Fee Assistance Program

Fee Assistance Program Overview

The ADEA DHCAS Fee Assistance Program (FAP) was created to reduce the cost of applying to dental hygiene programs for students who demonstrate extreme financial need. FAP is an independent program offered by ADEA and is not affiliated with any government, college or university, scholarship, grant or fellowship program.

The amount of fee assistance covers the initial application fee of $50 and allows applicants to apply the fee assistance to only one ADEA DHCAS program. Applicants receiving fee assistance are responsible for the fee for additional programs ($35 per program). 

ADEA DHCAS eligibility for fee assistance is based on income, or parental income if the applicant is claimed as a dependent, as reported on the most recent Federal Income Tax Return. 

It is important to read all FAP policies and instructions carefully before completing a FAP application. Failing to follow instructions may result in a delay in processing requests, missed deadlines and disqualification for fee assistance.

Applicants applying to FAP should not submit the ADEA DHCAS application while the FAP application is under review. 

Fee Assistance Program Instructions

To be eligible, an applicant’s income must be less than 300% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’s) poverty level guidelines (see “ADEA Financial Assistance Program” chart below), based on number of people in the household.

Applicants must complete the following steps to be considered for ADEA DHCAS FAP:

1. Create an ADEA DHCAS application.
   
   
2. Click on your name in the top right corner to access the “Fee Assistance Program” link from the dropdown menu.
   
   
3. Fill out the fields in online form with the applicant or parent’s Household Annual Income for the most recent tax year and the current number of members in the applicant’s household.
   
   
4. Attach a scanned copy of the most recent Federal Income Tax Return for the applicant or parent (Forms 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) to the online form.

Remember, if the applicant is still claimed as dependent by a parent or guardian, ADEA DHCAS requires the parent’s or guardian’s Federal Income Tax Return, not the applicant’s.