Foster Youth College Success Initiative

A. Students who are New York State residents and meet one of the following criteria are eligible:

• Students adopted from foster care on or after their 13th birthday;
• Students living with a relative or kin under a kinship foster care agreement;
• Students who spent at least one night in foster care on or after their 13th birthday.

NOTE: Foster care experience must be verified by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) by submitting the Student Consent Form (OCFS-3165). Students with foster care experience outside New York State must provide verification of that experience to OCFS to confer eligibility for FYCSI.

A. Orphans are eligible only if both parents were deceased before the student’s 18th birthday and the student was not adopted prior to age 13.

NOTE: Orphan status is determined by the campus professionals at the college/university where the student is enrolled.

A. A student is NOT eligible if they live with another family member, kin, or friend under a documented guardianship agreement or an informal guardianship agreement without foster care history or documented orphan status after 13th birthday. A student is eligible if both parents were deceased on or after the student’s 13th birthday and before the student’s 18th birthday, and the student then entered into a
legal guardianship agreement.

A. Unaccompanied or homeless students are eligible if they have foster care experience on or after their 13th birthday or are orphans.

A. Yes, students who are without lawful immigration status or who fall within a category of individuals outlined in Section 661 of the NYS Education Law are eligible for consideration. See above for determination of eligibility based on either foster care or orphan status.

A. No. All CUNY and SUNY institutions can administer FYCSI funding to their eligible students; Private institutions must host HEOP for a student to be eligible for FYCSI funds, however, the student does not need to be in the EOP/HEOP or SEEK/CD program. 

A. No. A student can receive FYCSI funding only after:
• The student enrolls at a participating institution; and
• The student is deemed eligible for FYCSI funding either via OCFS (in the case of foster care experience) or via campus staff (in the case of orphan status); and
• The institution is informed that the student is seeking or has received an eligibility determination.

A. Students pursuing their first associate degree and/or first bachelor’s degree are eligible, provided that they meet one of the criteria above (i.e., foster care experience or orphan status).

NOTE: Students pursuing a graduate degree, a second associate degree, a second bachelor’s degree, or a certificate/vocational credential are not eligible to receive funding.

A. Please contact the Foster Youth College Success Initiative (FYCSI) liaison at SUNY Oswego.

Joey T. Tse
Foster Youth College Success Initiative Liaison,
Director, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
Director, Office of Learning Services (OLS)
State University of New York at Oswego
118 Penfield Library
315.312.2554
[email protected]
Pronouns: he, him, his

You’ll also find the NYS Foster Youth College Success Initiative online at:
https://www.nysed.gov/postsecondary-services/foster-youth-college-success-initiative 

A. 
Joey T. Tse
Foster Youth College Success Initiative Liaison,
Director, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
Director, Office of Learning Services (OLS)
State University of New York at Oswego
118 Penfield Library
315.312.2554
[email protected]
Pronouns: he, him, his