An A+ opportunity to fund your college education!
If your high school was a Missouri A+ school, you're in luck! You could get thousands of dollars to pay for college.
Your tuition is covered
The A+ program will pay your tuition (maximum of $215 per credit hour) to any Missouri public community college, vocational or technical school.
To be eligible for this benefit, you must enroll full-time (12 or more credit hours per semester) within 48 months after graduation from high school.
Students providing service to any branch of the U.S. armed forces can defer their eligibility beyond the 48 months if they return to full-time student status within 12 months of the end of their military service.
The benefits are paid by the state of Missouri after any federal or state grant for which you are eligible is applied. You may use your A+ until you have completed 105 percent of the hours* required for the program in which you are currently enrolled or you complete a degree or certificate, whichever occurs first.
* Equal to 3 credit hours beyond the required hour for the degree or certificate.
105 percent includes the following:
- All hours, including developmental/remedial hours, taken at the student's current institution.
- All known hours, including developmental/remedial hours, taken at any other A+ eligible institution.
- Hours taken at any non-eligible A+ institution, including out-of-state institutions, that the student's current institution accepts in transfer.
105 percent excludes the following:
- Hours earned for work completed before high school graduation, including (but not limited to): dual credit, dual enrollment, technical education articulation, advanced placement, International Baccalaureate.
- Hours from a non-participating institution not accepted in transfer by a participating institution.
These benefits are paid for by the State of Missouri after any federal or state grant for which you are eligible is applied.
Tuition (maximum of $215 per credit hour) benefits are subject to change without notice. You are responsible for books and individual course fees.
If you have met these requirements
- A U.S. citizen, eligible non-citizen or lawfully present in the U.S.
- Entered into a written agreement with the high school prior to graduation.
- Attended a Missouri A+ high school for three consecutive years prior to graduation.
- Graduated with an overall grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Have at least a 95% attendance record overall for grades 9-12.
- Performed at least 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring, of which up to 25% may include job shadowing.
- Maintained a record of good citizenship and avoid the unlawful use of drugs and/or alcohol.
- Beginning with the high school senior class of 2015, have achieved a score of Proficient or Advanced on the Algebra I end of course exam or a higher level DESE approved end-of-course exam in the field of mathematics.
The scholarship will reimburse the unpaid balance of tuition (maximum of $215 per credit hour) after all available, non-loan federal financial assistance, such as the federal Pell grant, has been applied to an account.
This may result in a zero award if the Pell grant is sufficient to cover all tuition charges. The amount reimbursed may be reduced if there are insufficient state appropriations.
- Reimbursement will be made for completed coursework, including remedial coursework, for which a standard grade was assigned and that is required by the institution for the completion of the degree or certificate.
- The amount of reimbursement paid for coursework for which a standard grade was not assigned (dropped coursework - after the 100% refund period), including coursework in a withdrawn status, will be reduced from reimbursement requests. In short, you did not successfully complete on or more courses for which A+ was awarded therefore your A+ award will be reduced by the cost of that course (or courses) and you will be responsible for paying the balance.
- Repeat coursework will not be reimbursed.
- Coursework that is part of a higher-level certificate or degree taken after receipt of a certificate will be reimbursed if it is related to the original certificate.
A+ student enrollment steps
In order to start the enrollment process, students will need to apply to MCC first by completing the online application.
A+ Scholarship payment options
Students who have earned A+ at their high school may be eligible to pay using the A+ benefit. Follow these steps:
- Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To get priority consideration for financial aid, submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 1. MCC's school code is 002484.
- Enroll in classes.
- Select "Pay by A+ benefit" as your payment option.
A temporary hold will be applied to your account so that you can complete the remaining steps. To see your this hold, log into your myMCCKC account, and select the Student Center home button. The HOLDS box is on the right.
- Request a final high school transcript with the official A+ stamp to be sent to MCC.
- For additional steps to complete your financial aid file, monitor the "To Do List" on your Student Center home page.
- Contact the campus business office to pay charges that are not covered by A+ before the semester begins.
