Children and youth who have been in Government Care in BC have financial options to help them further their education.
The Foster Parent Support Services Society (“FPSS”) compiles this information in a new resource, A Guide to: Scholarships, Bursaries, Tuition Waivers & Awards Available to Children in and from Government Care in British Columbia. The Guide highlights options to help with the financial burden of education for children and youth who are or have been in care. This includes young people who have lived in foster care or under an Agreement with Youth.
1. Scholarships
There are many scholarships available including the Ken Dryden Scholarship covering up to $3,000 or 80% of tuition and fees, the RBC Aboriginal Student Awards Program for students majoring in disciplines related to the financial services industry, and the general scholarship fund from the BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations Scholarship Fund, Students may also want to check with the program or institution they want to attend for additional scholarships available and the eligibility criteria.
2. Bursaries
Bursaries can also assist students who have been in care by covering the cost of tuition, books or supplies for furthering their education. One example is the Federation of Community Social Services of BC Youth Education Bursary for young people 25 years of age or younger, that awards between $250 and $2000 for these types expenses for post-secondary academic, technical or vocational training or academic upgrading. To be eligible students must further education that would lead to a career in Social Services, Health, Education or Social Justice.
3. Tuition Waivers
In some cases tuition will be waived by an education institution so that no out-of-pocket expense is incurred by the youth in care. Some of the education institutions who offer tuition waivers include BCIT in Vancouver for skilled trades, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, or the University of British Columbia for eligible undergraduate studies in Vancouver or the Okanagan.
4. Awards and Grants
The Youth Education Assistance Fund (YEAF) helps young people between the ages of 19 and 24 who have been in care and who attend a university, college, a university-college, an institute or designated private school with a grant for tuition, books or living expenses up to $5500 per year.
For more information see http://fpsss.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Tuition-Waiver-Guide-March-2017.pdf