Rita was in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) for 12 years when she was growing up. When she applied for university in Alberta, she applied for the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program; a program that waives tuition fees for BC students who are former youth in care attending a public post-secondary institution in BC. Because Rita was going to university in Alberta, she was told she was ineligible for the program.

After reviewing policies relating to the program and speaking with several staff, the ministry agreed that the program was unnecessarily restrictive and invited Rita to apply for a tuition waiver and confirm her eligibility for the program. As a result of our investigation, the ministry also agreed to expand its appeals process to ensure other students in similar circumstances will be able to apply for the Tuition Waiver Program.