative or other person within 30 days of their 18th birthday.
- Students may also qualify if they were in foster care and were adopted after the age of 16.
- Students must submit a FAFSA application, which will help the state determine how much aid they qualify for through this program.
- It applies to “eligible” Iowa colleges and universities.
Kansas Tuition Waiver
Kansas’ tuition waiver can be applied to any of the state’s public colleges and universities, as well as its technical schools. However, it only applies to necessary fees, meaning students must pay all voluntary fees out of pocket. It also doesn’t apply to indirect costs like books and housing.
Who Qualifies:
- Students who aged out of the Kansas foster care system at 18, or if they already graduated from high school while still in foster care.
- Students can also qualify if they were adopted or placed into guardianship after their 16th birthday.
- Students become ineligible for this waiver after they turn 23.
- The waiver only applies to a student’s undergraduate studies.
Kentucky Tuition Waiver
Kentucky’s tuition waiver is available to students with experience in foster care who are attending any of the state’s public colleges and universities, or any institutions that are part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. It maxes out, however, after 150 credit hours of study.
Who Qualifies:
- Students who have aged out of Kentucky’s foster care system or are still in the system to qualify for this award.
- Students can also be eligible if they were in an independent living program funded by the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, or if they were adopted out of the Kentucky foster care system.
- Students lose eligibility after they turn 28, unless they served time in: Armed Forces, Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, Peace Corps, or Americorps.
- Students with experience in foster care can be part-time or full-time students and qualify for this waiver, and it may also be used for graduate school.
- Students must, however, start college within four years of graduating high school or earning an equivalency diploma.
Louisiana Opportunities
Louisiana does not have a statewide scholarship program for students with experience in foster care. Still, students can apply for an Education and Training Voucher (ETV) to receive up to $5,000 per year.
Maine Tuition Waiver
Maine’s tuition waiver can be used to attend any University of Maine school, any Maine community college, or the Maine Maritime Academy. Students with experience in foster care can take advantage of this award for up to five years or until they receive a bachelor’s degree; whichever comes first.
Who Qualifies:
- If students aged out of the foster care system at 18, they qualify for a tuition waiver.
- Students may also qualify if they were adopted from the Maine foster care system and an adoptive parent received a subsidy from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), or if they were a minor ward of a permanency guardian that received a subsidy from DHHS.
- Students with experience in foster care can use this waiver for any amount of credits during spring and fall semesters. However, students must be full-time students to use the waiver during summer semesters.
Maryland Tuition Waiver
Maryland’s tuition waiver applies to students with experience in foster care who pursue an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or vocational certificate from any public college or university in the state. It can be used to waive all tuition and mandatory fees, including registration fees. If the student receives another scholarship or grant, the scholarship or grant may not be applied to the school’s tuition.
Who Qualifies:
- Students must have been placed into foster care by the Maryland Department of Human Services to qualify for this waiver.
- Students may qualify if they are either still in foster care or if they aged out of foster care at 18 or graduated high school while still in foster care.
- Students can also qualify if they were in foster care for at least one year on or after their 13th birthday.
- Younger siblings of people who meet these qualifications may also be eligible if they were in the same guardianship or adopted by the same family as their older sibling.
- Students can use this waiver for up to 10 years or until they receive a bachelor’s degree; whichever comes first.
Massachusetts Tuition Waiver
The Massachusetts tuition waiver can be applied to any of the state’s undergraduate degree programs. The DCF Adopted Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program is designed to lessen the financial burden on adopting parents in the Commonwealth. This waiver extends eligibility to all children and young adults, age twenty-four or under, adopted through DCF by state employees or eligible Massachusetts residents, regardless of the date of adoption.
Who Qualifies:
- Citizen, permanent legal resident, or non-citizen eligible under Title IV regulations.
- Eligible state employees shall include all full- and part-time Massachusetts state government employees employed by the state, for at least six months at the time of the adoption.
- An eligible course is any state-supported course offered by an institution at a public college or university, excluding all graduate courses and courses in the MD program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
- Eligible courses include those toward an undergraduate degree program, certificate program, short-term certificate program, and non-credit courses.
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
- NFPA Scholarship: The applicant’s parent, or another supportive adult, must be a member of the NFPA.
- Gordon Evans Scholarship: Awarded at the 53rd Education Conference.
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