23 states currently have tuition waivers in place for youth who are in or were currently in foster care to be exempt from paying tuition related
expenses at state universities. In some states this may only apply to community colleges, four year state universities or for undergraduate
education. Please review each state website to clearly see the eligibility rules for your particular state. The 23 state are: Alaska, Arizona,
Connecticut*, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island*, South Carolina*, Texas, Utah, Virginia*, and West Virginia. (*These 4 states refer to their program as different
than a tuition waiver, but these programs still cover tuition expenses).
In 31 states, youth may stay in care upon their own voluntarily consent until age 21, depending upon each state’s eligibility criteria. States that
use state general funds to pay for these expenses include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Washington District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
22 States are also currently receiving federal funds to allow youth who meet certain eligibility requirements stay in care until age 21. These states
are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana*, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New
York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Washington District of Columbia and West Virginia. (Indiana only
allows youth to stay in care until age 20). To be eligible for extension until age 21, the students must meet one of the following four criteria: be in
a program completing high school or a general equivalency diploma (GED), be attending postsecondary education, be in a job training program,
be completing 40 hours of employment, or be deemed unable to participate in a job training program.
Please see the information below for some brief guidelines about each state’s program. For further information about either the Educational
Training Voucher or the state’s tuition waiver program, please refer to the website links and contact the state’s Independent Living Coordinator.
The information for each state’s independent living coordinator is available on the federally funded website: www.nrcyd.ou.edu.
Light green highlighted states: These 8 states are currently using state general funds to pay for youth to stay in care until age 21, the state has a
tuition waiver program and provides Educational Training Vouchers. These states could benefit from applying for the federal reimbursement for
youth that qualify up to age 21: Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia.