Education & Student Aid · Surprise rank #273
Foster Care Background? A Separate $5,000-a-Year Voucher Covers School Costs Until You Turn 26
New York's Education and Training Voucher pays up to $5,000 a year toward college or career training for youth who were in foster care. It is separate from FYCSI, and funding is first-come, first-served.
Who
Youth who are currently in or were formerly in foster care. New York extended the age limit so students can now qualify until their 26th birthday, and previous ETV recipients aged 23 through 26 who are enrolled in a post-secondary school may reapply.
Where: New York State residents with foster care history; the training or college program itself must be an eligible post-secondary program.
What to do
Start here: Complete the FAFSA first, then apply through the ETV program page on the OCFS website (ocfs.ny.gov/programs/youth/etv.php). Apply as early in the semester cycle as you can. Your caseworker, independent living coordinator or campus FYCSI contact can help with documentation.
Eligibility: Foster care history; enrollment in an eligible post-secondary education or training program; under the 26th birthday age limit; a completed FAFSA for the year; and documented unmet need. Applications are required every semester, not once a year.
What you get
The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program is a federally funded, state-administered voucher for young people with foster care experience. It can be used for post-secondary education or vocational and career training, and covers qualified school-related expenses — not only tuition. You reapply each semester, confirming enrollment and submitting your cost of attendance and unmet need.
Benefit: Up to $5,000 per year toward qualified school-related expenses, applied against your documented unmet need.
Possible value: Up to $5,000 a year, but the actual award depends on your unmet need after other aid and on how much ETV funding remains when you apply. Because it is separate from FYCSI, an eligible student may be able to draw on both.
Good to know
Important: Funding is limited and awarded first-come, first-served, so being fully eligible does not mean being funded — applying late in a semester cycle is the most common way people lose out. You must reapply every semester, and the FAFSA has to be done before you apply. Career and vocational training programs count, not just degree programs, which many applicants do not realize.
Availability: Active; funding is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Semester-by-semester application required.
Why people miss it: Most people who hear about foster-youth college help hear about one program and stop looking; ETV and FYCSI are separate pots of money with separate applications, and the extension of the age limit to 26 reopened it for people who assumed they had aged out.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026