DCYF Higher Education Opportunity Incentive Grant (foster youth)
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
Grant for young people who were in Rhode Island foster care, covering unmet college costs up to the full cost of attendance at CCRI, RIC or URI (or a CCRI workforce program).
- How much
- Up to the full cost of attendance minus other aid (unmet need), subject to available funding
- Who qualifies
- Current or former Rhode Island foster youth (DCYF foster care for 6+ months on or after age 14, or adopted/guardianship through DCYF after age 16)
- High school diploma or equivalency; eligible through the academic year you turn 23; degree program at CCRI, RIC or URI with at least 6 credits a semester, or an approved CCRI workforce program.
- For students starting college, undergrads, trade school students
- Need-based: your FAFSA decides how much you get.
- When to apply
- Apply any time No published deadline; file the FAFSA by your college's deadline each year and work with DCYF before the term starts.
- How to apply
- Talk to your DCYF caseworker or transition worker as early as possible
- DCYF reaches out to eligible youth from age 14
- Get admitted to CCRI, RIC or URI (or an approved CCRI workforce program), and file the FAFSA each year (or the college's alternative form if you can't legally file a FAFSA)
- DCYF requests your unmet need from the college and the grant is paid through the college
- What you'll need
- FAFSA + state application
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (webserver.rilegislature.gov), page 2, page 3 and page 4
The details
Created by RIGL chapter 42-72.8 and rewritten in 2024. Youth who were in Rhode Island foster care through DCYF for at least six months (not necessarily consecutive, including voluntary extension of care) on or after their 14th birthday can receive a grant that supplements other federal, state, private and institutional aid, up to the full cost of attendance: tuition, fees, books, academic support, transportation, food and housing. DCYF asks the college for the student's unmet need. Eligibility runs through the academic year in which the student turns 23. Two versions: the Higher Education Opportunity Incentive Grant for a degree program at CCRI, RIC or URI (at least 6 credits a semester, full or part time, with satisfactory progress), and the Workforce Development Incentive Grant for an approved workforce program at CCRI. A student can get only one of the two per academic year. Youth adopted or placed in guardianship through DCYF after age 16 also qualify. Awards are limited to available state funding.
More money from Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Hope Scholarship (Rhode Island College)Full remaining tuition and mandatory fees for junior and senior years at RIC (after other aid)
- Rhode Island Promise ScholarshipRemaining tuition and mandatory fees at CCRI for two years, after other grants and scholarships
- Rhode Island State Grant (need-based state scholarship and grant program)Varies by college and by the year's appropriation; no statewide amount is published
- Rhode Island Tuition Waiver for Residents 60 and OlderFull tuition, space-available (fees and books not covered)
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Nearby states: Connecticut, Massachusetts
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
- How to save on textbooks: free, rented and cheaper options
We list programs; we don't decide who gets them. Always check the official page before you apply. Spot something wrong? Tell us.