Overview of Odyssey's Marketplace and Reimbursement Approach
The Odyssey platform maintains individual digital wallets at the student level that track every purchase, including via marketplace, tuition processing, and reimbursements.
Marketplace
Odyssey prioritizes a marketplace-first approach when distributing state funds. Odyssey pre-approves eligible vendors and offerings before loading them into the marketplace, ensuring all purchases comply with state law. Since items are pre-approved, once you purchase an item in the marketplace it goes directly to fulfillment, with no secondary review required and no need to front funds.
Tuition
Under Section 53F-6-408(8)(a) of the Utah Code, a private school intending to receive scholarship funds must submit an application to the program manager. Once approved, students can select their school from a dropdown in the portal. Tuition payments to non-approved schools cannot be made directly; however, students classified as home-based learners may be eligible for reimbursement of certain fees paid to non-approved schools if the expense qualifies as a legally allowable educational expense.
Reimbursements
Odyssey will use the utmost discretion in determining whether reimbursements meet an educational purpose. There are no pre-approved reimbursements — each reimbursement must be individually submitted and reviewed. Odyssey strongly encourages parents to use the marketplace for purchases.
Reimbursement Policy for 2024–2025 Transition Funds (Ending August 20, 2025)
Parents may submit reimbursements for purchases made during the program transition period, January 1, 2025 through August 20, 2025. Reimbursements will only be approved if the purchase is for an educational good or service and the student has a remaining balance. All reimbursement submissions for this period must include: vendor name, description of purchase, date of purchase, requested reimbursement amount, image of receipt (including price, vendor name, date, and itemized cost), explanation of educational nature, and consent that the purchase was not already reimbursed by the previous provider. All submissions must be received by September 30, 2025.
Reimbursement Policy for the 2025–2026 School Year (Beginning August 21, 2025)
Eligible reimbursement categories include:
Ride Fees for transportation to/from a qualifying provider (up to $750/year)
Assessment Test Fees
Internet Fees (service period must occur during the scholarship year)
Fees for Extracurricular Activities or Enrichment Classes with an educational purpose
Other Educational Expenses (subject to highest level of scrutiny; parents are strongly encouraged to use the marketplace first)
💡Odyssey reserves the right to deny any reimbursement request that does not align with program requirements, applicable law, or the intent of the scholarship. Odyssey may update or revise reimbursement policies as needed to ensure compliance and safeguard funds.