This two-page brochure from ACT describes the procedures that economically disadvantaged high school juniors or seniors should follow to receive a fee waiver for taking the ACT college entrance exam.

This guide from the U.S. Department of Education is intended for financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the student aid process: filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-84) states that unaccompanied homeless youth are to be considered independent students when applying for federal financial aid for higher education. Pages 24-31 refer specifically to verifying an applicant's dependency status, including unaccompanied youth qualifying as independent students.

This webpage from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators discusses the expanded criteria under which an undergraduate student is considered independent for the purposes of receiving federal financial aid for higher education. These changes were enacted into law under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-84) and become effective July 1, 2009, for the 2009-2010 award year.

The FAFSA is the form required by the federal government for application to any federal education aid program. The FAFSA is used to determine the expected family contribution based on family financial information. A FAFSA is used to determine the specific Federal Student Aid programs that can contribute to a student's total financial aid package and in what proportions.
Fill out the 2010-2011 FAFSA online.
Search federal school codes (used to identify colleges/universities on the FAFSA)
Download the 2010-2011 FAFSA in PDF format.
Download the 2010-2011 FAFSA On The Web Worksheet.
Call 1-800-4-FED-AID or 1-800-394-7084 to request that a hard copy of the FAFSA be mailed to you.
Download the Summary of Changes for the Application Processing System: 2010-2011 (includes information on homeless unaccompanied youth being considered "independent students").

This federal discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students.

The LeTendre Education Fund provides higher education scholarships for graduating homeless or formerly homeless students. This webpage provides more information about the scholarship and access to the scholarship application.

This webpage from the College Board explains how a high school junior or senior can receive a fee-waiver in order to take the SAT college entrance exam or SAT subject tests, if paying the fee would pose a barrier to the student's college entrance. It also discusses how a college-bound student can receive waivers for college application fees.

The Federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes six outreach and support programs targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.