Foster Care Waivers

The Maryland Tuition Waiver for Foster Care Recipients waives tuition and mandatory academic fees for eligible students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees at TU.  Waivers are available for all semesters (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer).  

Foster Care Waiver Requirements

  • You must have been placed in an out–of–home placement by the Maryland Department of Human Resources and they must also confirm that you meet one of the following criteria:
    • you resided in an out-of-home placement in Maryland on your 18th birthday, or at the time you graduated from high school or successfully completed a general equivalency development examination (GED).
    • you resided in an out–of–home placement in Maryland for at least 1 year on or after your 13th birthday and you were placed into guardianship, adopted, or reunited with at least one of your parents after the out–of–home placement ended.
    • your older sibling met the placement and guardianship/adoption criteria above, and you were concurrently placed into guardianship or adopted out of an out-of-home placement by the same guardianship or adoptive family.
  • You must enroll at Towson University as a degree-seeking undergraduate on or before age 25.
  • Every year, you must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  (If you are not eligible to file a FAFSA, you submit MHEC's Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA).)
  • Eligible students may receive this waiver for ten years from your first date of enrollment as an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree candidate at a public college or university in Maryland; or until you earn a bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first.

Application Process

Every year, you must submit a FAFSA (or MSFAA).

Follow these FAFSA instructions and deadlines. 

If you aren't eligible to submit a FAFSA because you don't have a Social Security Number and you are an eligible undocumented, Dream Act, or DACA student, you must submit MHEC's MSFAA form.  Review this MSFAA information.  Then apply online at MDCAPCS.

The first time you apply for the Foster Care Waiver (after you are admitted to TU), you must also notify the TU Financial Aid Office, Scholarship Unit.  Send an email to .  Include your full name and TU ID.  Explain that you were in Maryland's foster care program and request the "Foster Care Waiver."  After we receive your FAFSA or MSFAA data and confirm your eligibility with the Maryland Department of Human Resources, we will post the waiver.

Maximum Waiver Amount

  • You may only receive a waiver for the cost of your tuition and mandatory course fees.
  • We can't waive room, meals, books, or other non-course charges.
  • If you study abroad/away, this waiver can only be applied to TU Exchange programs.  For more information about these requirements and the different types of study abroad/away programs, review the study abroad/away aid requirements. 
  • If you receive other grants or scholarships, this waiver will not be reduced based on those grants/scholarships, but in some cases the regulations for your other grants and scholarships could require reductions to those grants and scholarships based on this Tuition and Fees Waiver.

Renewing Awards

You must file the FAFSA or MSFAA every year to receive the waiver for up to an additional nine years or until your bachelor’s degree is awarded, whichever occurs first. You must also remain enrolled in an eligible academic program.