Maryland Higher Education Commission

TUITION WAIVER FOR FOSTER CARE RECIPIENTS

Who may apply: Certain students under the age of 25 who have resided in an out-of-home placement in Maryland and who are attending a Maryland public 2-year or 4-year institution.

How to apply: Complete and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov by March 1 each year. Contact the financial aid office of the institution you will attend to have the waiver activated.

When to apply: File the FAFSA between January 1 and March 1, each year.  Contact the financial aid office at your institution prior to the semester in which you will be enrolled.

Eligible majors: All majors are eligible.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

You must have resided in an out-of-home placement in Maryland at the time you graduated from high school or successfully completed a general equivalency development examination (GED); or you must have resided in an out-of-home placement on your 13th birthday and were then adopted after your 13th birthday.  "Foster Care Recipient" includes a younger sibling of an individual described above if the younger sibling is concurrently adopted out of an out-of-home placement in accordance with § 5–525.2(A) of the Family Law Article by the same adoptive family.

The Department of Human Resources must confirm that you are eligible for the waiver. You must enroll as a degree-seeking student at a public two-year or four-year higher education institution in Maryland on or before age 25.

AWARD AMOUNT

You are exempt from paying tuition and mandatory fees at a public college in Maryland. The tuition waiver applies to any balance on tuition and fees after all grants and scholarships you receive have been applied to your tuition and fees.  Scholarship and grant aid may not cover room and board so that the waiver can cover tuition and fee costs. Scholarships and grants must be used to cover tuition and fees before determining if any tuition and fee charges remain.

RENEWING AN AWARD

You must file the FAFSA by March 1 each year to receive the waiver for up to an additional four years or until your Bachelor’s degree is awarded, whichever occurs first. You must maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of the institution you will attend and remain enrolled in an eligible program.

Return to Program Description Page