Garden City Community College

The Buster Boost program covers the costs of tuition and student per-credit-hour fees for all high school students in the College’s service area counties, including Finney, Greeley, Hamilton, Kearny, Lane, Scott, and Wichita counties. 

The cost of electronic textbooks is included for most classes offered at GCCC. Students who wish to rent physical textbooks pay an additional flat rental fee ($9.99 per textbook, including tuition). For more information, and to rent a textbook, contact the College bookstore:

Virga West
Broncbuster Bookstore Manager
(620) 276-9790
virga.west@gcccks.edu

Suzanne Johnson
Broncbuster Bookstore Assistant Manager
(620) 276-0390
suzanne.johnson@gcccks.edu

No combination of scholarships or potential tuition waiver may exceed the cost of tuition, fees, or books.  

This is something that must be worked out with the local district’s counselor and administration, as Garden City Community College has no direct access to this information. If an individual has a question regarding the program, please feel free to email Dawn Tucker, Dual Credit Coordinator

Dawn Tucker
Dual Credit Coordinator
(620) 276-0441
dawn.tucker@gcccks.edu

Student eligibility is determined at the point of applying to the College (for new students) and annually when enrolling in college courses. Students on free and reduced lunch waivers complete an additional verification step with additional signatures on their application/course enrollment forms. This information is processed by the College’s Dual Credit Coordinator, Student Records office, and Business Office. Information about a student’s free and/or reduced lunch status is not visible to instructors. 

If a student fails a course, they risk harm to their GPA and future progress in higher education. The first time a student’s semester GPA falls below a 2.0, the student will be placed on academic probation and will only be allowed to enroll as a part-time student (fewer than 12 credit hours) in future semesters. The second time a student’s semester GPA falls below a 2.0, the student will be placed on academic dismissal and will be required to apply for reinstatement. For more information on this process, contact Dean of Student Services Tammy Tabor.

Tammy Tabor
Dean of Student Services
(620) 276-9508
tammy.tabor@gcccks.edu

All paperwork must be received at the time of course enrollment for any given semester. 

No, the Buster Boost program is specifically limited to students who reside in Garden City Community College’s service area.  

The College service area includes 7 counties:

• Finney
• Greeley
• Hamilton
• Kearny
• Lane
• Scott
• Wichita county

The College’s intention is to fund the Buster Boost program indefinitely. However, the program will be evaluated on an annual basis and may be discontinued or reduced at any time. The College will guarantee the program for, at minimum, the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semester and will re-evaluate financial viability on an annual basis. 

No, there is not a limit. However:  

• A high school Counselor and/or Site Coordinator, working collaboratively with the student and based on academic history, schedule, etc., may recommend a cap on the number of credit hours for a student;  
• Enrolling in 10 or more credits per semester will require approval from the high school Counselor as well as either the College’s Dean of Academics or the Dean of Technical Education and Workforce Development.

Yes, if their permanent residency is in an eligible county. Exchange students are not eligible as their permanent address is not within an eligible county.

Students who are home-schooled may be eligible for the Scholarship; as long as their permanent address is within the College’s 7-county service area; the same applies for students in private schooling.

Eligibility will be determined by the families adjusted gross income. Eligibility is determined based on the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) income eligibility guidelines for Free and Reduced Meals each year. 

The 2023-2024 Income Guidelines follow:

For each additional household member, add $6,682 for Free Benefits and $9,509 Reduced Price Benefits

*Source: https://www.ksde.org/Home/Quick-Links/News-Room/ArtMID/3386/ArticleID/2356/Reduced-price-and-free-school-meals-available

Yes, the College will verify eligibility from home schooled and students who attend private schools by using their household size and income from their previous year tax documents. Those should be submitted to Dawn Tucker, Dual Credit Coordinator at the time of course enrollment. Once approved, the scholarship will be available for the entirety of the academic year, but must be renewed on an annual basis, as eligibility guidelines change each year. 

*Once this eligibility is verified, the GCCC does not retain or report this information.* 

The cost of electronic textbooks is included for most classes offered at GCCC. Students who wish to rent physical textbooks pay an additional flat rental fee ($9.99 per textbook, including tuition). For more information, and to rent a textbook, contact the College bookstore.

Virga West
Broncbuster Bookstore Manager
(620) 276-9790
virga.west@gcccks.edu

Suzanne Johnson
Broncbuster Bookstore Assistant Manager
(620) 276-0390
suzanne.johnson@gcccks.edu

No. The program covers the cost of tuition and student per-credit-hour fees, meaning for most high school students all costs have been covered. No combination of scholarships or protentional tuition waiver may exceed the cost of tuition, fees, or books. This includes GCCC scholarships administered by service area high schools. 

No, the benefits of the program cannot be retroactively applied. 

If you are interested or have questions regarding the Buster Boost opportunity, please contact Dawn Tucker.

Dawn Tucker
Dual Credit Coordinator
(620) 276-0441
dawn.tucker@gcccks.edu