DESIGNED TO CHANGE LIVES
KC SCHOLARS IS CHANGING LIVES AND TRANSFORMING THE REGION!
KC Scholars is changing thousands of individual lives and transform the region by preparing our future workforce and contributing to the regional economy.
INCREASES IN KC METRO POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT RATES
By 2020, at least 65% of jobs will require postsecondary training.
MOST KC SCHOLARS ARE THE FIRST IN THE FAMILY TO ATTEND AND COMPLETE COLLEGE
According to the U.S. Department of Education, children of college educated are 93% more likely to also complete a college degree.
KC SCHOLARS ARE OF ALL RACES AND ETHNICITIES: THEY ARE OUR REGION’S FUTURE EDUCATED AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE
Of scholarship awardees in 2017, 76% (483) are individuals of color and of 2018 awardees, 73% (671) are individuals of color. Of 2019 awardees, 73% are individuals of color.
KC SCHOLARS COME FROM 81 UNIQUE HIGH SCHOOLS IN SIX COUNTIES
KC Scholars is inclusive. Students from public, private, and charter schools and homeschoolers are eligible to apply.
KC SCHOLARS ARE LOW-INCOME, MAKING PAYING FOR COLLEGE A TREMENDOUS CHALLENGE
Low- and modest-income individuals are eligible to apply for KC Scholars.
EARLY IMPACT IS IMPRESSIVE!
KC Scholars is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Traditional Scholars- Regional
- KC Scholars
- Regional
- KC Scholars
KC Scholars’ college enrollment rate out of high school is 32 percentage points higher than the region.
Adult Learner Scholars- National
- KC Scholars
- National
- KC Scholars
KC Scholars’ adult learners persist from the 1st to 2nd year of college at 35 percentage points higher than the national average.
SCHOLARS WILL BE COLLEGE READY
KC Scholars provides more than just $$. The wrap-around student support service model ensures that Scholars are prepared to succeed in college, producing a minimum 75% college completion rate.
529 COLLEGE SAVINGS ACCOUNT STUDENTS ARE SAVING AT IMPRESSIVE RATES
KC Scholars seeds 529 College Savings Accounts for 9th graders and encourages them to make contributions to the account during their remaining high school years.
Of the 2017 and 2018 College Savings Account and Match Scholars (as of March 2019):
- 48% have made 2+ contributions and 64% have made 1 contribution to their account
- The average balance of all accounts is $1,276
- The total value of all accounts is $131,752
NEARLY 3,000 SCHOLARS IN KC SCHOLARS IN THE FIRST THREE PROGRAM YEARS
- In May 2017, KC Scholars awarded 635 scholarships and college savings accounts.
- In May 2018, KC Scholars awarded 919 scholarships and college savings accounts.
- In May of 2019, KC Scholars awarded 1,354 scholarships and college savings accounts.
- In 2018, there was a 42% increase in number of applications received and a 44% increase in awards made, as compared to the first application and selection cycle in 2017.
- In fall 2018, near 500 Scholars were enrolled in college.
- In fall 2019, near 1,200 Scholars will be in college.
$$$ FOR COLLEGE SHOULD TRANSLATE INTO LOW STUDENT DEBT LOAD AND HIGH COLLEGE COMPLETION RATES
The renewable value of scholarships and 529 College Savings Accounts awarded in 2017 was near $16 million and those awarded in 2018 near $21 million and those awarded in 2019 had a renewable value of nearly $41 million.
KC SCHOLARS SUCCESSFUL AT RAISING EXTERNAL COMMUNITY DONATIONS
“We thank this generous community. Your support of KC Scholars is making it possible for more students to receive college scholarships and to enroll in and complete college,” said Dr. Beth Tankersley-Bankhead, President and CEO of KC Scholars. “Our Scholars express their gratitude of the community’s support of and investment in them. Just under $3 million has been raised in the last two years.”
SCHOLARS WILL HAVE HIGHER LIFETIME EARNINGS
According to College Board, those with a bachelor’s degree earn about $800,000 more over their lifetime than those without a college degree.
College graduates are also healthier and more likely to volunteer and engage in their communities than are those without degrees. The benefits of a college education are significant.
SCHOLARS WILL SPEND MORE IN THE REGIONAL COMMUNITY
According to the Brookings Institute, those with a bachelor’s degree spend $278,000 more over their lifetime in the local economy.
KC SCHOLARS IS RIGOROUSLY EVALUATED BY A THIRD-PARTY EVALUATOR
KC Scholars is rigorously evaluated to demonstrate its impact.
FAMILIES ARE GOING TO COLLEGE TOGETHER
Among KC Scholars’ awardees are many family members: parents and children, siblings, a set of quadruplets, twins, students who received awards in 2017 and their parent received a scholarship in 2018, and a set of twins that received scholarships in 2018. This creates a family-based college-going culture.
A mother and Adult Learner Scholar, said about her daughter who is a Traditional Scholar, “I want to show my children that you should finish what you start. No one in my family has gotten a degree, so it’s important for me to do that. I am so excited that my daughter and I will be in college at the same time. If I need help, she’s always there to help me. I hope she’ll be able to use me as a study buddy or someone who can relate ….” Another mother, part of a mother and daughter scholarship recipient combo said, “I never thought this would happen! I am proud and honored to go to college at the same time as my daughter. … Now, I just need to work hard to keep up with good grades so that I don’t put my daughter to shame!”