NEW @ RIC! Foster Care Youth Scholarship Program

Rhode Island College has partnered with the R.I. Office of Postsecondary Commissioner, the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families, the RIC Foundation and other state agencies to offer a new scholarship for eligible students in foster care and for those who have exited.

The Foster Care Youth Scholarship Program was created to provide transformative educational opportunities for foster care youth by providing a pathway to success and degree completion at Rhode Island College.

“In the past, these students faced housing and food insecurities,” says Lisa Hoopis, student success coach for the program. “This scholarship will cover their tuition, fees, room, board and any other educational needs they may have.”

Established in fall 2024, this is a four-year pilot program funded by the state of Rhode Island.

To qualify for the scholarship:

• Candidates must be residents of Rhode Island.
• They must have graduated high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma.
• They must be no older than age 26.
• They must apply and be admitted to Rhode Island College.
• They must be currently or were formerly in the Rhode Island foster care system between the ages of 13 and 21 for six months or more, regardless of whether that time was consecutive or nonconsecutive; or they must have left foster care at age 13 or older for guardianship or adoption up until the age of 26.
• They must have demonstrated financial need based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the state-alternative Financial Aid Application.

This is a last-dollar scholarship, Hoopis says, so it is awarded after all other federal, state and/or institutional grant/scholarships have been applied.

The benefits, however, are substantial. Scholarship recipients receive:

• Tuition and fees for undergraduate courses, along with textbooks and other educational materials.
• On-campus housing and meal plans for the academic year, including during breaks and summer sessions.
• Customized services that include academic advising, mentoring, campus resources and wraparound services throughout their tenure at RIC, to ensure their personal and academic success.
• Support from the program’s success coach who regularly monitors their academic progress as the academic year progresses and works with them to adjust their support services as needed.

As success coach, Hoopis currently oversees 10 students in the program, ranging in age from 18 to 23.

“I check in with them weekly to see what their needs are – both academic and personal,” she says. “Along with connecting them to on-campus and off-campus resources, my role is to listen and to let them voice their concerns. I, too, was once in the foster care system. I think it helps them to know that I’m someone who can relate to their experience. I’m also a student. I’m working on my Ed.D. in educational leadership.”

If you’re a foster care youth interested in higher education and you meet the Foster Care Youth Scholarship Program eligibility criteria, you may apply to RIC for free, using promo code: Foster25 on the RIC Common Application.

Rhode Island College is here to support you.

For more information, visit the Foster Care Youth Scholarship Program, or contact Lisa Hoopis at lhoopis@ric.edu or call (401) 456-4690.