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SCHOLAR PORTAL

QUALIFiED EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES

KC Scholars qualified educational expenses

Each Scholar’s financial aid package is unique, and we encourage Scholars to connect early with their institution’s financial aid office to understand their financial aid package and the institution’s process for distributing scholarship funds. Your institution may have a qualified education expenses guide they can provide to you. Scholars should contact KC Scholars for questions specific to their KC Scholars Funding.

Generally, the first cost covered by KC Scholars funds is the cost of tuition and fees at the institution of enrollment. If remaining funds are available after tuition and fees are covered, KC Scholars funding may be used to pay for additional expenses directly associated with successful degree completion.

KC Scholars funding must be charged by April 1 of the academic year. Any expenses made after April 1 cannot be charged to KC Scholars funding (with exception of KC Scholars’ approval of summer enrollment requests). Ultimately, Scholars should be good stewards of the funds they receive. Unused KC Scholars funds may roll over from the fall to the spring semester during an academic year. Unexpended funds will be refunded to KC Scholars at the conclusion of the Spring term. In addition to the Summer term scholarship payment, any unexpended funds from the Fall and Spring terms can be utilized for summer use. Any unexpended KC Scholars funding from the academic year will be refunded to KC Scholars at the conclusion of the Summer term. Unexpended funds do not roll from one academic year to the next academic year.

Please consult a tax professional in regard to educational expenses for tax deductions, education tax benefits, college expense deductions or how additional financial aid for education will affect your tax filing status. KC Scholars staff cannot address tax related questions.

Note: When inquiring about an expense not explicitly listed on this document (or in KC Scholars Program Guidelines), Scholars are required to confirm with KC Scholars and should not assume that the expense is approved or would be approved by KC Scholars. KC Scholars reserves the right to apply professional judgment regarding the use of scholarship funds.

Per KC Scholars Program Guidelines, Funds Can Be Used For:

  • College coursework at a KC Scholars College Network institution that leads to a credit-bearing credential or degree. Funds may not be used for institutions outside the KC Scholars College Network unless exceptional circumstances have led KC Scholars to grant an exception to this attendance requirement.
  • Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion, as defined by each individual institution of the KC Scholars College Network. Items that institutions often include within their definitions of expenses directly associated with successful degree completion.

Examples of Items KC Scholars Funds Can Be Used For:

These must be purchased through the student account as KC Scholars funding is sent directly to a Scholar’s institution and cannot be refunded to the Scholar:

  • Tuition for coursework that leads to a credit-bearing credential or degree
  • Student Fees
  • Required placement test fees
  • Post-course certification exam fees
  • On-campus housing and enrollment contracts/fees
  • On-campus meal plans
  • Textbooks required for Scholar’s courses
  • Technology
    • One laptop/desktop computer/tablet throughout the 6-year scholarship eligibility period
    • Required accessories for laptop/desktop computer/tablet
    • Software and/or software license subscriptions (if required for coursework and listed on the course syllabus)
  • Basic school supplies in reasonable amounts (pens, pencils, notebooks, notecards, etc.) for the Scholar’s courses
  • Supplies and tools specific to Scholar’s major and required for the course as listed on the syllabus
  • On-campus childcare
  • Medical insurance (if part of required student fees billed to student account)
  • Gym membership (if part of student activity fee billed to student account)
  • Counseling or healthcare costs charged to the student account
  • Parking pass (one per academic year)
  • Graduation fees (may include cap and gown)

Per KC Scholars Program Guidelines, Funds Cannot Be Used For:

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

Examples of Items KC Scholars Funds Cannot Be Used For:

  • Any purchases made off-campus or via third-party online purchases
  • Clothing
  • Gift cards
  • Graduation invitations and diploma frames (see above for details regarding graduation fees)
  • Gym memberships (outside of student fees)
  • Medical insurance (outside of student fees)
  • Non-credit bearing courses (except courses that are pre-requisites for courses needed within one’s program of study)
  • Parking tickets
  • Standardized or credential-related tests (e.g. PRAXIS, CLEP, GRE, and LSAT) not billed through Student Account
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.
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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

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

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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
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