1. Life After High School:
Homeless Students & Higher Education

2. National Center for Homeless Education
Operates the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance center
Website:
Helpline: or
Products:
Webinars:
Listserv:
Also have a social media presence

3. The Path to Higher Education
Advanced Placement (AP) exams
College entrance exams
College applications
Applying for financial aid and scholarships
Choosing a college
Budgeting for the year
Developing study skills
Applying for financial aid (Again! And again!)
Don’t forget college loans
This also doesn’t include how to handle emergencies, how to get yourself to and from school, or what to do when the dorms close.
Choosing a college: community, public 4-year, private schools.
Family pressures

4. SAT Subject Test $26 basic fee + $22 and up
AP Exam $94
ACT $52
SAT $49
SAT Subject Test $26 basic fee + $22 and up
College Application Fee $43 each
Total $360-$1,000
The College Board recommends students apply to 5-8 schools.

5. College Board provides a reduced fee for low-income students
Title IV, Part A can cover part or all of the cost of AP exam fees, specific AP courses
Title I can cover some AP exam fees
Waivers are administered at the school; work with the AP Coordinator
Advanced Placement
Reduced fees drop the cost to $53 from $94
Must be in 11th or 12th Grade
Low income is based on free and reduced priced lunch status (unless you’re a CEP school).
CEP schools: student must either have a family income of 185% of the poverty level or be an “identified” student- i.e. homeless, foster, migrant, SNAP/TANF recipients.
This funding was impacted by ESSA- now a part of a block grant so must advocate to include in district plan/budget. Never been a limit on how many waivers a student can receive though.
Individual colleges set the limits in terms of the test score you have to achieve, how much credit they’ll give per course, etc. May need to discuss impact of transfers on students as well.

6. ACT Waivers Students can use the ACT waiver up to two times
Students access the waiver from the school counselor
Cover basic test fees
ACT Waivers
Ability to send the scores to unlimited colleges is new as of September 2018
Do not cover late registration or change fees
Additional information:
Eligibility:
You're enrolled in or eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
Your annual family income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
You're enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families (e.g., Federal TRIO programs such as Upward Bound).
Your family receives public assistance.
You live in federally subsidized public housing or a foster home, or are homeless.
You are a ward of the state or an orphan.

7. SAT Waivers Must be in the 11th or 12th Grade
Can be grades 9 thru 12 for subject tests
11th Graders can also take the PSAT
Obtain from school counselor or an authorized agency
Eligibility is the same as for ACT waivers. Can also be used twice for the general exam and two additional times for subjects. Subject tests include literature, history, math, advanced sciences, languages
Can also send scores to unlimited colleges.
Unlike the ACT, the SAT waiver will cover late registration fees. Still won’t cover change fees.
TRIO programs are an example of an authorized agency. TRIO: eight different programs targeting students who are low-income, first generation college students, and students with disabilities. Can run from middle school all the way though postbaccalaureate. Upward Bound is an example of a TRIO program.

8. College Application Fees
College Board Program: if qualify for an SAT waiver, can obtain application fee waiver
Can use at up to 4 colleges
Include Request for Waiver of Colleges Application Fee form with application
Check for your students’ colleges here: in/applying-101/college-application-fee- waivers/participating-colleges
Waiver is good at both public and private colleges and universities, but not all colleges will accept it.

9. College Application Fees
National Association of College Admission Counseling waivers
Completed with help from the high school counselor
Eligibility based on same criteria as ACT and SAT waivers
Can be based on income or counselor’s knowledge of the family’s circumstance
Transfer students who are eligible for the Pell Grant can also use this
Similar rules in that it’s really recommended you only use this at no more than 4 schools. This waiver is exclusive of the College Board waiver though, so you could use it at 4 and the NACAC waiver at four if the student wanted to apply to several schools. Also similar in that not all schools accept this waiver.
Can be signed by a designee or a community program like Trio. It’s really meant for students who are going straight from high school to college, but the form does have instructions on how to get independent verification of eligibility for students who take some time off prior to going to college.
Checked in with NACAC: If the student is a senior who is taking an AP course and to be eligible for college credit the student must apply to the college, the waiver could be used to help cover that fee.

