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Arizona Foster Youth Programs

ASU and the state of Arizona are committed to helping Arizona’s foster youth meet their educational goals and make college a financial reality. The state of Arizona offers specific programs, which do not require repayment, to help eligible current and former foster youth with college costs.

The Arizona Foster Youth Award (tuition waiver)

The Arizona Foster Youth Award or tuition waiver is available for foster care alumni attending Arizona State University. The award uses a combination of federal grants, scholarships and university aid to cover the full cost of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees. The tuition waiver does not cover the cost of other expenses such as housing, meal plan, books, and transportation.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, students must:

  • be accepted to ASU

  • be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

  • be an Arizona resident for tuition purposes

  • verify lawful presence as described under Arizona's Proposition 300

  • be under 23 years old

  • currently be in foster care and at least 16 years old; or

  • formerly be in foster care when the student was at least 14 years old; or

  • have been adopted from foster care (and adoption finalized) after the student was 16 years old

  • submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year. ASU’s Federal School Code is 001081. The FAFSA opens Oct. 1 each year and we recommend that students submit by Jan. 1 to be considered for the most need-based financial aid.

How to Apply

The Foster Care to Success Student Portal offers one application for foster care alumni to apply for both the Arizona Foster Youth Award and the Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV). The application opens each July 1 for students entering ASU that August (fall semester). Once the student submits the application, the State of Arizona will verify the student's eligibility and notify ASU's Financial Aid and Scholarship Services office if the student qualifies for the Arizona Foster Youth Award.

Receiving your Arizona Foster Youth Award (tuition waiver)

  • To receive your Arizona Foster Youth Award, students must first be enrolled in classes at ASU.

  • The Arizona Foster Youth Award will only cover any remaining tuition and mandatory fees after all other awarded funds from federal, public and institutional grants and scholarships (including, but not limited to, the Federal Pell Grant, the ASU College Attainment Grant and the Obama Scholarship) have been applied to the student's account. If the student's tuition and fees are 100% covered by the other awards, the student will NOT see an Arizona Foster Youth Award applied to their account. NOTE: The only federal grant that will NOT be counted toward a student's tuition and fees prior to applying the Arizona Foster Youth Award, is theArizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV). Eligible students may apply for the ETV, but funding is limited and not all students will be awarded. See more information below.

  • The Arizona Foster Youth Award will usually disburse to the student's account a few days before classes begin, and only after the student's lawful presence has been verified and the student is enrolled in classes.

  • Students offered multiple awards that cover tuition and fees, cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition. Estimate your tuition and mandatory fees with ASU's Tuition Estimator.

Every student's financial situation is unique. In some situations, even with the Arizona Foster Youth Award and full Education and Training Voucher (ETV) funding, students may need to consider loans to cover their costs. ASU reminds students to borrow wisely, as loans must be paid back with interest.

Maintaining Eligibility

To remain eligible, students must meet the following requirements:

  • If the student is making satisfactory progress toward a Bachelor's Degree or Certificate Program, the person is eligible to receive the Arizona Foster Youth Award up to age 23. The student must demonstrate continuous progress toward a degree or certificate to remain eligible.

  • After the first academic year that a student receives the Arizona Foster Youth Award (tuition waiver), they must complete a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer service before the next academic year starts.

  • The student must remain in good academic standing.

Renewal

In order to renew the Arizona Foster Youth Award (tuition waiver), a student must:

  • Demonstrate continuous progress toward an associate's degree, baccalaureate degree or certificate to remain eligible.

  • Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, each year the student receives the tuition waiver scholarship.

  • Complete at least 30 hours of volunteer service each year

  • Remain in good academic standing with the policies established by ASU

The Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV)

The Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV) is a federally funded grant used to support foster youth who have aged out of the foster care system and who are enrolled in college, university and vocational training programs. Students may receive up to $2,500 per semester (Fall and/or Spring) based on their cost of attendance for up to 10 semesters. They must enroll before their 21st birthday and may continue to receive support until age 23. Funds may be used for tuition, housing, books, student loan repayments and qualified living expenses.

Eligibility Requirements 

To qualify, applicants must meet the following conditions:

  • must be in foster care, adopted from foster care after age 16, or aged out of foster care

  • be US citizens or qualified non-citizens

  • be younger than 21 to apply for the first time

  • have a high school diploma or GED

  • have been accepted into or enrolled in a Title IV, accredited college or vocational/technical training program

  • personal assets (bank account, car, home, etc.) must be worth less than $10,000

How to Apply

To apply, applicants must complete the following forms:

  • The Foster Care to Success Student Portal offers one application to apply for both the Arizona Foster Youth Award and the Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV). The application opens each July 1 for students entering ASU that August (fall semester). Once the student submits the application, your Foster Care to Success coordinator will reach out to the student to discuss enrollment in school, housing, working, etc.

  • The Financial Aid Release Form must be printed, filled out and submitted to ASU's Financial Aid and Scholarship Services. The financial aid office will fill in the cost of attendance and all of the student’s other loans, grants and scholarships and faxes it to ETV. This form shows ETV the student’s ESTIMATED NEED.

  • The ETV Student Participation Agreement explains the student’s responsibilities as a program participant and must be signed and faxed or mailed to ETV before funding is disbursed.

Receiving your Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV)

Once the ETV office has received all forms, they will determine a student's need and send an award letter to qualified students. ETV will send awarded funds (up to $2,500 per semester for Fall and/or Spring) directly to ASU and ASU will post those funds to the student's account. This transaction may post after the fall semester has begun. Students with questions should contact their ETV coordinator to determine if/when funding has been disbursed to ASU. If funding has been disbursed but not applied to your ASU student account,  you may contact the Financial Aid and Scholarship Services office.

Every student's financial situation is unique. In some situations, even with the Arizona Foster Youth Award and full Education and Training Voucher (ETV) funding, students may need to consider loans to cover their costs. ASU reminds students to borrow wisely, as loans must be paid back with interest.

Renewal

Students must re-apply online for the ETV for every new school year. However, ETV funds are assigned one term at a time and students are required to complete and submit a new Financial Aid Release Form each semester. The ETV Program needs to update students’ financial information, school enrollment, attendance and educational progress before any funds are assigned, and therefore the forms must be submitted on a semester basis.

At the end of every term funded by ETV, ETV must receive the student’s official transcript, including final grades for that term, mailed directly from the registrar. Faxed, emailed or unofficial copies of transcripts/grade sheets will not be accepted. ETV funding will NOT be disbursed until the student’s transcript has been received.