This two-page brochure from ACT describes the procedures that economically disadvantaged high school juniors or seniors should follow to receive a fee waiver for taking the ACT college entrance exam.

This guide from the U.S. Department of Education is intended for financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the student aid process: filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-84) states that unaccompanied homeless youth are to be considered independent students when applying for federal financial aid for higher education. Pages 24-40 refer specifically to verifying an applicant's dependency status, including unaccompanied youth qualifying as independent students.

This webpage from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators discusses the expanded criteria under which an undergraduate student is considered independent for the purposes of receiving federal financial aid for higher education. These changes were enacted into law under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-84) and become effective July 1, 2009, for the 2009-2010 award year.

The FAFSA is the form required by the federal government for application to any federal education aid program. The FAFSA is used to determine the expected family contribution based on family financial information. A FAFSA is used to determine the specific Federal Student Aid programs that can contribute to a student's total financial aid package and in what proportions.
Fill out the 2010-2011 FAFSA online.
Search federal school codes (used to identify colleges/universities on the FAFSA)
Download the 2010-2011 FAFSA in PDF format.
Download the 2010-2011 FAFSA On The Web Worksheet.
Call 1-800-4-FED-AID or 1-800-394-7084 to request that a hard copy of the FAFSA be mailed to you.
Download the Summary of Changes for the Application Processing System: 2010-2011 (includes information on homeless unaccompanied youth being considered "independent students").

This federal discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students.

This September 2009 report from the Institute of Education Sciences is intended to help schools and districts develop practices to increase access to higher education for its students. It can be useful for individuals who work in schools and districts in planning and executing strategies to improve preparation for, and access to, higher education. The guide contains specific steps on how to implement the recommendations that are targeted at school- and district-level administrators, teachers, counselors, and related education staff.

This brief from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) discusses the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-84) as it pertains to homeless unaccompanied youth. It also provides a list of resources to use in assisting homeless unaccompanied youth access various kinds of financial aid and provides sample letters that can be used to establish a homeless unaccompanied youth's status as an "independent student" for the purposes of applying for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

This two-page brief from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) answers various questions about the relationship between the filing of tax returns and a youth's completion of the FAFSA. Questions answered include: How does a youth’s decision to file a tax return affect the FAFSA?; Are youth required to file tax returns?, and; What should an unaccompanied youth do if his/her parents claim him/her as a dependent on their tax returns?.

The LeTendre Education Fund provides higher education scholarships for graduating homeless or formerly homeless students. This webpage provides more information about the scholarship and access to the scholarship application.

This December 2009 guide from Casey Family Programs provides information on helping youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth to secure financial aid for postsecondary education or training programs. It describes how to respond to new FAFSA questions that will determine federal financial aid status for these students. The guide will be most useful for financial aid professionals, independent living coordinators, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, social workers, and advocates helping youth to secure the maximum allowable financial aid.

This webpage from the College Board explains how a high school junior or senior can receive a fee-waiver in order to take the SAT college entrance exam or SAT subject tests, if paying the fee would pose a barrier to the student's college entrance. It also discusses how a college-bound student can receive waivers for college application fees.

Few students from foster care ever gain access to higher education programs, let alone graduate from college. Colleges and universities can help youth succeed. Colleges, policymakers, and advocates have begun to address this issue with calls for policy advances, practice innovations, and influential advocacy. This Casey Family Programs publication provides program development tools for college counselors, administrators, professors, and staff. It helps education professionals define a plan for improving their institution’s support for students from foster care.

The Federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes six outreach and support programs targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.