Eligibility and enrollment
Eligible students: Current or former foster youth (Wesconsin or any state), including: foster care after age 13, kinship care, group home, residential treatment, aged out at 18/21, adopted from foster care after 13, unaccompanied homeless youth (McKinney-Vento). Verification: Wesconsin DCF letter, court order, or agency documentation — submit once, valid for duration of enrollment. Enrollment: Check the Fostering Success box on admission application or self-identify anytime via portal (Student Services → Fostering Success). No deadline: Students can join at any point (including mid-semester). Confidentiality: Status shared only with Fostering Success staff, Financial Aid, Housing, and Registrar (for tuition waiver) — not on transcripts, not visible to faculty.
Year-round housing guarantee
Guaranteed on-campus housing 365 days/year (including winter break, spring break, summer) for all Fostering Success students. Placement: Priority for Bluff Hall apartments (4 singles + full kitchen + living room) or Riverfront Hall pods (4 singles + kitchenette) — both have private bathrooms and year-round access. Summer housing: Free (covered by program) for students enrolled in summer courses, doing research, working on campus, or in the Summer Crew. Break hosting: Students who stay during breaks are not “alone on campus” — program coordinates community meals, movie nights, and transportation to Community Center events. Off-campus transition: Junior/senior year move-off support: Housing Guide workshop, deposit assistance ($500 grant), landlord introduction letters, Housing Law Clinic lease review.
Dedicated advising and coaching
Fostering Success Advisor (1 FTE, caseload ~40): assigned at enrollment, meets biweekly first year, monthly thereafter. Scope: Academic planning (with professional/faculty advisor), financial aid navigation, career exploration, personal goal-setting, crisis navigation. Peer Coach (upper-class Fostering Success student, paid): weekly check-in (text/call/coffee), campus navigation, resource connection, “been there” perspective. Faculty Mentor (volunteer, 1:1 match by major interest): semester check-ins, research/internship guidance, grad school advice. Cohort model: Entering cohort (8–12 students) takes FS 1100: College Success for Foster Scholars (1 credit, fall): time management, financial literacy, campus resources, identity & resilience, building your board of directors. Graduation rate: 72% 6-year (national foster care avg ~50%); 85% retained to year 2.
Financial support and emergency grants
Tuition Waiver: Wesconsin Foster Care Tuition Waiver (state statute) covers 100% tuition & mandatory fees for eligible students (up to 130 credits or bachelor’s, whichever comes first). FAFSA: Independent status (no parent income) → max Pell + max state grant. Program Scholarships: Fostering Success Scholarship ($2,000/year, renewable, 2.5 GPA, program participation), Second Chapter Scholarship ($5,000/year, for students 25+ with foster background). Emergency Grants (no repayment, 48-hr turnaround): housing deposit, car repair, medical/dental, technology, winter gear, food security — up to $1,500/semester (administered by Porter Cares, no separate application). Book/Supply Stipend: $300/semester (auto-loaded to dining dollars for textbooks at Founders Hall Bookstore). Laptop Program: Free refurbished laptop (3-yr warranty) at entry; replacement cycle at 3 years.
Summer crew and campus farm
Fostering Success Summer Crew (10 weeks, 30 hrs/week, $16/hr + free summer housing): 8–10 positions, priority for Fostering Success students. Work: Founders Farm (planting, harvest, CSA pack-out, farmers market stand), Porter County Community Center summer camp (counselor-in-training), Porter Cares food pantry (gleaning coordination, inventory), Makerspace (materials prep, safety monitoring). Professional development: Weekly Friday workshops (resume, financial literacy, networking, grad school, self-advocacy). Outcomes: 90% of crew alumni report the summer crew was “the most valuable professional experience” of college; 60% secure fall internships/research from connections made.
Community and campus family network
Campus Family Network: 30+ faculty/staff/alumni volunteers who “adopt” a Fostering Success student (monthly dinner, care packages at finals, holiday inclusion, emergency contact). Matching: Interest survey at enrollment → mutual ranking → 2-year commitment (renewable). Peer community: Monthly “Family Dinner” (program pays, student-chosen restaurant), semester retreat (cabin, 2 nights, facilitated), GroupMe (active, memes + real talk). Advocacy: Fostering Success students serve on Student Government (reserved seat), Porter Cares advisory board, Wesconsin Foster Youth Advisory Council. Alumni network: 40+ graduates (since 2015), annual reunion (Homecoming weekend), mentorship pipeline for current students.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The program, policies, statistics, and outcomes described here are invented for this fictional university. No real foster care support programs are depicted.