Youth with a foster care background often experience instability within the foster care system. While an estimated 70 to 93% of foster youth aspire to attend college, only 24% of young people successfully enroll in post-secondary education or training due to gaps in support and guidance in navigating higher education.

The Foster Youth College Success Initiative (FYCSI) helps close those gaps by providing youth with a foster care background comprehensive support, including summer college preparation, on-campus academic advice, stable housing, and critical financial and academic assistance. Since its inception in 2015, FYCSI has supported more than 4,000 students attending over 100 colleges and universities across New York State. According to the Rockefeller Institute’s Fostering Success at SUNY report, FYCSI recipients have higher retention rates and are more likely to obtain associate and bachelor’s degrees than their peers.

Governor Kathy Hochul’s FY 2027 budget proposal includes $7.92 million for FYCSI, but this allocation falls short of the $10 million needed to meet the growing demand among college students with a foster care background. We urge New York State to fully fund FYCSI and ensure foster youth have the opportunity to make their college dreams a tangible reality!