KC Scholars scholarship deadline approaching
The March 1 application deadline is just two weeks away for 9th and 11th graders and adults with an associate’s degree interested in winning a KC Scholars scholarship.
More than 250 11th graders will receive a scholarship worth up to $10,000 a year for up to five years. Adults age 24 and over with an associate’s degree will receive up to $5,000 a year for up to five years to earn a bachelor’s degree. Fifty 9th graders will each get $50 for their college savings accounts, and KC Scholars will seed up to 500 college savings accounts.
Scholarships are awarded based on grade point average, financial need and other criteria. Applicants must live in Johnson or Wyandotte County in Kansas or Cass, Clay, Jackson or Platte County in Missouri. They must be legal residents or DACA- applied or approved and have a 2.5 GPA or better. Ninth and 11th graders homeschooled or attending a public, private or charter high school are eligible.
The Kauffman Foundation inaugurated the three-part scholarship and college savings program in spring 2017 with $79 million to help low- and modest-income high school students and adult learners finance a college education. In the past two years, KC Scholars has awarded over 1,200 scholarships for students attending one of 17 participating colleges and universities. Among them are the universities of Kansas and Missouri, Avila University, Kansas City Art Institute, area community colleges, Rockhurst University and William Jewel College.
This year, additional funding from two Missouri universities, will enable KC Scholars to award more scholarships. In November, the University of Missouri-Kansas City announced a partnership with KC Scholars to award an additional 400 scholarships over nine years to students attending the university. In December, the University of Missouri Columbia announced a $40 million agreement with KC Scholars to fund 800 scholarships over eight years to students who attend Mizzou.
According to the KC Scholars Website, the program “will award many more traditional scholarships this year than last” and urged eligible students and adult learners to apply now for a “life-changing scholarship.” In May 2017, KC Scholars handed out a total of 919 awards. One of the 287 recipients of the highly-coveted traditional scholarships was Ivan Bueso, then a junior at J.C. Harmon High School in KCK, who said on accepting the award that it truly would change his life.
“KC Scholars has given me this amazing opportunity to further my education so I can pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian,” Bueso said. “Not only has KC Scholars blessed me, but it has also blessed my parents. They sacrifice so much for me and knowing that this scholarship can help them financially is the best feeling ever.”
Now a freshman, Bueso chose K-State in Manhattan because of its topnotch college of veterinary medicine. Last summer, he successfully completed the Multicultural Academic Program Success Bridge program on campus. During the six-week program, he took classes, attended animal science industry tours and developed and presented to students and faculty a sustainability project.
Online KC Scholars applications must be submitted by midnight, March 1. Scholarship winners will be announced in May. The online application and full instructions for traditional scholarships, adult learner scholarship and college savings account/match awards can be found at www.kcscholars.org, along with eligibility requirements and frequently asked questions.