10. College Application Fees
Some colleges may have their own fee policies outside the waiver programs
The Common Application will help cut down on fees:
Some colleges don’t charge fees if the student applies online
Common App- nonprofit started by 15 schools; now includes almost % of the schools don’t charge application fees; those who do will accept the fee waiver through the college board (SAT waiver). Set of questions that are the same for all colleges; additional variations based on the school. (Ex: recommendations, essays)

11. Free Application for Federal Student Aid
FAFSA must be completed for each school year
Now available on October 1
Available online at
Deadlines vary
Federal deadline: June 30
State deadline: October 1
Universities: check with them
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
It used to be available Jan 1, now available Oct 1. Because of earlier release date, can use earlier (prior prior) tax information. Ex: the FAFSA will be released on Oct 1, 2019 for the SY. Instead of using tax information from 2019, I would use tax information from Part of benefit to earlier FAFSA: can help with scholarship applications that require students to have a completed FAFSA.
Make sure students do it online.
Make sure it’s the free version.
Universities can run out of aid.

12. Dependent vs. Independent Students
Must report parent information on FAFSA
Expected family contribution is based on parents’ and student’s income and assets
Independent Student
Does NOT report parent information on FAFSA
Expected family contribution is based on student’s income and assets
Independent students: emancipated minors, married students. Since age of 13: parents deceased, foster students, ward or dependent of the court. UHY or UY who is self-supporting and at-risk of homelessness
At risk of homelessness: When a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate, for example, a student who is being evicted and has been unable to find fixed, regular, and adequate housing.

13. Verifying Independent Status
Students must have independent status verified once submit FAFSA
Local homeless education liaison
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shelter director or designee
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) shelter director or designee
Financial Aid Administrator (FAA)
Verifying Independent Status
Homeless liaisons are required to provide verification for UHY who were homeless during high school per ESSA [42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(6)(A)(x)(III]
Liaisons MAY provide subsequent year verifications. Used to be allowed via a “Dear Colleague Letter” but is now in ESSA Guidance (Question Q-2)
FAA: For any student, but particularly those who cannot get a determination from one of the other three authorized parties
Frequency of these is in order of what is seen on screen. Over 23,000 verifications were provided by liaisons in SY About 3,500 applications were verified by HUD shelters, 3,300 were verified by RHYA programs, and 2,800 were determined by FAAs.

14. Application and Verification Guide
Encourages discretion and sensitivity when collecting information
Some information may be confidential
Child welfare or law enforcement reports are not necessary
Recommends consulting with liaisons, state coordinators, NCHE, school counselors, clergy, etc.
Used by FAAs to determine financial aid eligibility.
Confidential information: doctor-patient privilege
Disagreeing with a liaison’s determination does not constitute conflicting information. Keep your letters brief and clean- don’t mention parents, just state the facts.

15. Give Us Your Poor/Horatio Alger Scholarship: https://scholars
NAEHCY Scholarship: application/
SchoolHouse Connection Scholarship: n.org/youth-leadership/scholarship- program/
Scholarships
Encourage students to check with school counselors for a list of available scholarships
May be others available via universities

16. Scholarships Free and reputable scholarship search engines:
Fastweb!:
College Board: olarship-search
U.S. Department of Education: scholarships/finding-scholarships
Scholarships
ED website includes scholarship search tips and guidelines

18. Foster Care Defined
24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians
The state has placement & care responsibility
The home doesn’t have to be licensed or receive support payments
Includes: foster homes, group homes, emergency shelter, residential facilities, childcare institutions, pre-adoptive homes
A child is in foster care in accordance with this definition regardless of whether the foster care facility is licensed and payments are made by the State or local agency for the care of the child, whether adoption subsidy payments are being made prior to the finalization of an adoption, or whether there is Federal matching of any payments that are made. (45 C.F.R. § )

19. Transportation for Children in Foster Care
Must have clear, written procedures that ensure…
Students promptly receive transportation in a cost-effective manner
When additional costs are incurred, the LEA provides transportation if
The child welfare agency agrees to reimburse the district or
The LEA agrees to pay the cost or
The LEA & child welfare agency agree to share the cost
Transportation for Children in Foster Care
Procedures should address disputes in case the LEA and child welfare agency don’t agree.
Title IV-E maintenance payments and Title I funds can be used.

20. Contact Information
Christina Endres NCHE