Department of Children and Families (DCF) Foster Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program

*The following is a brief description for students. Institutions should refer to the most recent guidelines for information.

The DCF Foster Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program is designed to provide financial support for children in state custody who were neither adopted nor returned home. It is believed that these children have few support systems and significant needs. Without the benefit of parental support, foster children face the additional challenge of financing their education when they enroll as students in higher education institutions. While foster care children qualify for financial aid, many face the burden of acquiring student loans to meet their educational costs. The DCF Foster Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program is a valuable resource that will help reduce their educational loan debt.

Who Is Eligible?

To be eligible for the DCF Foster Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program, a student must:

• Have been in the custody of the Commonwealth before age 18.
• Be a current or former foster child who was placed in the custody of the state by order of the court and not adopted or returned home, or Be a child whose guardianship was sponsored by the Department of Children and Families through age 18.
• Have approved eligibility status as a “High School Completer,” ¹ per the Massachusetts tuition equity law, ² or be a U.S. Citizen, permanent legal resident, or non-citizen eligible under Title IV regulations.
• Have applied for financial aid, using the standard Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a FAFSA equivalent application authorized by the Department of Higher Education
• Not be in default of any federal or state Student Loans for attendance at any institution or owe a refund for any previous financial aid received.
• Be enrolled full time, half time, or part time in an eligible undergraduate degree, certificate or short-term certificate program, or be taking non-credit courses.
• Not have received a prior bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
• Be maintaining satisfactory academic progress in accordance with institutional and federal standards.
• Be twenty-four years of age or under at the start of the academic year.

¹ See www.mass.edu/tuitionequity for more details.

² Pursuant to Section 9 of Chapter 15A, as amended by Section 11 of Chapter 28 of the Acts of 2023.

Eligible Institutions

An eligible institution is within the system of public higher education under section 5 of Chapter 15A of the General Laws.

* An eligible course is any state-supported course offered by an institution at a public college or university, excluding all graduate courses and courses in the MD program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Eligible courses include those toward an undergraduate degree program, certificate program, short-term certificate program, and non-credit courses. Institutions are encouraged to develop waiver programs for eligible students that would provide a 50% tuition waiver for any non-state-supported course and/or certificate programs.

Award Amounts

Students eligible for the DCF Foster Child Tuition Waiver and Fee Assistance Program are entitled to a tuition and fee waiver equal to 100% of the resident tuition rate, subject to budgetary appropriation, for eligible state-supported courses offered at the participating public higher education institution.

Click here to view the full value of tuition waivers, by school, for a full-time student in the current academic year.

How to Apply

For more information on initial eligibility and to obtain all eligibility documentation, contact the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families at (617) 748-2000 or subsidy.unit@mass.gov.

For complete program guidelines, contact the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance at (617) 391-6070.

DCF Student Eligibility Checklist (PDF)
Tuition Waiver Guidelines (PDF)