GET STARTED
BE A DONOR
SCHOLAR PORTAL

Program Guidelines

College-Specific Scholarship

Avila University

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC SKILLS Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to Avila University

The maximum scholarship value for the Avila-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours)

$5,000

$5,000

$2,500

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours)

$3,750

$3,750

$1,875

Part-time (1-6 credit hours)

$2,500

$2,500

$1,250

For Avila-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is six (6) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years used from and remaining in the Payment Period. 

To use the Avila-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend Avila University 
  2. File FAFSA each year by the priority deadline set by the institution 

The Avila-Specific Scholarship, along with any federal or state grants (e.g., Pell, SEOG, Access Missouri), will cover tuition as well as up to $1,000 in campus fees each fall, spring, and summer, but will not go towards the purchase of books, course material, room or board. Additional fees may also fall to the responsibility of the Scholar to financially cover.

The Avila-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

Kansas City art institute

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Pfcolrograms, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to kansas city art institute

The maximum scholarship value for the KCAI-Specific Scholarship is $108,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours)

$13,500

$13,500

The KCAI-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

*Seniors in their final two semesters are allowed to enroll less-than-full-time if they do not need a full load to graduate.

KCAI will pro-rate the scholarship based on credit hours enrolled.

KCAI will pro-rate the scholarship based on credit hours enrolled.

The KCAI-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

The KCAI-Specific Scholarship is valued at $108,000, distributed over four (4) years. The 4-year scholarship term may be extended in certain circumstances where KCAI’s investment has not exceeded $108,000 or 6 years. Approval of scholarship term extension requests will be determined by the KCAI’s Financial Aid Office on a case-by-case basis. The Program will track the number of years used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the KCAI-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend Kansas City Art Institute 
  2. File FAFSA each year by February 1 
  3. Be enrolled full time (12+ credit hours each fall and spring semester) 
  4. Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA by the end of their 3rd semester and moving forward. 

Students not meeting this threshold will need to appeal through KCAI’s merit scholarship process or their scholarship will be reduced. KCAI-Specific Scholarship awardees will receive scholarship funds in the amount displayed in the table above to be used for expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by the institution. The award replaces all other forms of merit-based aid at Kansas City Art Institute. The award is not a last dollar award as qualifying recipients will receive the full amount of the award before any other form of outside aid is applied.

The KCAI-Specific Scholarship is valued at $108,000, distributed over four (4) years. The 4-year scholarship term may be extended in certain circumstances where KCAI’s investment has not exceeded $108,000 or 6 years. Approval of scholarship term extension requests will be determined by the KCAI’s Financial Aid Office on a case-by-case basis. The Program will track the number of years used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

The KCAI-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

Midamerica nazarene university

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to midamerica nazarene university

The maximum scholarship value for the MNU-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours)

$5,000

$5,000

The MNU-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours)

$3,750

$3,750

The MNU-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

Part-time (1-6 credit hours)

$2,500

$2,500

The MNU-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

For MNU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum payment period is five (5) years, but each individual’s payment period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of MNU-Specific scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of five (5) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the payment period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

The MNU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

MNU-Specific Honors Scholarship

The maximum scholarship value for the MNU-Specific Honors scholarship is $70,000.  The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours)

$7,000

$7,000

The MNU-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours)

$5,250

$5,250

The MNU-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

Part-time (1-6 credit hours)

$3,500

$3,500

The MNU-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes.

For MNU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum payment period is five (5) years, but each individual’s payment period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $70,000 of MNU-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of five (5) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the payment period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above. 

To use the MNU-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend MidAmerica Nazarene University 
  1. File FAFSA each year by February 1st 

The MNU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution. 

missouri state university

(AWARDED IN 2023-2025 CYCLES ONLY, THIS COLLEGE-SPECIFIC AWARD IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO NEW APPLICANTS)

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to missouri state university

(AWARDED IN 2023-2025 CYCLES ONLY, THIS COLLEGE-SPECIFIC AWARD IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO NEW APPLICANTS)

The maximum scholarship value for the MSU-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during spring/fall)

$5,000

$5,000

The MSU-Specific Scholarship does not provide funding for summer classes. Please contact the MSU Bears Lead program to discount summer support alternatives.

