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. Scholars should contact KC Scholars for questions specific to their KC Scholars Funding.

Generally, the first cost covered by KCS 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 KCS funds may roll over from fall to spring during an academic year. With prior KCS approval, any unused funds at the end of the Spring term may be rolled over to the Summer term. After the summer term, any unused KC Scholars funding from that academic year will be refunded to KC Scholars.

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

Per KC Scholars Program Guidelines, KC Scholars funds must be used for: 

1. College coursework that leads to a credit-bearing credential or 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 that KCS scholarship support combined with other institutional, state and federal aid exceeds Total Cost of Attendance as defined by the institution of enrollment, KCS 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, or if the awardee has reached the limit on his/her eligibility term with KCS, the Institution will refund the excess funding to KCS.
3. Expenses directly associated with successful degree completion at one of the institutions in the KCS Postsecondary Network. Funds may not be used for institutions outside the KCS Postsecondary Network unless exceptional circumstances have led KCS to grant an exception to this attendance requirement.

Examples of items that KCS funding can be used for (these must be purchased through the student account as KCS 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 5-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 your major and required for the course as listed on the syllabus
• On-campus childcare
• Counseling or healthcare costs charged to the student bill
• Parking pass (one per academic year)
• Graduation fees (that may include cap and gown)

Per KC Scholars Program Guidelines, KC Scholars funds must be used for:  KC Scholars funds cannot be used for: 

1. Dual credit or any other college courses taken during high school
2. Previous institutional debt
3. Refund to the student. At no time may KCS funds be refunded directly to the student, just as they are not paid directly to the awardee but rather to the postsecondary institution of enrollment.
4. Earning of additional credit-bearing credentials or degrees after a bachelor’s degree is earned.
5. Graduate level coursework unless an awardee is enrolled in an approved program that combines undergraduate and graduate level programs in one course of study.

Examples of items that KCS funding 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