(University of Oregon School of Law, 2024-12-12) Lucy Johnston-Walsh
A growing number of states offer tuition waiver programs for youth involved in the foster care system who wish to attend higher education programs. However, many tuition waiver programs fall short of their goal by not providing adequate support for students to complete their college degree. Foster youth not only face numerous challenges before they enroll in an undergraduate degree program, but they also face many obstacles after enrollment which impact their ability to graduate from college. Much more needs to be done to increase post-secondary education graduation rates to best support these youth. This Article will examine the legal obstacles facing foster youth with college enrollment, review state-sponsored tuition waiver programs, and address the challenges for foster youth in completing their college education.