For MSU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is five (5) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of MSU-Specific scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of five (5) years. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the MSU-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend Missouri State University
  2. Maintain a university housing contract throughout the scholarship payment period
  3. Have a university meal plan throughout the scholarship payment period
  4. File FAFSA each year by February 1
  5. Complete at least twenty-four (24) MSU credit hours per year (Fall, Spring, Summer)
  6. Maintain a cumulative MSU GPA of 2.5 or higher
  7. Participate in the MSU Bears Lead program during the first and second years on campus and meet the program participation requirements
  8. Beyond the second year, reasonably comply with University recommendation to participate in additional student support initiatives based on a review of awardee’s academic progress by the University’s Director of Access & Success Programs

MSU-Specific Scholarship awardees will receive scholarship funds in the amount displayed in the table above to be used for tuition and required fees, a university housing contract, and/or a university meal plan. MSU-Specific Scholarship funds will not be reduced because of additional financial assistance awarded to scholarship recipients from outside sources. However, MSU reserves the right to make any necessary adjustments to a recipient’s MSU-Specific Scholarship in instances where it creates a Title IV over-award. In such cases, aid will be adjusted accordingly with all attempts to maximize the recipient’s overall award package.

The MSU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

northwest missouri state university

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to northwest missouri state university

The maximum scholarship value for the NWMSU-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during spring/fall)

$5,000

$5,000

$2,500

For NWMSU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is six (6) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of NWMSU-Specific scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the NWMSU-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend the Maryville campus of Northwest Missouri State University 
  2. NWMSU-Specific Scholarships awardees must enroll full-time in the Fall and Spring semesters; summer enrollment is optional and the award will be prorated based on credits attempted
  3. Maintain a university housing contract throughout the scholarship payment period 
  4. Have a university meal plan throughout the scholarship payment period 
  5. File FAFSA each year by February 1 
  6. Maintain a 2.0 GPA 
  7. First-time freshman and transfer students with a 2.75 GPA or above, who live out-of-state, will earn in-state tuition with the Bearcat Advantage Scholarship. Renewal requirements include: successfully completing 24 credit hours per year and maintain a 3.0 Northwest cumulative GPA. This scholarship is stackable with other merit-based freshman scholarships. Over $30,000 value if renewed for four years.
  8. Maintain an SAI of 12,000 or less as documented annually on FAFSA Submission Summary

NWMSU-Specific Scholarship awardees will receive scholarship funds in the amount displayed in the table above to be used for tuition and required fees, a university housing contract, and/or a university meal plan. The award replaces any institutional aid for which the student may qualify. Scholars eligible for merit, talent or athletic awards that exceed the maximum amount of this award and those who wish to pursue those opportunities will be packaged on a case-by-case basis to obtain the best offer possible.

The NWMSU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

ottawa university: ottawa campus

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to ottawa university: ottawa campus

The maximum scholarship value for the Ottawa-Specific Scholarship at the Ottawa Campus is $115,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$11,500

$11,500

$5,750

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 4-5 hours in summer)

$8,625

$8,625

$4,312

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-3 hours in summer)

$5,750

$5,750

$2,875

For Ottawa-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum payment period is five (5) years, but each individual’s payment period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $115,000 of Ottawa-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of five (5) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the payment period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the Ottawa-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements:

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend Ottawa University: Ottawa Campus
  2. File FAFSA each year by February 1st
  3. Maintain a 2.5 GPA
  4. Maintain a university housing contract
  5. Maintain a university meal plan
  6. Has not exceeded $115,000 of scholarship funding while enrolled at the Ottawa Campus.

The Ottawa-Specific (Ottawa Campus) Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

ottawa university: Professional and online

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to ottawa university: professional and online

The maximum scholarship value for the Ottawa-Specific Professional and Online Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$5,000

$5,000

$2,500

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 4-5 hours in summer)

$3,750

$3,750

$1,875

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-3 hours in summer)

$2,500

$2,500

$1,250

For Ottawa-Specific Professional and Online Scholarship awardees, the maximum payment period is five (5) years, but each individual’s payment period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of Ottawa Specific scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of five (5) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the payment period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the Ottawa-Specific Professional and Online Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements:

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend Ottawa University: Professional and Online
  2. File FAFSA each year by February 1st
  3. Maintain a 2.5 GPA
  4. Has not exceeded $50,000 of scholarship funding while enrolled in Professional and Online Programs.

