Hope Scholarship Approved Expenses: What You Can and Cannot Buy

What You Can Buy

Under W. Va. Code §18-31-7, Hope Scholarship funds must be spent on qualifying K-12 educational goods and services. The approved categories are broader than most parents expect:

Tuition and institutional fees. Private school tuition, parochial school tuition, microschool enrollment fees, and fees for online academies all qualify.

Curriculum and instructional materials. Textbooks, workbooks, digital curriculum subscriptions, educational kits, and course materials. This includes packages from vendors like Master Books, Time4Learning, Christianbook, and Gather 'Round — as long as the items are clearly educational.

Tutoring and academic services. Individual or group tutoring from certified providers who are not immediate family members. Tutors must register as Education Service Providers with the Board and pass background checks.

Educational therapies. Speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and ABA therapy for students with special needs. Providers must be registered ESPs.

Standardized testing and assessments. Testing fees for nationally normed standardized exams, AP exams, SAT, and other academic assessments.

Technology and hardware. Laptops, desktops, tablets, e-readers, printers, and smartboards. The limit is one primary computing device (desktop, laptop, or tablet) and one printer per student every two calendar years.

Dual enrollment. College-level course tuition and required textbooks for students taking dual-enrollment classes.

Supplemental enrichment. Musical instruments, art curriculum, museum and zoo admission for educational field trips, and select enrichment activities.

Transportation and uniforms. Payments to approved transportation providers and mandatory school uniforms.

What You Cannot Buy

The prohibited list exists to prevent account freezes and clawbacks. These items will get a purchase rejected or flagged:

• Family member payments. You cannot pay yourself, your spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, first cousins, aunts, uncles, or in-laws to tutor or instruct your child. The immediate family restriction under CSR §112-18-2.15 is strictly enforced.
• Furniture and room renovations. Desks, office chairs, bookcases, and physical room improvements are not qualifying expenses.
• General clothing. Everyday apparel, athletic gear, and dance costumes. Only mandatory school uniforms qualify.
• Food and consumables. Groceries, snacks, and daily meals (except official school lunch programs).
• Entertainment. Amusement park passes, movie tickets, general recreation that is not tied to an educational purpose.
• Gift cards and cash equivalents. Prepaid debit cards, retail gift certificates, and cash withdrawals.
• Personal transportation. Gas mileage reimbursement and personal vehicle maintenance.

The Family Member Rule

This is the spending rule that trips up the most families. The immediate family restriction defines "family" broadly — it includes parents, step-parents, grandparents, siblings, step-siblings, first cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and spouses of any of these.

The restriction also applies through business entities. A parent or relative is classified as a control employee if they own 15% or more equity or capital, draw a salary exceeding 15% of the entity's gross revenue, or serve as an officer or account signatory. A provider with a control employee tied to the student cannot invoice Hope for that student's services. Providers complete a Control Employee Form to verify compliance.

How Purchase Approvals Work

When you add items to your cart in the TheoPay marketplace, the system checks them at checkout. Clearly educational items from approved vendors process automatically. Items that are ambiguous — educational toys, electronics that could be general-use, bundled orders mixing approved and non-approved items — may get flagged for manual review.

If a purchase is rejected, you receive an automated alert explaining the reason. You can modify your order, upload supporting documentation (a course syllabus showing the item is part of your curriculum, for example), and resubmit for manual review by administrative staff.

Keep all receipts, syllabi, service contracts, and instructional records for at least three years. The Board conducts spot audits, and documented purchases clear far faster than undocumented ones.

The West Virginia Hope Scholarship Parent Guide includes a pre-purchase decision framework and category-by-category spending reference so you can check whether an item qualifies before placing the order.

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