Youth who spent time in government care in Nova Scotia can now apply to have their tuition waived at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC).
The program called the Post-Care Free Tuition Program was announced this week and is the first of its kind for an Atlantic college.
It’s an exciting prospect for NSCC campuses around the province as it should help remove the barriers to post-secondary education for some.
NSCC Lunenburg Campus Principal Craig Collins said, “Financial barriers to post-secondary institutions are a real thing and with programs like this I think we are working towards making education more accessible.”
The first iteration of the program will be limited to five waivers for the upcoming semester with plans to expand to ten the following semester.
To be eligible for the program, individuals must have been in the care of the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, including Mi’kmaw Family and Children’s Services of Nova Scotia, or have accessed youth services (as defined by Section 19 of the Children and Family Services Act) for a minimum of one year.
Applicants must also have already been accepted into one of NSCC’s programs in order to apply for the waiver.
How many people will be eligible is not yet know according to Jill Provoe, NSCC’s Senior Advisor for Educational Equity, “We’re excited to see how many people apply but we really don’t know how many eligible applicant exsist”
She added that in the few days applications have been open they have already received multiple applications.
Funding for the program has come from private donors and NSCC is working on recruiting more donors so they can further expand the program in the future.
