Foster Care

History and Impact

House Bill 3748, passed by the 84th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, called for each institution of higher education and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to designate at least one employee to act as a liaison officer for current and incoming students who were formerly in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). The THECB liaison, from the Student Success Division, collected information from institutions about their designees and compiled a master list, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses. The THECB shared this list shared with all liaisons to facilitate the sharing of information, such as basic information about state programs to assist students formerly under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).

In addition, the THECB created the Texas Higher Education Foster Care Liaisons Information and Reference Guide to:

1. Offer the tools needed to be successful as a foster care liaison
2. Identify key local, state, and national stakeholders and resources
3. Highlight effective recruitment and retention strategies for working with foster care alumni.

The Tuition Exemption Program

To encourage foster youth currently or formerly under the conservatorship of the DFPS and those adopted from DFPS to pursue a higher education in Texas, this program provides eligible students free tuition at state-supported colleges or universities.

Data and Research

Most young people who experience foster care want to attend college, but few succeed. In Texas, previous research reveals that only 3.5% of students who experienced foster care (SEFC) achieve a postsecondary credential by age 24. Policies and programs exist to support SEFC in higher education, however, these
policies and programs have been unable to substantively improve outcomes. The From Foster Care to College report updates data on outcomes, documents barriers to success, evaluates existing policies and programs, and identifies emerging opportunities in Texas. Our intent is to provide data-driven guidance on strategies for improving postsecondary achievement in Texas among students who experienced foster care.