All former youth in care in B.C. now eligible for education tuition waivers

British Columbia has expanded its tuition waiver program to include all former youth in government care enrolling in post-secondary education.

Selina Robinson, post-secondary education and future skills minister, says the program is no longer capped at the student’s 27th birthday.

She says the budget for the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program is $19.2 million over the next three years, providing former youth in care with free tuition at all 25 public post-secondary institutions, the Native Education College and approved union-based trades training providers.

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B.C.’s Ombudsperson Jay Chalke released a report last week that called on the government to compensate a woman who left government care at 17 years old to live with her aunt, but was denied post-secondary funding and ended up enrolling in a program at her own cost.

Children’s Minister Mitzi Dean said in a statement her ministry would review the report, but did not offer to compensate the woman.

The post-secondary education ministry says in a statement about 2,300 students have accessed the tuition waiver program since its implementation in 2017, resulting in the waiving of $16.6 million in tuition fees.

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