The University of Victoria (UVic) will now offer free tuition to five students who were formerly under foster care.
According to the university’s website, the school will award a maximum of five students with free tuition for eight terms, or four years of full-time study.
Students also must reside in British Columbia, have been in foster care at some point in the past or present and be able to demonstrate financial need.
In June of 2013, the British Columbia Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond called on publicly funded post-secondary institutions to offer free tuition to students from foster homes in order to break down one of the greatest barriers between youth and higher education.
The role of the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) is to provide support to youth and their families, according to the RCY website.
According to Lise Johnson, communications manager for RCY, more than 8,000 children are under the care of British Columbia’s government. Approximately 700 are eligible by age to enter university each year, leaving foster care at the age of 19.
“These are some of the most vulnerable children in the province,” Johnson said. “They may have lived in multiple homes throughout their lives. They may not have had the stability of a supportive family, and they may have suffered abuse, poverty and other multiple challenges.”
Johnson said these youth “are more likely to have mental health problems, become parents at an early age, experience trouble with employment, be involved in the criminal justice system, receive social assistance, experience homelessness or have substance abuse issues.”
According to Johnson, the RCY hopes that tuition scholarships will help former foster kids attend post-secondary education and eventually permanent employment.
Five other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia have also implemented programs to assist students formerly in foster care, either by creating bursaries or waving tuition fees altogether.
