Pennsylvania Chafee Education and (Chafee ETG)

The Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant is federally funded aid that PHEAA runs with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services for young people who experienced foster care. Students qualify if they are Pennsylvania residents eligible for the state's John H. Chafee Foster Care Program, typically meaning they were in foster care at 16 or older or left care after 16 for adoption or permanent legal custodianship, and have not yet turned 26 by July 1 of the award year. The maximum grant for 2026-27 is $5,000, and no award may exceed the cost of attendance minus other aid. It can be used at least half time at Title IV approved colleges and training programs, for up to five years. To apply, the student files the FAFSA and the PA State Grant items, then mails or faxes the Chafee ETG application to PHEAA; the 2026-27 deadline is March 31, 2027. The same filing also checks eligibility for Pennsylvania's FosterEd tuition waiver.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award.

Odds: not published by the provider
Paperwork: ~2 hrs to file

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

Fewer rivalsOpen only to Pennsylvania residents
Fewer rivalsRequires a specific life circumstance
Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG)?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Must be a resident of Pennsylvania
Open to high school seniors
For current or former foster youth
Age 25 or younger

Confirm these before applying

Must be eligible for Pennsylvania's John H. Chafee Foster Care Program (foster care at 16 or older, or adoption or permanent custodianship after 16)
Must not have turned 26 by July 1 of the award year

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is March 31, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 31 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). File the FAFSA, then send the signed Chafee ETG paper application; a county caseworker or the college's foster youth point of contact can help with documentation.

2027-28 FAFSA opens: October 1, 2026
Chafee ETG application deadline (2026-27 year): March 31, 2027

Remind me before March 31 Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG)

How much is the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) worth?

The Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) awards up to $5,000 per year (2026-27 maximum) and is renewable in later years.

When is the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) deadline?

The current deadline is March 31, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 31 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). File the FAFSA, then send the signed Chafee ETG paper application; a county caseworker or the college's foster youth point of contact can help with documentation.

When do Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) applications open?

Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens), and close March 31, 2027. File the FAFSA, then send the signed Chafee ETG paper application; a county caseworker or the college's foster youth point of contact can help with documentation.

Who is eligible for the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG)?

Key requirements: Must be a resident of Pennsylvania; Open to high school seniors; For current or former foster youth; Age 25 or younger.

Does the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 2 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG)?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award. What is known: open only to Pennsylvania residents and requires a specific life circumstance. Plan on about 2 hrs of work.

Is the Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) free to apply?

Yes. The Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG) is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG)