Eligibility Criteria

Scholarship applications are available on this page between January 1 and March 31 annually.

All OFA scholarships are awarded based on a combination of merit and need, and funding levels are determined based on cost of attendance and other resources. Scholarship recipients are notified via email in June of the year in which they apply.

Applicants must:

• have been in public or private foster care for a minimum of 12 consecutive months at the time of their 18th birthday; OR have been adopted or placed into legal guardianship from foster care after their 16th birthday; OR they must have been orphaned for at least one year at the time of their 18th birthday.
• have been accepted into or expect to be accepted into an accredited, Pell-eligible college or other post-secondary school.
• be under the age of 25 on March 31 of the year in which they first apply.
• have been in foster care or orphaned while living in the United States.  U.S. citizenship is not required.