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Scholarships for Students Experiencing Foster Care

Find scholarships designed to help students experiencing foster care

The federal government and the State of Vermont each has a scholarship program dedicated to helping young adults who have gone through the foster care system pay for college or career training programs. You can also find additional scholarships for Vermonters on this website or in the VSAC scholarships booklet.

The booklet for students planning to attend college in 2023–2024 is available online, and the Unified Scholarship Application (USA) can be completed by logging into MyVSAC. 

After the deadline for VSAC-assisted scholarships passes, students can still apply for the scholarships that are administered by other organizations. Refer to the "Other Scholarships" section of the VSAC scholarship booklet for all deadlines open through July.

Vermont John H. Chafee Education and Training Scholarship

(Sponsored by the federal government)

If you’ve experienced foster care and have recently graduated from high school, this scholarship may be right for you. Its purpose is to help young adults who’ve been in the foster care system prepare for and enter job training programs or college. Funding for this scholarship requires annual federal approval.

Under this scholarship, you may be enrolled in any program—and there are no requirements as to the number of credits that you must take.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

  • Experienced Department for Children and Families (DCF) custody after the age of 14 (after age 16 if exited to adoption or legal guardianship).
  • Be under the age of 26 and have not participated in the program for more than 5 years (years do not have to be consecutive).
  • Demonstrate financial need.
  • Attend an accredited school approved for federal Title IV funding (Pell grants, federal Direct loans).

Required documents

To apply for this scholarship, you’ll need to submit a:

Amount

Scholarships generally range from $1,000 to $3,000 and may not exceed $5,000. The amount disbursed cannot exceed your total cost of attendance as defined by federal aid (tuition, fees, room, board, books, and personal expenses).

 

Emily Lester Vermont Opportunity Scholarship

(Sponsored by the State of Vermont)

If you’ve experienced foster care and you’re ready to go to college, this scholarship—funded by the State of Vermont—may be right for you.

Under this scholarship, you must be enrolled in an undergraduate associate’s or bachelor’s degree program. There are no requirements as to the number of credits that you must take.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

  • Attend an accredited school located within Vermont and approved for federal Title IV funding (Pell grants, federal Direct loans)
  • Be currently under the custody of the Vermont Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families (DCF) OR be between the ages of 18 and 24 and have been under the custody of the Vermont Commissioner of the DCF for at least 6 months when you were between the ages of 16 and 18
  • Demonstrate financial need

Required documents

To apply for this scholarship, you’ll need to submit a:

Amount

Scholarships generally range from $1,000 to $2,000 and may not exceed $3,000. The amount disbursed cannot exceed your total costs (tuition, fees, room, and board) minus your expected family contribution (EFC) and all other sources of gift aid combined.