Financial aid assistance plays a big role in helping many students decide where to attend college and UMKC just unveiled a new scholarship lineup aimed at making college even more affordable.
The Roo Advantage Scholarship makes college free for full-time Missouri and Kansas first-time and transfer students who are Pell Grant-eligible. The scholarship covers any remaining full-time tuition and fees not covered by other student scholarships or grants.
The new Roo Nation Award extends in-state tuition scholarships to non-Missouri residents.
Roo Advantage is available beginning now, Fall 2022, while Roo Nation will begin Fall 2023. Both scholarships are renewable yearly.
“We are committed to making higher education affordable to the Kansas City community, all of Missouri and Kansas and beyond,” said Jenny Lundgren, Ph.D., provost and executive vice chancellor. “These programs remove financial barriers that stand in the way of people earning the credentials needed to launch a professional career.”
Roo Advantage
To be eligible for Roo Advantage, students must have completed a FAFSA and been declared eligible for a Pell Grant. Transfer students must have earned an associate degree prior to transferring to UMKC.
Madison Atkins, a junior at UMKC studying education, started her college career at a community college to save money. She said the Roo Advantage Scholarship relieved her of “a huge burden.”
“It was a no-brainer about accepting it because I’m basically getting college for free,” Atkins said. “I did community college to save money, and my family planned to take out loans for UMKC. So when this scholarship came along, it felt like a weight had been lifted.”
Atkins said she and her family feel extremely grateful for the opportunities the scholarship will provide for her during her time at UMKC.
“This really opens the door for me to think about things like continuing school and getting my master’s degree. I was really worried about the student loans from my bachelor’s, and so I had planned to graduate and then work a couple of years before coming back. Now I can work right through,” Atkins said. “That just wouldn’t have been an option for me before.”
Roo Nation Award
To be eligible for the Roo Nation Award, students must be a U.S. citizen and a newly enrolled nonresident undergraduate student with a high school core or transfer GPA of at least a 3.0. Medical, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Law students are not eligible.
SGA President Tim Nguyen says scholarships can make or break the student experience – and he applauded UMKC’s ongoing efforts to make sure college can be affordable for students. For Nguyen (B.S., B.A. ’22), scholarships at UMKC helped ensure he could focus completely on his education as an undergrad and even to pursue a graduate degree.
“My scholarship at UMKC gave me countless opportunities that I could never possibly imagine. Or never thought I would be able to come across,” Nguyen said. “I had flexibility, where I didn’t have to work two or three other jobs, I could invest myself into giving back through different community service opportunities, different internships and be someone for my UMKC family, not just someone in it.”
Learn More About Roo Advantage and Roo Nation Scholarships
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