Ky.gov
Effective: 01/08/2026

C12.15 Higher Education Assistance and Tuition Waiver

Legal Authority

Introduction

Tuition and mandatory student fees for any undergraduate or graduate program at any Kentucky public postsecondary institution, including all four (4) year universities and colleges, and institutions of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), shall be waived for a Kentucky foster or adopted child who is a full-time or part-time student if the student meets all entrance requirements and maintains academic eligibility while enrolled at the postsecondary institution.​​​​

Practice Guidance

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  • To receive the tuition waiver, the student’s entrance into the institution must be within four (4) years of their high school graduation or the obtainment of a high school equivalency diploma, except that eligibility may be extended by the number of academic terms enrollment is delayed due to: 
    • ​Active-duty status in the United States Armed Forces; 
    • Service as an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service; or
    • Active service in the Peace Corps or Americorps.
  • ​​​At least one of the following criteria must be met: 
    • The student is currently committed to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Cabinet/CHFS) as dependent, neglected, or abused; 
    • The student’s legal custodian on their eighteenth (18th) birthday was the Cabinet; 
    • The student’s family receives state-funded adoption assistance under KRS 199.555; or 
    • The student, who is an adopted child, was in the permanent legal custody of and placed for adoption by CHFS.
  • ​The student shall be eligible for the tuition waiver for up to one hundred fifty (150) consecutive or non-consecutive credit hours earned after first admittance, if satisfactory progress is achieved or maintained up to twenty-eight (28) years old, except that eligibility may be extended by the number of academic terms enrollment is delayed due to: 
    • ​Active-duty status in the United States Armed Forces; 
    • Service as an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service; or
    • Active service in the Peace Corps or Americorps.
  • ​The post-secondary institution submits the DPP-333-Tuition Waiver for Foster and Adopted Children to central office and requests confirmation of the youth’s eligibility. 
  • Re-submittal of the DPP-333 is necessary when the youth transfers to another public post-secondary institution in Kentucky or has a gap between semesters of enrollment. 
  • If the Cabinet determines the youth to be ineligible for a tuition waiver, they may request an administrative hearing as detailed in SOP G2.1 Service Appeals.
  • A youth must be at least seventeen and a half (17.5) years old to be approved to live in campus housing and must be placed with a scattered site transitional living program (TLP) to receive services, following procedures in SOP C12.8 OOHC Placement Settings for Transition Age Youth.
  • The following guidelines apply to youth applying for education assistance through the DPP-103 Application for Education Assistance for Youth Committed to CHFS-DCBS (not a tuition waiver): 
    • ​The youth must be committed to the Cabinet and be placed in out-of-home care (OOHC); 
    • The youth must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, and exhaust all other available forms of financial assistance before applying for education assistance; 
    • Expenses that may be considered for education assistance include: 
      • ​​Books; 
      • Supplies; 
      • Dormitory; 
      • Meal plan; 
      • Reasonable fees not covered by financial aid; and 
      • Vocational programs not available through KCTCS. 
    • ​​​Youth living on campus must select the most cost-efficient housing and meal plan options if requesting education assistance.
    • Expenses accrued through the negligence of the student may be denied.
    • A separate request should be submitted for each semester and the summer session.
    • Requests for education assistance must be made within the semester the debt is acquired, and assistance will not be approved for previous debt accumulated. 
    • The maximum education assistance for youth in higher education settings is up to five thousand dollars ($5,000).​​
    • Students must maintain good academic standing to be eligible for education assistance.


Procedure

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The SSW: 
  1. ​Provides youth who plan to attend college with the DPP-333, and advises the youth to submit it to the post-secondary institution at least six weeks prior to the start of classes;
  2. Submits a memo to seek approval for any youth between the ages of seventeen and a half (17.5) and eighteen (18) to live in a college dorm setting, following procedures in SOP C12.8 OOHC Placement Settings for Transition Age Youth;
  3. Submits a DPP-886A Application for Referral and Needs Assessment for a youth requesting to live in a dorm setting, and will specify TLP search and the school the youth plans to attend on the form;
  4. Notifies the regional TLS when a youth plans to attend college and live in campus housing once the youth has been accepted and receives a financial aid packet, and follows procedures in SOP C12.8 OOHC Placement Settings for Transition Age Youth​ if additional approval is required for the youth to reside in a dorm setting; 
  5. Notifies the TLS when a youth is requesting education assistance to complete a vocational training program, and does not submit requests for education assistance directly to the Division of Administration and Financial Management (DAFM) without involvement and review by the TLS and Transitional Services Branch.

The TLS:
  1. ​Supports the youth in selecting a post-secondary institution or vocational program and assists with the college and financial aid application process.  
  2. Meets with youth seeking to live in a dorm setting to confirm that all applicable tasks are complete and that the youth understands the Cabinet's expectation for committed youth living on campus; 
  3. Submits the DPP-103 to the Transitional Services Branch at least three (3) weeks prior to the start of classes for youth who are seeking education assistance.
The Transitional Services Branch:
  1. Receives the DPP-333 from post-secondary institutions, verifies eligibility criteria, and marks the appropriate box; 
  2. Returns the verified DPP-333 to the requesting institution within thirty (30) working days of its receipt, indicating eligibility determination; 
  3. Sends a copy of the signed form to the applicant, indicating the eligibility determination, and includes the DPP-154A, Notice of Intended Action, and the DPP-154, Service Appeal Request, only if the applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria and is found ineligible;
  4. Reviews the DPP-103  and submits to DAFM if approved, or returns to the region if additional action is needed before approval.​


Documents

Revisions