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The State College Tuition and Fee Waiver is a state law that exempts or waives payment of tuition and fees at state-supported colleges or universities in Texas for foster youth currently or formerly in the conservatorship of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and for those adopted from DFPS. See Texas Education Code Section 54.366. Having the tuition waiver means you will not be asked to pay any tuition or fees at a college or university that is funded by the state.
Do I Qualify?
You qualify for the tuition and fee waiver, if you were in DFPS conservatorship:
- The day before your 18th birthday;
- The day of your 14th birthday, if you are also eligible for adoption on that day;
- The day you graduated from high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma;
- The day you were adopted, if that date was on or after September 1, 2009;
- The day permanent managing conservatorship was granted to a non-parent, if that date was on or after September 1, 2009;
- You were 14 years old or older on June 1, 2016, and left DFPS’s permanent managing conservatorship to return to the legal responsibility of a parent;
- You were 16 years old or older on or after June 1, 2016, and left DFPS’s temporary managing conservatorship to the legal responsibility of a parent; or
- You enrolled in a dual credit course or other course in which a high school student may earn joint high school and college credit, and were in DFPS conservatorship on the day of enrollment.
You must also have enrolled in a state-supported college or university as an undergraduate student or taken a dual credit course before your 27th birthday. You only need to enroll in one class and it can be any type of class where you earn college credit. It is not a requirement of the law that you complete the class.
PAL staff or adoption assistance regional staff will give you a signed state college tuition and fee waiver form to give to the school registrar’s office. Be aware of any deadlines your school may have to receive your tuition and fee waiver form or else you may be charged tuition and fees for the semester! It is a good idea to keep an electronic and a paper copy of this letter. Participation in PAL services is not required to be eligible for the tuition and fee waiver. If you lose your form or are told by a college you need a more recent form, just ask for another one. But remember, it could take a few weeks to get it. See Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Program for information about how to contact PAL staff. The tuition and fee waiver does not cover living expenses such as dorm fees or your books and supplies.
Students Adopted from DFPS Care, Who Have an Adoption Assistance Agreement
You are eligible for the tuition and fee waiver if you were adopted and were the subject of a financial assistance agreement providing monthly payments and Medicaid benefits. There is no age limit under this rule for the student to enroll in a college or university. To verify eligibility, contact an adoption assistance program specialist at (800) 233-3405 or locate your regional adoption assistance contact here. In the past, individuals eligible for the tuition and fee waiver under an adoption assistance agreement had to maintain a certain grade point average and not take more credits than required by the degree program. A state law passed in June 2017 removed that requirement. See Texas Education Code Section 54.367.
Where Can You Use the Tuition and Fee Waiver?
A list of qualifying schools where you should be able to use your tuition and fee waiver and their assigned foster care liaisons can be found here.
Warning: Be sure your college has a copy of your tuition and fee waiver form and that it is listed on your financial aid award letter and your bill for school! You should submit another copy of the tuition and fee waiver form if it is not. It is up to you to make sure the school does not charge you for tuition and fees. Some former foster youth have had to repay financial aid or ended up with large student loan debt because the school was not including the tuition and fee waiver when calculating their financial aid and bill for tuition, fees, and housing. Sometimes this happens because the tuition and fee waiver form is not turned in to the school on time.