The Ottawa-Specific Professional and Online Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

truman state university

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to truman state university

The maximum scholarship value for the TSU-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring)

$5,000

$5,000

$2,500

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring)

$3,750

$3,750

$1,875

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring)

$2,500

$2,500

$1,250

For TSU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum payment period is six (6) years, but each individual’s payment period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of Truman-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the payment period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the TSU-Specific Scholarship, an awardee must meet the following requirements:

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend Truman State University
  2. File FAFSA each year by February 1st
  3. Maintain a 2.5 GPA
  4. Maintain a university housing contract
  5. Maintain a university meal plan

The TSU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution. 

university of missouri - columbia

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to university of missouri - columbia

The maximum scholarship value for the MU-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$5,000

$5,000

$2,500

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 4-5 hours in summer)

$3,750

$3,750

$1,875

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-3 hours in summer)

$2,500

$2,500

$1,250

For MU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is six (6) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of MU-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the MU-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend MU 
  2. File FAFSA each year by the priority deadline set by the institution 

The MU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution

university of missouri - kansas city

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars Scholarship Programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to university of missouri - kansas city

The maximum scholarship value for the UMKC-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$5,000

$5,000

$2,500

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 4-5 hours in summer)

$3,750

$3,750

$1,875

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-3 hours in summer)

$2,500

$2,500

$1,250

For UMKC-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is six (6) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $50,000 of UMKC-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the UMKC-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  1. Apply to, be accepted, and attend UMKC 
  2. File FAFSA each year by the priority deadline set by the institution 

The UMKC-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

university of Saint mary

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars scholarship programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to university of Saint mary

The maximum scholarship value for the USM-Specific Scholarship is $100,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours)

$10,000

$10,000

*USM primarily offers online courses in the summer that are deeply discounted ($210 a credit hour). As such, the USM- Specific award is not available in the summer. Nursing students who are enrolled in full-cost courses during the summer will receive aid that will bring the cost of their courses down to the same rate paid by USM-Specific awardees during the rest of the year.

Less-than-full-time (1-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-5 hours in summer)

USM charges different tuition rates for part-time enrollment.

USM charges different tuition rates for part-time enrollment.

See Summer Term above

For USM-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is six (6) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $100,000 of USM-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the USM-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements:

  • Apply to, be accepted, and attend the University of Saint Mary
  • File FAFSA each year by April 1
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (More information on maintaining SAP at Saint Mary can be found here: www.stmary.edu/scholarships/progresspolicy)

USM-Specific Scholarship award replaces any institutional merit aid for which the student may qualify, and funding cannot be combined with athletic or talent scholarships. Scholars eligible for merit, talent or athletic awards that exceed the maximum amount of this award and those who wish to pursue those opportunities will be packaged on a case-by-case basis to obtain the best offer possible.

The USM-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

wichita state university

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars scholarship programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to wichita state university

The maximum scholarship value for the WSU-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type
Year 1 (include 1st year housing and meal plan)		 Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$10,000

$10,000

Funding available if the Scholar has funds remaining from the allotted $20,000 for the academic year.

Enrollment Status and Type
Year 2-4 		Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$5,000

$5,000

Funding available if the Scholar has funds remaining from the allotted $10,000 for the academic year.

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 4-5 hours in summer)

$3,750

$3,750

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-3 hours in summer)

$2,500

$2,500

For WSU-Specific Scholarship awardees, a four-year funding commitment. Each scholarship awarded under this program provides funding on an annual basis. An awardee is eligible for automatic renewal of the WSU-Specific Scholarship each year for three (3) additional academic years as long as they maintain a 2.5 GPA, have a university housing contract during their first year, have a university meal plan in their first year, have not exceeded $50,000 of scholarship funding, and file the FAFSA by February 1st of each academic year for those eligible to submit the FAFSA. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

To use the WSU-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements:

  • Apply to, be accepted, and attend WSU
  • File FAFSA or approved alternate documentation each year by February 1
  • Maintain 2.5 GPA at WSU
  • Maintain WSU housing contract during first year
  • Maintain WSU meal plan during first year WSU-Specific Scholarship awardees will receive scholarship funds in the amount displayed in the table above to be used for expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by the institution.

The WSU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

william jewell college

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars scholarship programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to william jewell college

The maximum scholarship value for the Jewell-Specific Scholarship is $50,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$5,000

$5,000

Jewell offers discounted tuition in the summer so the student will not receive any additional monies to apply toward summer studies in the form of the Jewell-Specific award.

