Kansas Promise Scholarship (NEW)

Kansas Promise is a last-dollar scholarship, which means that a student may receive a scholarship in the amount of aggregate tuition, required fees, books, and materials minus all other financial aid (including grants and scholarships) that does not require repayment. Awards are made on a first come, first serve basis. The application could close before these deadlines listed on the Board of Regents website if funding for this scholarship is exhausted before the deadline.

Eligibility Requirements

For students to be eligible, they must:

• Be a United States citizen and Kansas resident; AND
• Have graduated from a secondary school within the preceding 12 months or have attended a secondary school and obtained an equivalent credential within the preceding 12 months; OR
• Be Kansas resident for the preceding three consecutive years; OR
• Be a dependent child of a military servicemember permanently stationed in another state and who, within the preceding 12 months, graduated from any out-of-state secondary school or obtained a high school equivalency; OR
• Was in the custody of the KS Department of Children and Families at any time during grades 9-12.
• students must have a family household income^ of:
  • $100,000 or less for a family of two;
  • $150,000 or less for a family of three; and
  • $150,000 + $4,800 per additional family member beyond three.

^Scholarships are to be prioritized according to applicants’ annual household income. Within certain income guidelines, students may receive a scholarship in the amount of:

• The aggregate amount of tuition, required fees, books, and required materials
• Less all other aid, grants, scholarships or financial assistance awards that do not require repayment.

Students must:

• Complete the required scholarship application;
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);
• Enter into a Kansas promise scholarship agreement; and enroll in*, and complete within 36 months of first being awarded a Kansas Promise scholarship, an eligible field of study at an eligible institution.
• Upon completion of the program, students must reside and work in Kansas for a minimum of two consecutive years or enroll in a Kansas institution of higher education and subsequently reside and work in Kansas for a minimum of two consecutive years.

*The bill permits students to enroll on a part-time or full-time basis, but students must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completion of the promise-eligible program and complete the program within 36 months from the first award.

Promise Act Scholarship Eligible Programs

Satisfaction of Requirements

Students satisfy the requirements of the scholarship agreement if they:

• Satisfy all the requirements of the Kansas promise scholarship agreement;
• Commence service as a military servicemember after receiving the scholarship;
• Are determined by the Board of Regents to have “made the best possible effort to do so;” OR
• Are unable to satisfy the requirements due to disability or death of the recipient.

What Happens If You Do Not Satisfy the Requirements

If any condition of the agreement is not met and the student is not found to otherwise have satisfied the requirements in accordance with the Kansas Promise Scholarship Act, the student must repay the scholarship plus accrued interest (at the federal PLUS program interest rate) within six months after failure to satisfy the agreement. 

Causes for repayment would include if a student changes enrollment to an in-eligible program. The bill allows for installment payments on the indebtedness, and the Board of Regents is authorized to transfer repayment accounts to a loan servicer or collections agency. Requirements may be postponed by the Board of Regents for “good cause.” 

It is very important to understand that by accepting a Kansas Promise Scholarship you will be signing an Agreement that you will live and work in the State of Kansas for two consecutive years following the successful completion of your program of study. Failure to do so will result in your having to repay the amount of the scholarship assistance that you received plus interest. The interest is at the current rate of interest of the federal PLUS loan (Parent Loan) at the time that you are awarded the scholarship.