Title 42
State Affairs and Government

Chapter 72.8
Department of Children, Youth and Families’ Higher Education Opportunity Incentive Grant

§ 42-72.8-2.1. Eligibility.

(a) To be eligible for a Higher Education Opportunity Incentive Grant, a youth:

(1) Must have been in foster care in Rhode Island through the department for at least six (6) months on or after their fourteenth birthday. The six (6) months can be non-consecutive periods of foster care placement or participation in the voluntary extension of care pursuant to § 14-1-6;

(2) Retains eligibility through the academic year in which the student reaches their twenty-third birthday;

(3) Must have graduated from high school or received a high school equivalency diploma;

(4) Must be admitted to, and must enroll, attend, and make satisfactory progress towards the completion of a degreed program of study at the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, or the University of Rhode Island on a full-time or part-time basis enrolled in no less than six (6) credits per semester; and

(5) Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who are legally unable to complete the FAFSA, must complete a comparable form created by the institution by the applicable deadline for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the aforesaid incentive grant.

(b) To be eligible for a Workforce Development Incentive Grant, a youth:

(1) Must have been in foster care in Rhode Island through the department for at least six (6) months on or after their fourteenth birthday. The six (6) months can be non-consecutive periods of foster care placement or participation in the voluntary extension of care pursuant to § 14-1-6;

(2) Retains eligibility through the academic year in which the student reaches their twenty-third birthday;

(3) Must have graduated from high school or received a high school equivalency diploma; and

(4) Must be enrolled and attend a workforce development program at the community college of Rhode Island approved by the commissioner of postsecondary education.

(c) Youth shall only be eligible for one of the incentive grants per academic year.

(d) Youth who meet the eligibility requirements in subsection (a) or (b) of this section and who are adopted or placed in guardianship through the department after their sixteenth birthday are eligible to receive the incentive grant.