Community Scholarship Program | WKCTC

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Paying for College

Community Scholarship Program

The Community Scholarship Program (CSP) provides scholarship funding for up to 60 credit hours toward a technical certification and/or an associate degree at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

The Rotary Club of Paducah initiated the idea for the CSP as a public-private partnership with strong participation from the Rotary, the city of Paducah, McCracken County Fiscal Court, partnering high schools, and West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Students from all participating Paducah and McCracken County high schools who enroll by October 1 of their high school freshman year and meet the high school performance guidelines will be eligible to receive this gap funding scholarship.

The CSP scholarship will pay the balance of tuition not paid by federal, state, and other scholarship grants for which a student is eligible.

  • Be a student at a participating Paducah or McCracken County high school or homeschooled within McCracken County.
  • Participate in a pre-enrollment CSP orientation with parent/guardian and enroll in the spring of the eighth grade school year or before October 1 of the freshman high school year..
  • Obtain a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA during high school (certified by high school administration).
  • Achieve a minimum 95% cumulative attendance record during high school (certified by high school administration).
  • Incur no major discipline referrals during high school (certified by high school administration).
  • Complete high school in eight consecutive semesters (four years).
  • Complete GEN 100 Introduction to College while in high school (tuition waived).
  • Student and parent/guardian must complete FAFSA (application for financial aid) and WKCTC scholarship application.
  • Enroll full-time at WKCTC beginning the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.
  • Maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA during the first year at WKCTC in order to qualify for CSP scholarship during 2nd year at WKCTC.
  • Enroll (2nd year) at WKCTC for the fall semester immediately following completion of the first college year.
  • CSP scholarship awards will apply each semester at WKCTC (after approval for any federal, state, or other scholarship grants for which the student is eligible) up to five consecutive semesters.

Q: Can a student enroll after October 1 of freshman year of high school?

A: Yes. If a student did not enroll during freshmen year of high school, they can enroll late at a prorated gap funding amount. Students who enroll late will be funded at the following percentage of gap amounts:

  • 10th Grade 75%
  • 11th Grade 50%
  • 12th Grade 25%

Q: Can a CSP funding be used for summer courses?

A: No. Students can apply for financial aid to help with summer coursework.

Q: Can CSP funding be used for dual credit courses?

A: No. These courses are typically offered at a discounted rate.

Q: How do I know if my child is enrolled and making progress?

A: You can always contact our office to confirm enrollment. We will need to know the child's full name, date of birth, and high school. Our office sends progress updates to students once a year to students. Students who are identified as at-risk of not meeting criteria, are informed of the criteria they are not meeting. Our staff will meet with these students at their high school.

Q: When enrolling at WKCTC, what is considered full-time?

A: CSP students must enroll in at least 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring Semester to be eligible for funding.

Q: Does CSP funding cover textbooks?

A: No, not at this time.

I think it is a great opportunity for those in the area. It is a financially sensible way to get a college education while being close to home. I would like to encourage students to keep up their high school GPA and make a good ACT score in order to receive extra financing for college.
Emily Perry McCracken County High School

CSP is an excellent way to allow students to further their education without worrying about finances.
Cassie Arboleda Paducah Tilghman High School

This is a great way to start your college education. You can earn a degree before you transfer to a four year university.
Brian Johnson St. Mary High School

I would encourage others to participate because you never know what the future will hold. Anything can happen, good or bad. Its wise to have as many opportunities as you can.
Shannon Eckelkamp Community Christian Academy

Enrolling in the Community Scholarship Program DOES NOT commit a student to attending West Kentucky Community & Technical College. However, the scholarship is not awarded if a student does not attend WKCTC.

For more information or to enroll in the Community Scholarship Program contact:

West Kentucky Community & Technical College
P.O. Box 7380
Paducah, Kentucky 42002
(270) 534-3282

Recipients

The first thing you must do is accept your scholarship offer and return the acceptance sheet to the WKCTC Scholarship Office by the stated deadline. Students are also encouraged to write a thank you note that we can share with the donors of the Community Scholarship Program. You can return your form and thank you note to the WKCTC Scholarship Office in Financial Aid (Anderson Building).

Your Community Scholarship offer is conditional based upon a final high school GPA of 2.5 or greater. The CSP Program Director will review your final grades and you will be notified of any changes to your funding.

  • Your Community Scholarship funding will be renewed for a second continuous year of study if you have maintained a 2.50 cumulative GPA at WKCTC upon the completion of the spring semester.
  • A student may receive funding for a maximum of five consecutive semesters, or a maximum of 60 credit hours, whichever occurs first.
  • Receiving a “W or E” in a class constitutes as class hours. Hours associated with these classes will be deducted from a student’s 60 total hours of CSP funding available.
  • Your Community Scholarship funding cannot be applied to summer session classes.
  • Students who filed a CSP appeal for additional funding due to late enrollment, GPA, etc., typically do not receive full funding. Refer to your award letter to determine the percentage of funding. The decisions of the CSP Appeals Committee are final.
  • Students who did not file an appeal for additional funding due to late enrollment, GPA, etc., do not receive full funding. Refer to your award letter to determine the percentage of funding. The decisions of the CSP Appeals Committee are final.
  • The Scholarship Office will review your records as indicated by the items above and you will be notified of any changes to your funding.

Community Scholarship recipients are expected to attend the annual Community Scholarship Program reception during the spring semester. This reception is your chance to say thank you to our generous donors who fund this program. Formal invitations will be mailed. This reception is in addition to the Annual Scholarship Reception that includes all our scholarship recipients and donors. If you received funding from an additional account, you are expected to attend this reception as well.

The CSP is “last aid applied” meaning that it will cover the remainder of full tuition (WKCTC credits only) and mandatory WKCTC student fees after all financial aid and additional scholarship awards (including KEES) have been applied. This funding cannot be used for required text books, software purchases or program-related fees.