Start Here: How to Use Your Scholarship Funds

Each approved student receives a digital wallet in the Odyssey platform. The wallet tracks all scholarship activity, including:

• Marketplace purchases
• Tuition payments
• Reimbursement requests

Parents can access all spending options directly through their student's digital wallet.

There are three ways to use scholarship funds:

Quick Links

• Start Here: How to Use Your Scholarship Funds
• Key Spending Rules
• Odyssey Marketplace (Recommended)
• Tuition Payments
• Reimbursements
• Eligible Expense Categories
• Eligible Time Periods
• Receipt Requirements
• Need Help?
• Disclaimers
• Legal Guidance for Purchasing Guidelines

Key Spending Rules

Before making purchases or submitting reimbursements, please review the following rules.

Spending Window

Example

A summer camp starts on June 29 and ends July 3. This is an eligible expense for the current program year.

Student-Specific Funds

Scholarship funds belong to the individual student.

The following rules apply:

• Funds cannot be pooled or transferred between siblings.
• Parents may not split the cost of a single purchase across multiple students' scholarship accounts.
• Parents may not claim one item for multiple purchases.
• If a purchase with multiple line items accounts for spending for multiple students, separate reimbursement requests must be submitted.

Marketplace First

Families are strongly encouraged to use the Odyssey Marketplace whenever possible.

Marketplace purchases are:

• Pre-approved and do not require Odyssey review.
• Available without requiring parents to pay out of pocket.
• Available without upfront costs.

Reimbursement Review

All reimbursements are reviewed individually. Please note:

• Approval is not guaranteed until Odyssey receives a complete submission and determines the expense complies with program requirements and applicable law.
• Purchased goods and services must be inherently educational.
• Approval requires confirmation that sufficient documentation has been provided to verify that the transaction occurred.

Please see: Acceptable Documentation for Reimbursement

Documentation Required

Reimbursements require both:

• An itemized proof of purchase
• Proof of payment

In most transactions, the proof of purchase and payment are contained in the same document.

Incomplete documentation may result in denial.

Documentation must provide proof of purchase and the specific item or service purchased.

Please see: Acceptable Documentation for Reimbursement

Category Restrictions

Spending caps, quantity limits, and category restrictions apply to both Marketplace purchases and reimbursements.

Marketplace purchases and reimbursed purchases are combined when calculating limits.

When a category cap is reached, spending cannot be shifted to another category.

Example

If your student exceeds the Physical Education limit for their gymnastics lessons, the gymnastics lessons cannot be shifted to the Extracurricular category.

For more information regarding restricted categories, please see: Examples of Extracurricular, Physical Education, and Fine Arts

Processing Time

Tuition Payments

Tuition payments can be made directly from your award to a UFA approved private school through your Odyssey account.

Tuition payments made to other educational institutions can be submitted for reimbursement.

Odyssey Authority

Odyssey has the right to deny expenses that do not meet:

• Program requirements
• Documentation standards
• Eligibility rules
• Spending limits
• Applicable law

Odyssey Marketplace (Recommended)

The Odyssey Marketplace is the fastest, easiest, and most secure way to use scholarship funds.

All Marketplace vendors and offerings are reviewed for eligibility before being made available to families.

Benefits of Using the Marketplace

Tuition Payments

Private schools wishing to receive scholarship funds directly must first be approved through Odyssey's school review process in accordance with the Utah state code governing UFA.

How Tuition Payments Work

1. The school completes the required application process.
2. The student selects the approved school in their Odyssey account.
3. The school confirms enrollment and establishes tuition and fees.
4. Parents review and confirm the amount.
5. Once scholarship funding is available, parents submit tuition payments through the student's digital wallet.

Payments are deducted directly from the student's scholarship balance and sent to the approved school.

Non-Approved Schools

Tuition payments cannot be sent directly to non-approved schools from a student's award.

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 under Utah law.

Reimbursements

Reimbursements allow families to request scholarship funds for eligible purchases made outside the Marketplace.

