Eligibility for fee waiver programs varies significantly from one state to another. The North American Council on Adoptable Children provides basic information on the eligibility criteria for various college fee waiver programs for adoptees. The basic eligibility criteria are that the adoptee should be a resident of the state and enrolled as a full-time student at a public college or university. Colleges and universities require applicants to submit a free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) form that determines the financial need of the applicant. In addition, some state programs consider low family income and a GPA of 2.5 for the applicant to be eligible for a fee waiver.
Under college fee waiver programs for adoptees, students can pursue an education in any public-funded postsecondary institution and are exempted from paying the tuition fees for undergraduate studies. Also, other mandatory educational expenses including registration costs and laboratory fees are waived for adoptees selected for these programs. But college fee waiver programs do not provide financial assistance for purposes such as books and transportation. Benefits from the program are applicable to state-funded community colleges, technical institutions and universities offering four-year undergraduate courses. Also, adopted youth attending vocational courses can use college fee waivers under these programs.
According to the NACAC, the states of Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas and Virginia offer special college fee waiver programs for individuals who had been adopted out of foster care to attend institutions of higher education. In addition, states such as Delaware and Illinois provide scholarship programs for adoptees. Applicants who were adopted out of foster care can also apply for the Tuition Waiver for Foster Children program offered by the New Hampshire Post Secondary Education Commission. Adoptees enrolled as full-time students must maintain their GPA in order to stay eligible for the tuition waiver program.
The Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act took effect in July 2009, allowing former foster youth who were adopted to apply for college financial aid without their eligibility being evaluated on the basis of the income of their adoptive parents. Adoptees can apply as "independent students" when they fill out the FAFSA form for financial aid. Voice for Adoption, a group that advocates for children who are growing up without families, provides information about this federal legislation (see Resources).