A+ deadlines
Priority dates for A+ students are the same as for all students and are listed in the chart below:
| Fall | May 30 |
| Spring | Nov. 30 |
| Summer | May 1 |
If you do not meet the priority dates above, you will be responsible for paying tuition and fees by the MCC fee deadline. You may receive a refund if you enroll and complete your financial aid and any MCC paperwork by the final A+ deadline below:
| Fall | Dec. 15 |
| Spring | May 15 |
| Summer | July 30 |
Failure to meet these deadlines will result in loss of A+ benefit for the current term of enrollment.
Know the limits of A+
A+ will not pay for a class (classes) if:
- You enroll after the final A+ deadline.
- You are a returning student and your cumulative grade point average (GPA) is below a 2.5.
- You are repeating a class - either to change a grade (F, D, C, B, A) or because the previous class was dropped after the 100% refund period.
- You have completed 105% of the hours required for the program in which you are currently enrolled.
- You have earned a certificate or degree.
- It has been more than 48 months since you graduated from high school.
- You are a returning student and your completion rate is below 67%.
- You are an initial student and your cumulative GPA is below 2.0.
- You drop coursework while receiving A+ benefits; your A+ benefits will be reduced by the cost of the dropped course.
- You did not complete full-time hours for the term in which you received A+ benefits. You must pay out of pocket for subsequent semesters until those hours are made up.
Maintaining benefits for the A+ scholarship
You have worked hard in high school to earn your A+ eligibility. To maintain your benefits you must:
- Enroll in degree-related credit courses each semester (at least 12 credit hours in the fall and the spring semesters; six credit hours in the summer semester).
- Maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
- Complete the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year.
- Maintain a completion rate of at least 67.00 percent.
Complete the full-time hours each term in which you are enrolled.
If you have difficulty meeting the A+ program guidelines, please ask for help! Contact your campus counseling/advising center to discuss the many services we offer to help you succeed.
If you lose your A+ benefits, you can get them back. This is what you will have to do:
- Enroll in a subsequent term and enroll in the number of credit hours (3, 6, 9, or 12 credit hours) needed to achieve a GPA that will restore your A+ benefits.
- Raise your GPA to the required cumulative 2.5 GPA or higher.
- Pay the full cost of your tuition and all fees during the semester(s) of ineligibility.
- Raise your completion rate to the required 67.00 percent, or higher.
- If you did not complete full-time hours, you must successfully make up those hours successfully in a subsequent term before you again become eligible for A+ benefits.
A+ Scholarship grade calculation
Your record
We keep your official academic record, which includes the following:
- Directory information, a list of all courses you enrolled in, the grades and points for those classes, the number of credit hours you have attempted and earned, the cumulative GPA, honors earned, and the degrees or the certificates awarded.
- Your degree plan.
- Your high school transcript and transcripts from other colleges.
The only people who have access to student records are MCC faculty and staff members carrying out college business.
Viewing grades or transcript
See your grades at myMCCKC. Once there, click on "grades" under academic history in the academic section of your student center. This is the only way to view your grades; grades will not be mailed to you. To see your transcript, go to the "Other Academics" drop down box, and select "Unofficial Transcripts."
Grade points
The point values for letter grades:
A - 4
B - 3
C - 2
D - 1
F - 0
W (withdrawal), S(satisfactory), U(unsatisfactory), P(passing) or Au(audit) - 0
Calculating GPA
To determine your GPA, here is a convenient calculator you can use.
To do it yourself, multiply the number of credit hours for each course by the points (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) earned for that grade. Add the total for all classes together and then divide that by the total number of credit hours.
Do not include classes for which you received a W, P, I, S, U, or Au, when duplicate classes have been repeated or any college course work completed while in high school***.
***Dual credit and all college course grade(s), that includes AP, IB, CLEP, and dual-enrolled courses earned while in high school cannot be applied to your A+ GPA to determine A+ eligibility for benefits.
Campus contacts
| Campus | Building | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCC-Blue River | Education Center, Rm 134 | 816.604.1000 | br.advisor@mcckc.edu |
| MCC-Longview | Campus Center, Rm 210 | 816.604.1000 | lv.advisor@mcckc.edu |
| MCC-Maple Woods | Administration Building, Rm 108 | 816.604.1000 | mw.advisor@mcckc.edu |
| MCC-Penn Valley | Student Enrollment Center | 816.604.1000 | pv.advisor@mcckc.edu |