If you have been out of school for a while, most scholarship advice does not fit your situation. Here is what does.
Start with Level Up Kansas (levelupks.com). A free service for Kansans 18 and older, built for adults starting or restarting. A navigator gives you unbiased information about degree and certificate programs at Kansas community and technical colleges, identifies aid you may qualify for, and connects you to free help with FAFSA completion, career counseling, and apprenticeships. Sign up at levelupks.com and hear back in about a week.
The Kansas Promise Scholarship is built for this. It covers tuition, fees, books, and required materials for eligible certificate and associate programs at Kansas community and technical colleges, up to $20,000 or 68 credit hours. There is no age cap.
File the FAFSA regardless of your age or income. Independent students, meaning most adults over 24, are evaluated on their own income rather than a parent’s, which frequently produces a much stronger aid picture than people expect.
File the State of Kansas Student Aid Application too. Separate from the FAFSA, due June 1, required for most Kansas Board of Regents awards.
Check with your employer. Tuition assistance is common and widely unused. Ask HR directly.
The Wichita Foundation is not just for graduating seniors. Their portal is open to currently enrolled students as well as new ones, January 1 through March 31.
Need a high school credential first? NexStep Alliance and Butler Community College Adult Education both offer GED preparation in Wichita. Kansas also runs Accelerating Opportunity Kansas (AO-K), which lets you earn adult basic skills instruction and a short-term technical certificate at the same time, leading to an industry-endorsed credential and immediate employment.
Sources: Level Up Kansas, levelupks.com and levelupks.com/community-and-technical-colleges; Kansas Board of Regents, kansasregents.gov/scholarships_and_grants; State of Kansas Student Aid Application, sfa.kansasregents.gov; Federal Student Aid, studentaid.gov; Wichita Foundation, wichitafoundation.org; KANSASWORKS programs including AO-K, kansasworks.com/programs.