To use the Jewell-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  • Apply to, be accepted, and attend the William Jewell College 
  • File FAFSA each year by February 1 
  • Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA 
  • Earn 24 credit hours/year

Jewell-Specific Scholarship awardees will receive scholarship funds in the amount displayed in the table immediately below to be used for expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by the institution. The award replaces any institutional merit aid for which the student may qualify, and funding cannot be combined with athletic or talent scholarships. Scholars eligible for merit, talent or athletic awards that exceed the maximum amount of this award and those who wish to pursue those opportunities will be packaged on a case-by-case basis to obtain the best offer possible.

The Jewell-Specific Scholarship is valued at up to $10,000 per year. The Jewell-Specific award may be renewed for a total of four years of scholarship funding. Additional years may be applicable in certain circumstances and will be determined by the William Jewell Financial Aid Office on a case-by-case basis. The Program will track the number of years and scholarship value used from and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar. The term award will not exceed the values listed and described above.

The Jewell-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

william woods university

About the Great Jobs KC - KC Scholars Scholarship Program

Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program (the “Program”) is a scholarship and student support Program for low- and modest-income students who live in and/or attend a high school in one of six counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri. The Program first launched as KC Scholars in September 2016, made its first awards in May 2017, and the first class of Scholars enrolled in college in fall 2017.

The Program offers four awards:

  • Traditional Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • College-Specific Scholarship (11th-Grade College Scholarship application)
  • Adult Learner Scholarship (high school graduate or equivalent, age 24 or older as of annual application deadline)
  • College Savings Match (9th grade college savings match and incentive program)

The Program Goals are:

  • 80% of Scholars who enter college complete a degree within six years
  • 80% of Scholars graduates enter the Kansas City regional workforce with a family-sustaining career or enroll in a graduate Program
  • 90% of Scholars graduates are satisfied with their postsecondary experience

The KC Scholars Scholarship Program may be used only at one of the higher education institutions within the KC Scholars College Network of colleges and universities.

About Program Guidelines

These Program Guidelines contain the set of parameters that guide the administration of the Program. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program reserve the right to amend and update these Program Guidelines as the Program evolves, and participants in the Program shall be bound by the current version of the Program Guidelines. Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program further reserve the right to make exceptions to these Program Guidelines when circumstances lead the Program to believe, in its sole discretion, that fairness and consistency in operation of the Program warrant the granting of an exception. All decisions made by Great Jobs KC, Inc. and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program staff in awarding and/or denying a scholarship or renewal of a scholarship, and any exceptions to these Program Guidelines, are final and not subject to appeal.

There are separate Program Guidelines for Traditional, College-Specific, Adult Learner, and College Savings Match awards.

Scholarship Payment Eligibility Confirmation

Scholarship awardees must document an SAI value of 12,000 or less prior to initial college enrollment. Appropriate documentation includes a FAFSA Submission Summary generated by FAFSA or other documentation as needed and approved by the Program staff for Scholars not eligible to complete the FAFSA. 

Traditional Scholars must submit SAI documentation as part of the high school Senior Year Documentation process. Adult Learner awardees must submit SAI documentation prior to completion of onboarding in May of their award year. Failure to submit SAI documentation by the designated deadline will result in removal from the Program. 

If the awardee submitted an SAI that is greater than the 12,000 application eligibility requirement, the Scholar may submit an appeal for review and consideration. Appeals must be submitted via the scholarship portal. Appeal decisions will be made by the Scholarship Program. Completion of an appeal does not automatically result in an approved appeal. All appeals will be reviewed by KC Scholars Program staff; resulting appeal determinations will be final.

SAI documentation for Traditional and Adult Learner awardees is confirmed prior to the first enrollment term; SAI documentation is not reviewed for program eligibility in subsequent terms.

SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees may be reviewed annually for scholarship eligibility.  Additional details regarding SAI documentation for College-Specific awardees is found in the College-Specific renewal requirements of the College-Specific Program Guidelines. 

Scholarship Use Guidelines

Scholarships are paid directly to the postsecondary institution of enrollment and not to the Scholar. For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, the awardee must attend an institution in the KC Scholars College Network. The institutions in the KC Scholars College Network are listed on the official website of Great Jobs KC, Inc. 

The following guidelines outline how awarded scholarship funds must, may, and may not be used. 

The Program funds must be used for: 

  1. College credits that are credit-bearing or lead toward a credit-bearing degree.
  2. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution. Items that Institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion include tuition, fees, educational supplies, course books, residence hall living costs, food plan, campus-based childcare and information technology, such as computers, software, hardware, and subscriptions, etc. for use in school. 

