Tuition Waivers for Post-Secondary Education
Initiative Policy Goal
Make tuition waivers to public and private post-secondary schools available to young people formerly in foster care up to the age of 24
“We're looking for the opportunity ... so we can walk into our destiny place. College is that place. ” Maurice Webb, Romulus, Michigan
Issue Definition
Many academically qualified young people in foster care, or formerly in care, face numerous barriers to pursuing and completing higher education, at a time when post secondary education is increasingly necessary for success in the workforce. While many young people preparing to exit care hope and expect to graduate from college eventually,1 the rates of college attendance are much lower for young people who have experienced foster care. A 2007 Chapin Hall study of young people formerly in foster care found only 30 percent of these young adults had completed any college compared with 53 percent of 21 year-olds nationally. 2 A 2005 report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy calculates that only 20 percent of the 30,000 young people who aged out of foster care and completed high school have gone on to higher education, compared to 60 percent of on-time high school graduates. 3
The cost of tuition is a formidable barrier to post secondary education. As one young man from Oregon stated, "My whole senior year [in high school], I was thinking about where I was going to go to school, how am I going to pay for school, how am I going to get there." Young people in foster care are disproportionately low-income and lack the financial and emotional support from parents and other family members which are typically provided until young people are in their mid to late twenties for those who did not experience foster care.4 Even when young people in foster care are placed with guardians or adopted as adolescents, their new families have not had the time to save funds for college tuition.
Tuition waivers help address the low rates of college attendance by making college more affordable for young people transitioning from foster care. Tuition waivers are state programs that waive tuition and fees at primarily public colleges (two and four year institutions) and vocational schools. Waivers can also be extended to include private colleges, providing more options to young people.
States may also “waive” tuition by other means, such as the state child welfare agency paying colleges and vocational schools directly to cover the entire cost of tuition. This approach is also effective and essentially achieves the same goal, yet is more subject to yearly appropriations and therefore can be a less stable funding stream over time.
It is particularly important that tuition waivers be available for post secondary support through age 24 for young people in foster care and formerly in foster care. States often end their post-secondary support at age 21, an age at which most young people -- regardless of their background -- have not completed their post-secondary education. Considering the challenges associated with having experienced foster care, these young people need benefits for at least as long as their peers. Tuition waivers must also be available to young people that leave care as an older youth through emancipation, adoption, or guardianship to guard against unintended disincentives to permanency that are created when tuition waivers are available only to those who age out of foster care.
An important policy consideration is that young people for whom tuition and fees are not entirely waived experience critical financial gaps. Often no single source of aid or single program will provide enough money. When funding comes from various sources, the completion of all the necessary paperwork and financial arrangements to have tuition paid before the school year begins can create significant challenges for young people. Moreover, financial support can vary year to year based on availability of funds; and there may be eligibility requirements of personal contribution that are hard for young people to fulfill.
Status
At least 16 states currently offer tuition waivers and legislation is pending in several more. The majority of these programs cover the difference between the student’s tuition and fees and the amount of federal and state financial aid the student receives.5 Currently, two Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative partner sites offer state tuition waivers to eligible young people who age out of care — Florida and Maine.
Furthermore, some states that provide tuition waivers subtract an Education and Training Vouchers (
In most states where tuition waivers are not available, some level of post-secondary education support is provided through ETVs, Chafee, and state funds. More specifically, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, and Tennessee offer needs-based financial assistance that typically covers the cost of tuition and fees at eligible post-secondary institutions for young people currently or formerly in foster care up to age 23 (CT, IA), age 24 (TN), or age 25 (GA), after calculating education grant and scholarship awards. Additionally, Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars Program guarantees 6th – 8th graders in foster care the cost of four years of college tuition if they make and honor a pledge of good citizenship to the state.
In addition to state and federal assistance, private scholarships and grants are also available to young people formerly in foster care participating in colleges and specialized training programs across the country such as those provided by the Orphan Foundation of America. However, private scholarships represent only a small share of the aid from all sources and are often subtracted from tuition waiver amounts.
"The [state] scholarship enables me to be here and not have to worry about my finances and where I'm going to come up with the money to pay for school – which was my biggest worry during my first couple of semesters." Toni Little, Connecticut
Related Resources
Institute for Higher Education Policy
The institute is an independent, nonprofit organization that is dedicated to access and success in postsecondary education. www.ihep.org
American Bar Association’s Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
The Center serves as a national technical assistance resource and information clearinghouse on legal and policy matters affecting the education of children in the foster care system. www.abanet.org/child/education/
Maine’s Tuition Waiver
Young adults in foster care, adopted from care, or under permanent guardianship through the state, at the time they graduate from high school or get General Equivalency Diploma are eligible for a tuition waiver to one of Maine’s colleges, Vocational Technical schools or Maritime Academy. www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/post.htm
Florida’s Tuition Waiver
Young adults in foster care, placed with a relative at age 18 or exit care to guardianship after their 16th birthday are eligible for tuition exemption.http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/indliving/docs/faqs.pdf
References
1. Courtney, M.E., Roderick, M., Smithgall, C., Gladden, R.M., Nagaoka, J.(2004). The Educational Status of Foster Children. Issue Brief. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
2. Courtney, M.E., Dworsky, A., Pollack, H. (1997). When Should the State Cease Parenting? Evidence from the Midwest Study. Issue Brief. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
3. Wolanin, T.R., (2005). Higher Education Opportunities for Foster Youth: A Primer for Policymakers. Washington, D.C.,: Institute for Higher Education Policy.
4. Wald, M. & Martinez, T. (2003) Connected by 25: Improving the Life Chances of the Country’s Most Vulnerable 14-25 Year Olds. Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA .
5. American Bar Association & Casey Family Programs, (2008). Tuition Waivers for Post-Secondary Education. Washington, D.C., Legal Center for Foster Care & Education at the American Bar Association.
