Financial Aid

Financial aid is money you can apply for that helps pay for college or vocational school. There are many different types of financial aid that you may be able to get. Some aid may be based on need (in other words, based on how much money and income you have or don’t have). Other financial aid may be based on grades, test scores, or activities (like music or sports).

There are grants and scholarships that don’t have to be repaid, loans that you must repay after you graduate, and work-study programs that let you work part-time at the school. Most Texas foster youth can go to a Texas public college or vocational/ technical school for free! See State College Tuition and Fee Waiver.

You should not let money stop you from going to college or vocational school. Besides the tuition and fee waiver, as someone who ages out of foster care, you also have access to Education and Training Voucher (ETV) funds until you are 23 years old. There are billions of dollars of financial aid available, but you will need to ask and do some work to find it. The financial aid departments at the schools in which you are interested can help you find these funds.

For more information about searching for scholarships, you can also visit: www.studentaid.gov, www.fastweb.com, or www.collegeboard.org.

Ask your high school counselor about other scholarship search sites and Texas or local scholarship opportunities. You should never have to pay for searching for or applying for scholarships—if you are asked to pay a fee, don’t go further. Do not shy away from providing information about having been in foster care or other hardships you experienced while growing up. Many schools and financial programs have assistance available for students like you and want to help.

To apply for financial aid, keep these things in mind:

  • Fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or, for certain immigrants, a TASFA. It is free to apply. No matter how many schools you are applying to, you only need to fill out one FAFSA application.
  • It is very important that you submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1st for the following school year because the sooner you submit your FAFSA, the better your chances of getting financial aid.
  • Once your application is processed, you and the schools you have selected will be notified of the results. The schools can then start figuring out what financial aid is available to you.
  • Once you submit your FAFSA or TASFA, you should contact the schools of your choice to see if any of them need more information. Applying to schools is not the same as applying for financial aid—you will need to do both.
  • It is very important that you get help filling out the FAFSA from someone who is familiar with how foster youth should fill it out. There are some questions about being in foster care or a ward of the court that need to be answered a certain way to help you get the most financial aid.
  • You do not need to include the income of your foster parents or other relatives! PAL staff, your transition support case manager, and transition center staff should be able to assist you. See Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Program for information about how to contact PAL staff.

Between your tuition and fee waiver, ETV funds, and federal grants like the Pell Grant, you should not need to get any loans. You want to avoid loans as it means you will have to pay a lot of your paycheck toward paying them back when you leave or finish school. If you are offered a loan, ask for help reviewing it with someone familiar with the foster youth educational benefits, such as a PAL staff, transition support case manager, or transition center staff.

If you drop out or leave school before the end of the term but you have received cash funds to use for living expenses, it is very important that you return the cash funds. You should talk to the financial aid office about what to do or you risk being unable to get financial aid in the future. Only U.S. citizens and certain categories of immigrants can fill out the FAFSA.

Find information about what immigration categories can use the FAFSA here.

If your status does not meet the requirements, then you can fill out the TASFA (the Texas Application for State Financial Aid) and there is no fee to apply. Ask your school’s financial aid office for it or access the form here.