Get in touch!
Whether your ready-to-roll or need a little guidance, we're here to help and answer any questions you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions.
We get asked a lot of questions, some of them more than others, so chances are we have an answer for you.
How do I get my child or student on VU?
Is my student eligible to register for VU?
VU is open to any Junior or Senior whose high school has partnered with VU. To check and see if your high school has partnered with VU, please reach out to your student’s high school.
How easy is it for High Schools to make this available to their students?
About as easy as it gets. No, seriously. We’ve fully automated the end to end process so there is no administrative effort on the admin team or high school counselors. We set up a meeting. We unwrap it and within a short turnaround time we can begin to award their students.
I’m a High School Administrator and want to make VU available for my students and parents. How do I learn more?
Grab a coffee or whatever floats your boat and let’s meet over Zoom! Feel free to book a time here.
Is there a cost to the student or the high school to use VU?
Nope! None. Zero. No silly strings either. (Hilarious if we had silly string).
Is it safe to use VU?
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My high school is not participating in VU, how does my child get registered?
Not to worry. We’ll help get you going. Click here and we’ll start working on it.
Colleges and Universities
What colleges or universities are participating?
We’re always adding new post secondary partners. Throughout the year as we’re adding new partners, your child will automatically be notified if they receive an award from one of our new partners. We continue to do the hard work so they don’t have to. For the latest list, please check it out here. Don’t see a school you would like to see, let us know and we’ll prioritize getting them on! Really, we do.
I’m a post secondary institution and interested in participating. What’s the process like?
Let’s connect! Feel free to book a time with us here!
I’m a High School Administrator and want to make VU available for my students and parents. How do I learn more?
Grab a coffee or whatever floats your boat and let’s meet over Zoom! Feel free to book a time here.
Are technical schools eligible to participate?
Of course. We want every student to know the vast amount of opportunities that exist for them. For some, it may not be a 2 or 4 year school. For some, going to a technical school may be where their passion intersects with a talent! We’re all about that.
More Info on How it Works
What qualifications must students have to participate?
For school year 2022/2023, all high school juniors and seniors are eligible to participate. There is no minimum GPA and/or ACT score you need in order to be eligible.
Is every student guaranteed a scholarship?
Not every student is guaranteed a scholarship. Every college partner makes scholarship selections based on their own specific parameters.
If a school offers my student a scholarship, what do they need to do next? Are there time limits for accepting offers?
Your student may receive multiple offers. They need to apply to the school(s) they wish to attend.
Each college will provide detailed instructions in the offer letter that students will need in order to take advantage of the scholarship. If your application for admission occurs after the deadline on your scholarship letter(s), the respective college(s) have the discretion to rescind or keep the scholarship offer active.
As long as you fulfill their requirements by their deadline, your student will be eligible to receive the scholarship. Your student must maintain their current academic standing upon which the scholarship was offered.
If my student receives a scholarship, am I committed to that school?
No, you are not committed to any institution offering you scholarships. You may decide to attend one of the schools offering you a scholarship by completing an admission application.
What if a student’s ACT and/or GPA increased during their senior year?
We anticipate colleges will increase scholarship offers when increases occur in ACT scores and/or the cumulative GPA of students during the school year.
My student already has a college in mind. Should we still participate in this program?
Yes, you should participate! You may be eligible for scholarships from the institution you plan to attend. As well, you may receive competing offers from other institutions. This increases your options in deciding where you intend to enroll.
How many scholarships can a student receive?
A student may receive as many scholarships as there are Scholarship Shawnee Mission partners. For example, if there are 23 college partners, a student may earn up to 23 scholarships. We anticipate the number of college partners to increase each year.
Does my student need to apply to a college before receiving a scholarship?
No, you receive scholarships from colleges prior to applying. In fact, the vast majority of scholarships you receive will occur prior to you applying to any of the colleges. For example, you may receive eight scholarships from colleges without having yet applied to any of the schools.
Data
What data is provided to VU?
Academic, demographic, and other variables that the student may provide while using the solution such as alternate ways of being contacted. For a full list, feel free to check out our privacy notice that the student accepts.
What do we do with this data?
VU will use the provided data to create their account, and calculate the student’s awards.
Who do we share this data with?
VU does not provide this data to any third party marketing agencies. The data may be shared with our post secondary partners for the purpose of them sharing more about their particular institution with the student and what they have to offer or why they may be a good fit.