Who is eligible for the the tuition waiver?

You are an Arizona resident. You are currently in foster care, or you were previously in foster care, or you were adopted from foster care after you turned 14. You are a United States citizen or you are lawfully present. Your personal assets are under $10,000. You are under 23 years old. You are enrolled in an accredited degree or certificate program. You are making continuous progress toward that degree or certificate.

When does the the tuition waiver close?

You have to be under 23. That is the hard stop, and it is three years earlier than the Education and Training Voucher.

The tuition waiver

Tuition and mandatory fees at Arizona public universities and community colleges, covered for you. It runs out the day you turn 23.

Formally, the Arizona Foster Care Tuition Waiver Scholarship.

What it is worth: Tuition and certain mandatory fees at any Arizona public university or community college. It pays last, after your other grants.
Who decides: The Arizona Board of Regents at the three public universities, and each community college district at its own colleges. In practice you apply through the financial aid office at the school you attend.
The date that matters: You have to be under 23. That is the hard stop, and it is three years earlier than the Education and Training Voucher.

Eligibility

Whether this is yours

You are an Arizona resident.
You are currently in foster care, or you were previously in foster care, or you were adopted from foster care after you turned 14.
You are a United States citizen or you are lawfully present.
Your personal assets are under $10,000.
You are under 23 years old.
You are enrolled in an accredited degree or certificate program.
You are making continuous progress toward that degree or certificate.

Limits

What it will not cover

Stated plainly, because planning around a gap you know about is possible and planning around one you find out about in November is not.

Housing.
Meals.
Books and supplies.
Transportation.
Anything at a private or out of state school.

How to claim it

What you actually do

1File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) first, because the waiver pays after your other grants and the school has to see them.
2Contact the financial aid office at your school and ask for the foster care tuition waiver by name.
3Expect to show proof of your time in care. The Department of Child Safety can provide it.

Watch for

The things people get caught by

These are the misunderstandings that cost people money, not general advice.

The waiver is reduced by other federal scholarships and public grants you receive through the school. It is designed to fill what is left, not to stack on top.
It is not reduced by your Education and Training Voucher. The statute protects that one specifically, so using the voucher does not shrink the waiver.
Because it pays tuition only, a full ride on paper can still leave you paying for rent and food. Plan for that separately.
The age limit is 23, not 26. If you are 22 and thinking about starting, the clock matters.
The waiver is public institutions only. At Grand Canyon University, which is private, the Fostering Futures scholarship covers tuition, fees, and year round room and board instead, so a private school is not automatically out of reach.

Put this on a calendar

A deadline you know about and a deadline you remember are different things. The timing map takes one date and gives you the next twelve months, with nothing saved and no account required.

Build your timing map See the other four

Sources

Where this comes from

Arizona Revised Statutes 15-1809.01, tuition waiver scholarships, persons in foster care
FosterClub, Arizona Foster Youth College Tuition Waiver
Northland Pioneer College, Foster Care Tuition Waiver

Not yet verified at the source

We have not checked this page against the current text of A.R.S. 15-1809.01 at azleg.gov, or the financial aid pages at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University. Until we have, confirm anything time sensitive with the office named above before you rely on it.