In the event the scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, the Program encourages each institution to consider (a) carrying the balance over to the next succeeding term (or for summer) within an academic year so that the awardee may pay for eligible expenses in that term, (b) allowing the student to utilize the funds at qualified locations on campus to purchase items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion for the duration of that semester or (c) providing a voucher for purchasing of items that would be considered expenses directly associated with successful degree completion. If the Institution is unable to do any of the above, the Institution will refund the excess funding to Great Jobs KC, Inc. at the end of each academic year. 

KC Scholars funds are non-refundable to awardees; at no time may KC Scholars funding be refunded directly to the Scholar.  Just as KC Scholars funds are sent to the KC Scholars College Network institutions, refund of KC Scholars funding from a KC Scholars College Network institution of enrollment must be returned to KC Scholars. 

Qualified Educational Scholarship Expenses: 

Eligible coursework may include:

  1. Coursework that leads to a credit-bearing degree, including ESOL, developmental classes, and other required pre-requisites, even if they are non-credit-bearing.
  2. Classes taken at a branch campus location in MO and KS of the institution in the KC Scholars College Network. 
  3. Online credit-bearing courses that are required for or count as electives for the credit-bearing degree sought by the awardee. 
  4. Study abroad and internship credit only if the experience results in college credits earned and applied toward a credit-bearing degree and only if they are billed for the credit hours by the KC Scholars College Network institution via the student account. 
  5. Graduate level coursework that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study, prior to completing a bachelor’s degree.

Ineligible expenses include:

  1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
  2. Previous institutional debt
  3.  Student loan repayment
  4. Earning multiple bachelor’s degrees, unless awarded during the same semester. 
  5. Graduate programs that are a separate course of study and do not include completion of a bachelor’s degree.
  6. Graduate certificate programs that do not contribute to a bachelor’s degree

Additional information on acceptable uses of funds can be found here: greatjobskc.org/qualified-educational-expenses/.

Responsibilities of The Scholarship Awardee

The Program provides financial support for college attendance and completion and supports its recipients to aid their success in completing a college credit-bearing degree. To accomplish this and best support its scholarship recipients, Great Jobs KC, Inc. – KC Scholars Scholarship Program requires effective communication with recipients. As such, there are basic expectations and requirements associated with being supported by the Program. 

The academic expectation each semester for scholarship awardees enrolled full-time is meeting their institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (typically 12 credit hours per semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher depending on the institution Scholars are encouraged to utilize all available enrollment terms, fall, spring, and summer, to complete their academic goals within six years. 

Consistent communication with a Scholar’s assigned Scholar Advocate is essential to Program persistence and retention support. Communication with a Scholar Advocate may take a variety of forms, including 1:1 and group meetings, surveys, and email and text throughout each semester. Scholars who experience difficulty completing their degree plan or meeting expectations will work with their Scholar Advocate to identify resources and support available both on campus and in the community.

It is required and expected that scholarship awardees engage fully in and be responsive to the Program by fulfilling the expectations and responsibilities outlined below: 

  1. Submit a signed Waiver for Release of Information that will be shared with the  institution of enrollment 
  2. Completion of College Enrollment Plan/College Semester Payment Request form through the Program portal prior to each semester enrolled in college coursework 
  3. Completion of portal tasks as required
  4. Review Program Guidelines on an annual basis that are posted on Great Job KC, Inc. official website
  5. Attend and participate in all required Orientation sessions, meetings, and tasks
  6. Respond promptly to requests, particularly for ongoing surveying that will occur during high school, college, and alumni stages of the program
  7. Provide the Program with up-to-date contact information, including email, phone number, and mailing address
  8. Read and reply promptly to all notifications from the Program
  9. Notify the Program immediately of any changes in status that are directly relevant to eligibility criteria and/or status as a college student (specifically if changing enrollment statuses)
  10. If eligible, complete the FAFSA each year by the priority deadline date of the college of enrollment
  11. Participate in persistence and completion supports as assigned
  12. Participate in career development supports as assigned
  13. Participate in family engagement programming as assigned
  14. Maintain consistent engagement with assigned Scholar Advocate
  15. Meet all Scholarship Program deadlines

Scholars maintain scholarship eligibility through documentation of a College Enrollment Plan and Payment Request Forms. Forms completed after stated deadlines may result in delayed scholarship payments and/or enrollment limitations at partner institutions. For 11th-Grade Traditional and College-Specific awardees, failure to complete a College Enrollment Plan-Senior Year will result in dismissal from the Program. 

