{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.2847","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.2847","heading":"Waiver of tuition and mandatory student fees for Kentucky foster or","body":"adopted children.\n(1) Tuition and mandatory student fees for any undergraduate or graduate program of\nany Kentucky public postsecondary institution, including all four ( 4) year\nuniversities and colleges and institutions of the Kentucky Community and\nTechnical College System, shall be waived for a Kentucky foster or adopted child\nwho is a full-time or part-time student if the student meets all entrance requirements\nand maintains academic eligibility while enrolled at the postsecondary institution,\nand if:\n(a) The student's family receives state -funded adoption assistance under KRS\n199.555;\n(b) The student is currently committed to the Cabinet for Health and Family\nServices under KRS 610.010(5) and placed in a family foster home or is\nplaced in accordance with KRS 605.090(3);\n(c) The student is in an independent living program and the placement is funded\nby the Cabinet for Health and Family Services;\n(d) The student who is an  adopted child was in the permanent legal custody of\nand placed for adoption by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. A\nstudent who meets the eligibility criteria of this paragraph and lives outside of\nKentucky at the time of application to a Kentuck y postsecondary institution\nmay apply for the waiver up to the amount of tuition for a Kentucky resident;\n(e) The Cabinet for Health and Family Services was the student's legal custodian\non his or her eighteenth birthday; or\n(f) The student was adjudicated  dependent, neglected, or abused under KRS\nChapter 620, removed from parental custody, and subsequently adopted by a\nrelative.\n(2) Tuition and mandatory student fees for any undergraduate program of any\nKentucky public postsecondary institution, including all four (4) year universities\nand colleges and institutions of the Kentucky Community and Technical College\nSystem, shall be waived for a Department of Juvenile Justice foster child who is a\nfull-time or part -time student if the student meets all entrance  requirements and\nmaintains academic eligibility while enrolled at the postsecondary institution and\nobtains a recommendation for participation from an official from the Department of\nJuvenile Justice, and if:\n(a) The student has not been sentenced to the Department of Juvenile Justice\nunder KRS Chapter 640;\n(b) The student has been committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice for a\nperiod of at least twelve (12) months;\n(c) The student is in an independent living program and placement is funded by\nthe Department of Juvenile Justice;\n(d) The parental rights of the student's biological parents have been terminated; or\n(e) The student was committed to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services\nprior to a commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice.\n(3) Upon request of the postsecondary institution, the Cabinet for Health and Family\nServices shall confirm the eligibility status under subsection (1) of this section and\nthe Dep artment of Juvenile Justice shall confirm the eligibility status and\nrecommendations under subsection (2) of this section of the student seeking to\nparticipate in the waiver program. Release of this information shall not constitute a\nbreach of confidentiality required by KRS 199.570, 610.320, or 620.050.\n(4) The student shall complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to\ndetermine the level of need and eligibility for state and federal financial aid\nprograms. If the sum of the tuition waiver plus  other student financial assistance,\nexcept loans and the work study program under 42 U.S.C. secs. 2751 -2756b, from\nall sources exceeds the student's total cost of attendance, as defined in 20 U.S.C.\nsec. 1087ll, the tuition waiver shall be reduced by the amount exceeding the total\ncost of attendance.\n(5) Except when extended in accordance with subsection (6) of this section, the student\nshall be eligible for the tuition waiver:\n(a) For entrance to the institution for a period of no more than four (4) years  after\nthe date of graduation from high school or obtaining a high school\nequivalency diploma; and\n(b) For one hundred fifty (150) consecutive or nonconsecutive credit hours\nearned, after first admittance to any Kentucky institution if satisfactory\nprogress is achieved or maintained up to age twenty-eight (28).\n(6) The expiration of a student's eligibility under subsection (5)(a) of this section shall\nbe extended by the number of academic terms the institution determines the student\nwas unable to enroll for or complete due to serving:\n(a) On active duty status in the United States Armed Forces;\n(b) As an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health\nService; or\n(c) On active service in the Peace Corps Act or the Americorps.\nThe original age limitation under subsection (5)(b) of this section shall be extended\nby the total number of years during which the student was on active duty status. The\nnumber of months served on active duty status shall be rounded up to the next\nhigher year to determine the maximum length of eligibility extension allowed.\n(7) The Council on Postsecondary Education shall report nonidentifying data on\ngraduation rates of students participating in the tuition waiver program by\nNovember 30 each year to the Legislative Research Commission.\n(8) Nothing in this section shall be construed to:\n(a) Guarantee acceptance of or entrance into any postsecondary institution for a\nfoster or adopted child;\n(b) Limit the participation of a foster or adopted student in any other progr am of\nfinancial assistance for postsecondary education;\n(c) Require any postsecondary institution to waive costs or fees relating to room\nand board; or\n(d) Restrict any postsecondary institution, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or\nthe Cabinet for Healt h and Family Services from accessing other sources of\nfinancial assistance, except loans, that may be available to a foster or adopted\nstudent.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57965","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:15Z","sha256":"e203780c7a83184e1e85f842c7886214f0566923bb8c75c3c4dfe957d12887b9","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.2846","next":"us-ky/krs-164.2849"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}