The DSS Adopted Children Tuition Waiver is designed to lessen the financial burden on adopting parents in the Commonwealth. This Waiver extends eligibility to all children and young adults, age twenty-four or under, adopted through the Department of Social Services by state employees or eligible Massachusetts residents, regardless of the date of adoption. The tuition waiver encompasses 100% of tuition for state-supported courses at all of the Massachusetts public institutions of higher education, excluding graduate courses and courses in the MD program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

To be eligible for a DSS Adopted Children Tuition Waiver, a student must:

• Be twenty-four years of age or under.
• Be in the custody of the Department of Social Services and adopted by an eligible Massachusetts state employee through the Department of Social Services, or;
• Be in the custody of the Department of Social Services and adopted by an eligible Massachusetts resident through the Department of Social Services.
• Be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• Not have received a prior bachelor's degree or its equivalent.
• Be in compliance with Selective Service Registration requirements.
• Be maintaining satisfactory academic progress in accordance with institutional and Federal standards.

Any state-supported course offered by an institution at a public college or university, excluding all graduate courses and courses in the MD program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Eligible courses include those toward an undergraduate degree program, certificate program, short-term certificate program, and non-credit courses. Institutions are encouraged to develop waiver programs for eligible students that would provide a 50% tuition waiver for any non-state supported course and/or certificate programs.

Eligible state employees shall include all individuals determined to be Massachusetts State employees at the time of adoption of the eligible student including:

• All full and part-time Massachusetts State government employees employed by the state, for at least six months at the time of the adoption. Employees who were working for the state at the time of the adoption and continued to be employed by the state for at least six months after the adoption.

Eligible Massachusetts residents shall include:

• All individuals determined to be Massachusetts State residents at the time of adoption of the eligible student.

An institution within the system of public higher education under Section 5 Chapter 15A of the General Laws.

Students eligible for the DSS Children Adopted by State Employees or Residents of Massachusetts Tuition Waiver program will be entitled to a tuition waiver equal to 100% of the resident rate for eligible state-supported courses offered at the participating public higher education institutions.

Contact the financial aid office at the institution you are attending or plan to attend for application requirements or deadlines. You can also call the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance at (617) 727-9420 to obtain more information.