Withdrawals and Dismissals

If a Scholar has withdrawn or been dismissed from the Program, they are not eligible to apply again for the scholarship in subsequent years.

Awardees may communicate in writing to the Program that they wish to withdraw from the Program. KC Scholars will attempt to contact Scholars who are disengaged from the Program via email, text, and phone. If a Scholar is disengaged for three consecutive terms, a final outreach attempt will be completed via mail and email. Failure to respond/reengage with the Program after this outreach will result in Scholar withdrawal from the Program.

Any awardee withdrawn or dismissed from the Program will receive written communication from the Program documenting their dismissal. Scholars will receive prior notification of the reasons or grounds for dismissal before any action is taken. This notification provides Scholars with an opportunity to address any concerns or take necessary actions to rectify the situation before a final decision is made regarding their removal. 

The Program may dismiss a Scholar if there is no response to requests for documentation, especially in the case of repeated and final communication requests with specific deadlines given. 

Documentation Required Before Initial Enrollment at College-Specific Scholarship Institution

For the Program to pay an awarded scholarship, each awardee must enroll in college for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. College-Specific recipients are awarded in 11th grade. However, the awardee must continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout their remaining high school career for the Program to pay an awarded scholarship. Eligibility based on required high school GPA or college admissions test scores will be verified both at the time of application and after high school graduation.

To verify that a scholarship awardee remains eligible to receive the scholarship for the first year of college, additional documentation is required to be submitted by awardees to the Program prior to first fall enrollment. All documentation must be submitted on the KC Scholars portal. The table below lists documentation required for the recipient to remain eligible for the scholarship. The failure of an awardee to submit the required documentation by the deadline stated in the KC Scholars portal may make the awardee ineligible to receive a scholarship.

College-specific scholarship

Documentation Required to be Submitted During Senior Year of High School for Scholarship Awardees.

  • Documentation of SAI per FAFSA- FAFSA Submission Summary (must remain at 12,000 or less) or alternate form provided by Great Jobs KC for students’ ineligible for FAFSA
  • College admissions letter
  • College Enrollment Plan verifying fall enrollment
  • Waiver for Release of Information

Early High School Graduation

New awardees who graduate high school early – the same year they are awarded – must inform the Program by June 30 of their awarded year.  In consultation with the College-Specific awarding institution, a determination will be made by KC Scholars regarding continued program eligibility.

Maximum Scholarship Value & Maximum Numbers of Years of Scholarship Support

The period during which a College-Specific awardee’s scholarship may be paid (the “Payment Period”) begins the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

The College-Specific Scholarship Program has three program completion points:

  • completion of a Bachelor’s degree,
  • utilization of all funding available (differs by awarding institution)
  • utilization of funding period (differs by awarding institution).

If any one of the three completion points is met, the Traditional Scholarship is complete and the awardee is ineligible for future scholarship payments.

In addition to a maximum funding limit, the scholarship also has semester and annual payment limits.  The sections below detail the maximum scholarship value and duration of each College-Specific award.

Great Jobs KC skills Training Program Eligibility

In addition to the college scholarship programs offered via the KC Scholars scholarship programs, Great Jobs KC, Inc. provides financial support for completion of a variety of training programs in high-demand fields via the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars awardees in high school and college are not eligible to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.  KC Scholars alumni may apply to participate in the Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.

KC Scholars Scholarship Program College Network

The College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable.  They may only be used at the institution awarded.

Scholarship Value & Requirements by College-Specific Scholarships

Please note that the requirements detailed in this document are only those specific to receiving and maintaining a College-Specific Scholarship. Each institution has its own requirements and expectations for its students, including some requirements to live on campus in university housing. Take note of all campus requirements and contact your Scholar Advocate for assistance.

College-Specific Scholarships are non-transferable to any other institution. Should an awardee decide to transfer, the College-Specific KC Scholars Scholarship will cease at the time of transfer, at which time, they will become ineligible to receive or renew it. 

College-specific Scholarship Program Guidelines specific to william woods university

The maximum scholarship value for the WWU-Specific Scholarship is $100,000. The semester value for the scholarship is outlined below.