Before You Submit

Before submitting a reimbursement request, please review the following:

• Submit a separate reimbursement request for each product or service requiring review.
• Each reimbursement is reviewed individually.
• Parents should be prepared to provide documentation and educational justification when requested. Reimbursement requests for goods over $1,000 will be subject to additional scrutiny.
• Confirm that the item you are requesting reimbursement for does not cost more than 10% above the price of a comparable item in the Odyssey Marketplace. Reimbursement may be denied if the requested item's cost is determined to be unreasonably higher than the cost of a comparable Marketplace item.
• Funds are reserved immediately upon submission to prevent overspending.
• If a reimbursement is denied, the reserved funds will be returned to the student's digital wallet.

Choosing the Correct Category and Subcategory

The categories and subcategories available for reimbursement correspond directly with Marketplace spending categories.

If a student has reached a category spending cap, additional reimbursement requests for goods and services within that category will not be approved.

Eligible Expense Categories

The categories and subcategories below are available for reimbursement and correspond directly with Marketplace spending categories.

If a student has reached a category spending cap, additional reimbursement requests for goods and services that fit in that category will not be approved.

Services

Goods

Instructional Materials

• Textbooks, Curriculum, or Other Instructional Materials
• Educational Software and Applications
• Educational Supplies (individual student based, no bulk packages)
• STEM Kits
• Learning Manipulatives
• Musical Instrument Rental
• Art Supplies
• Educational Materials

Electronics

Internet Service Fees

Fees associated with internet service are to be used in the education of a student.

The service period must occur during the time covered by the scholarship.

To be eligible, the reimbursement submission must include:

• Vendor's name/Internet service provider
• Date of purchase
• Dates of coverage
• Requested reimbursement amount
• Image of the receipt including:
  • Name of the vendor
  • Date of purchase
  • Itemized cost of the item or service provided
• Explanation outlining the educational nature of the purchase

For additional information, please see the Price Caps and Purchase Restrictions article.

Transportation

Ride fees or fares for a fee-for-service transportation provider to transport students to and from a qualifying provider, not to exceed $750 in a given school year.

The starting destination and ending destination (one of which must be a qualifying provider or approved private school) must be provided.

Eligible transportation categories include:

• Public Transportation
• Private Transportation
• Rideshare
• Taxi

Tuition and Education Fees

Eligible categories include:

• Tuition or Registration Fees
• Individual Courses
• Course Packages
• Technical College Fees and Materials
• Registration Fees
• Individual Courses
• Course Packages
• Exam Fees

Important

If a reimbursement is submitted under the wrong category, Odyssey may deny the request and require resubmission under the correct category.

Items and services that are subject to a cap are under additional scrutiny for being in the correct category.

Processing Time

Reimbursements will be processed within 10 business days of a complete submission.

Families are encouraged to submit reimbursement requests throughout the year rather than waiting until the end of the funding cycle.

Scholarship funds will be held while the review is in progress to prevent overspending.

Non-Allowable Expenses

Odyssey's approach to determining eligible expenses is to err on the side of supporting parents and students while applying standards consistently across the program.

Because families educate their students in many different ways, it is not possible to create an exhaustive list of every eligible or ineligible item or service.

When evaluating an expense, Odyssey applies a simple but important distinction:

• Whether an item is inherently educational, or
• A general-purpose item that may be used in an educational context.

While many general-purpose items can support learning, their primary design and typical use are not educational in nature.

For this reason, the ability to use an item for learning does not, by itself, make it an eligible educational expense.

For detailed guidance regarding expenses that are not eligible for reimbursement, please review the UFA Ineligible Expense Guide.

Eligible Time Periods

Understanding when expenses are eligible is important to ensure reimbursement requests can be approved.

Scholarship Year

The annual scholarship year runs from July 1 through June 30.

Eligible expenses must occur within the applicable scholarship year.

Services

The start or end date of a service must occur during the scholarship year for which reimbursement is requested.

Example

An educational summer camp that starts June 15 and ends July 2 is an allowable expense for the current scholarship year.

