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Kentucky · Grants & scholarships

Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)

High-school-earned Kentucky aid with separate base/test bonuses, current biennium GPA rules, college renewal and approved workforce reimbursement.

Free if eligibleSources checked Oct 16, 2026View sources ↓Compare related routes ↓
Students & families · General optionHigh-school students & recent graduates · Explicitly servedLow-income learners · Explicitly served

At a glance

Free if eligible
What it covers
Annual college funding is built from earned high-school GPA awards and eligible test bonuses. Current base-table awards range from $187 at GPA 2.75 to $500 at 4.0 for each qualifying high-school year; personal totals and available funding vary.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
Income / financial rules
Basic KEES is merit-based. The AP/IB/CAI supplemental branch additionally requires free/reduced-price-lunch eligibility during a high-school year plus a qualifying exam score; it is not an income test for every KEES award.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
Who to check first
For base awards, meet Kentucky residence, U.S. citizen/national/permanent-resident status and certified/approved-school conditions; the programme also excludes convicted felons. Home-school/GED applicants have a distinct test-bonus route.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
Application timing
No single new-application ISO deadline is established here. Check MyKHEAA and school reporting; the award’s five-year/eight-semester limit and spring college-renewal review still apply. Approved workforce reimbursements have a separate process.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
Read official guidanceYou’ll leave FreeCheapEdu. The program makes the eligibility decision.

Check your eligibility

Some items describe alternative routes rather than requirements for everyone. Use the route that applies to you as a preparation checklist; the program makes the eligibility decision.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky General Assembly ↗

How to apply

  1. 1
    Use MyKHEAA to check your earned award and school information. Ask your school counselor to correct errors before relying on the amount for a college budget.
    As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
  2. 2
    Confirm a participating college and renewal standing. Out-of-state use needs the named Academic Common Market conditions and Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education approval; ordinary out-of-state enrollment is not enough.
    As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
  3. 3
    For an eligible registered apprenticeship or other approved workforce route, review the separate reimbursement opt-in and required-expense process rather than assuming a college payment transfers automatically.
    As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗

What to watch for

Eligibility expires at the earliest of eight funded semesters, five years after high-school graduation or a bachelor’s degree. The state account’s actual earned award, not the maximum table example, is the amount to check.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
Renewal uses spring-term status; summer grades cannot repair a low preceding-spring GPA for that renewal. Ask about the stated reinstatement process and ensure the next spring GPA is reported.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
The programme’s older planning material still displays the former 2.5 earnings threshold. Use the enacted 2026–2028 rule for new base earnings, and keep prior awards and college renewal separate.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky General Assembly ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗

Common questions

What is the main benefit?

Annual college funding is built from earned high-school GPA awards and eligible test bonuses. Current base-table awards range from $187 at GPA 2.75 to $500 at 4.0 for each qualifying high-school year; personal totals and available funding vary.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
Is there an income limit?

Basic KEES is merit-based. The AP/IB/CAI supplemental branch additionally requires free/reduced-price-lunch eligibility during a high-school year plus a qualifying exam score; it is not an income test for every KEES award.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗
When should I apply?

No single new-application ISO deadline is established here. Check MyKHEAA and school reporting; the award’s five-year/eight-semester limit and spring college-renewal review still apply. Approved workforce reimbursements have a separate process.

As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority ↗

Sources & verification

Source summaries checked by automated research on the dates below. No human professional review is claimed.

Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship KEES
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Checking KEES awards and school record corrections
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Read official guidance