Enrollment Status and Type Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Term

Full-time (12+ credit hours during Fall/Spring; 6+ hours in summer)

$10,000

$10,000

Funding available if the Scholar has funds remaining from the allotted $20,000 for the academic year. Scholars are also eligible for a free online summer class pending completion of the LEAD Program requirements.

3/4-time (7-11 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 4-5 hours in summer)

$7,500

$7,500

Part-time (1-6 credit hours during Fall/Spring; 1-3 hours in summer)

$5,000

$5,000

For WWU-Specific Scholarship awardees, the maximum Payment Period is six (6) years, but each individual’s Payment Period will end upon the attainment of a bachelor’s degree OR use of $100,000 of WWU-Specific Scholarship support if that occurs prior to the end of six (6) years. The Program will track the number of years of Scholarship used and remaining in the Payment Period for each Scholar.

WWU-Specific Scholarship awardees will receive scholarship funds in the amount displayed in the table above to be used for expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by the institution.

To use the WWU-Specific Scholarship, awardees must meet the following requirements: 

  • Apply to, be accepted, and attend WWU 
  • File FAFSA or approved alternate documentation each year by February 1 

The WWU-Specific Scholarship is non-transferable to any other institution.

A group of graduates in caps and gowns celebrating outdoors. Text on the image reads "Over $12 million in scholarships being awarded." These scholarships are paving the way for promising careers.
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Stephanie underwood - Chief financial Officer

Stephanie Underwood serves as Chief Financial Officer at Great Jobs KC, where she leads the organization’s financial strategy in support of its mission to create economic mobility through education and workforce opportunities. With more than 17 years of experience in nonprofit finance, Stephanie brings deep expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance. She is passionate about using her career as a platform to serve and support mission-driven organizations, helping them maximize impact through strong financial stewardship.

Prior to joining Great Jobs KC, Stephanie served as Chief Financial Officer for Griffith Centers, a behavioral and mental health organization, where she oversaw financial operations for a multi-million-dollar organization spanning residential, educational, and community-based programs. She also spent nearly a decade as Vice President of Accounting Services at NFP Partners, providing CFO-level leadership to nonprofit organizations across the country, with a focus on strategic growth, audit readiness, and governance.

Outside of her professional role, Stephanie volunteers her time at her church and serves on the board of a local nonprofit. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her commitment to aligning financial strategy with mission impact. She holds a Master of Science in Accounting and is proud to be a first-generation college graduate.

 

 

 

Adult Learner College Scholarship

The Adult Learner Scholarship application is closed. Please click GET STARTED to be added to communication reminders on when to apply during the next open cycle.

Program offers:

  • Up to $25,000 paid directly to the college over the course of up to six years.
  • Once awarded, the Scholar can enroll full or part-time the fall semester following awarding.
  • Scholarship can be used at any of our college partners. See our current list of partners HERE.
  • Scholarship can be used towards an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or a credit-bearing credential. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

  • Be a high school graduate or GED holder (24 years or older).
  • Live in one of the six eligible counties. (Kansas: Wyandotte, Johnson; Missouri: Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte)
  • Be income eligible. (FASFA Student Aid Index of 12,000 or less)
  • Have not previously earned a bachelor’s degree.
  • Have not previously been awarded a KC Scholars Scholarship (Traditional or Adult Learner).
  • Is not currently enrolled in a Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.
  • US Citizenship/Residency is not required to apply.

If you need more information on program details, please find our FAQs HERE

GET STARTED

Jimmy Swift - Chief Operating Officer

As the Chief Operating Officer, Jimmy Swift is responsible for overseeing our core programs, our adult workforce development program, Great Jobs KC tuition-free job training, and our KC Scholars Scholarship Program, which includes 11th Grade Traditional Scholarships and Adult Learner Scholarships. 

Jimmy has a career in education that spans more than 25 years and is built around supporting and improving the performance of career training programs and leading the operations of degree-granting institutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and has served as Campus President, Vice President of Career Services, and Executive Director of various career schools.  

Most recently, Jimmy served as the Vice President of PLA University at Phalen Leadership Academies, bringing access to job skill training to the parents and families of the Scholars served by Phalen Leadership schools across the country.  Beyond his higher education experience, Jimmy serves as the Executive Board Chairman for Project Safety Net NY, a nonprofit community-based agency delivering a broad range of health, education, and prevention services to the New York Community. As the Chief Operating Officer for Great Jobs KC, he and his team are poised to make a substantial impact on the economic stability and future of Kansas City.

Great Jobs KC
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.