Young people of university age in the extended care of Children Aid Societies will again be eligible to attend the university without paying tuition.
Laurentian University has announce that youth in extended society care (until recently referred to as 'Crown wards') will again be eligible to apply for a full tuition exemption for courses.
"This will be open to current and former youth in the care of a Children’s Aid Society, who are pursuing their first post-secondary degree," the university stated in a news release. "This tuition exemption program was initiated in 2012 and has been approved again for the upcoming academic year. This funding will be extended to support the equivalent of ten full-time students and is available to students studying full-time or part-time."
LU said, the initiative was championed by Jane Kovarikova, a Laurentian grad and former youth-in-care.
“Post-secondary credentials have made it possible for the few of us who were lucky to achieve our goals,” Kovarikova said. “Most of us simply don’t have the same opportunities. I am very grateful that I had access to post-secondary via a pathway through my community college and then onward to university studies. I wish for all those raised in care to have the same opportunities.”
To be eligible for the tuition waiver, students must:
- Have been in extended society care in Ontario for a minimum of one year.
- Apply for non-repayable grant funding through full-time or part-time OSAP each academic year. Students are not required to apply for loan funding.
- Have exhausted any other type of available government funding available.
For interested students, more information and application instructions are available within the Admissions section of the Laurentian University website, which you can find here.