Returning Students

Students who participated during the previous program year and remain eligible for the current program year will have access to their rolled over funds.

These funds can only be spent on eligible expenses in the new program year.

For additional information, please see Do My Remaining Funds Rollover?

Retroactive Reimbursements

Retroactive reimbursement requests for:

• Tuition deposits
• Current year tuition
• Current year fees

will only be accepted if they were paid after January 1.

Otherwise, only expenses incurred during the current scholarship year may be submitted.

Receipt Requirements

Every reimbursement request must include a receipt from the point of sale that serves as both:

• Proof of purchase
• Proof of payment

Required Information

Every receipt must include:

For credit or debit card purchases, the receipt must display the last four digits of the card.

Acceptable Proof of Payment

Acceptable proof of payment includes:

• Paid
• Zero Balance
• Payment confirmation showing payment method

Acceptable Documentation

The following documents are accepted:

• Original paper receipt (photo or scan)
• Digital receipt

For examples and additional information about acceptable documentation, please visit the Acceptable Documentation for Reimbursement article.

Not Acceptable as Receipts

The following documents are not accepted as receipts:

• Venmo screenshots
• Zelle screenshots
• PayPal screenshots
• Cash App screenshots
• Bank statements
• Credit card statements
• Handwritten receipts
• Invoices
• Bills
• Order confirmations without proof of payment
• Non-itemized receipts
• Copies or photographs of checks

Important

Odyssey will not accept invoices or handwritten notes as proof of purchase.

Need Help?

For instructions on connecting your bank account and submitting a reimbursement request, please review:

How to Add Your Bank Account and Submit a Reimbursement Request

Disclaimers

Any eligibility guidance, reimbursement guidance, or preliminary approval provided by Odyssey's Smart Assistant or Support Team is informational only.

Final eligibility determinations are made only after:

1. An expense is submitted.
2. Required documentation is received.
3. Odyssey completes its compliance review.

Important

Approval is not guaranteed until the compliance review process is complete.

Odyssey reserves the right to deny any reimbursement request that does not align with:

• Program requirements
• Applicable law
• The intent of the scholarship

This includes, but is not limited to, expenses that:

• Fall outside of allowable categories.
• Lack sufficient documentation.

Odyssey may update or revise reimbursement policies as needed to:

• Ensure compliance
• Safeguard scholarship funds
• Respond to changing circumstances

Legal Guidance for Purchasing Guidelines

Under Section 53F-6-408(8)(a) of the Utah Code, a private school intending to receive scholarship funds is required to submit an application to the program manager.

The law requires Odyssey, as program manager, to collect necessary information to determine eligibility and authority to approve eligible schools.

The law also requires a proactive vetting process that includes:

• Financial documentation
• Background checks
• Detailed disclosures, particularly for schools with 150 or more students

Using an application as a mechanism to collect this information is both reasonable and consistent with the statute.

This approach also supports Odyssey's duty to ensure:

• Compliance
• Operational integrity
• Financial accountability

as outlined in:

• Section 53F-6-405(1)(a)(ii)
• Section 53F-6-405(1)(a)(vi)

Reimbursement Authority

Odyssey's reimbursement policy, as outlined in this guide, is based on the law regarding scholarship expenses as defined in:

• Section 53F-6-402(2)
• Section 53F-6-402(7)
• Section 53F-6-402(20)

The law gives the program manager discretion to determine expense eligibility and implement policies and procedures as described in:

• Section 53F-6-405(1)(a)(v)
• Section 53F-6-405(1)(m)

The statute also authorizes the program manager to reject non-educational expenses and reimbursement requests that do not meet statutory criteria as outlined in:

• Section 53F-6-402(7)(c)-(d)
• Section 53F-6-405(5)(a)(ii)

Important Notice

This guide is intended to help families understand how scholarship funds may be used under the Utah Fits All (UFA) Program.

All purchases, reimbursements, and funding decisions remain subject to applicable Utah law, program requirements, and Odyssey's compliance review process.