FRANKFORT, Ky. — Eighty-four recent Kentucky high school graduates have been awarded Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarships to help pay for their college education. The scholarships are worth $1,500 a year.

The Byrd Scholarship is a federally funded program administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority. KHEAA also administers other student aid programs, including the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), which lets students earn money for college by making good grades in high school.

The Byrd Scholarships are named for longtime Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who authored the legislation establishing the program in 1985.

"In today's competitive job market, education remains the key to progress and prosperity. But as the importance of a quality higher education grows, so does the cost,” Byrd said. "No student who wants to attend college should be denied the opportunity because of cost.”

The scholarships are also available to Kentuckians who earn their GED. KHEAA will award scholarships to GED recipients later this year.

KHEAA and its sister agency, The Student Loan People^sm, administer scholarship, grant, loan, savings and work-study programs to help Kentuckians pay for college. They also provide free college planning and financial aid information to students, parents and counselors.

For more information about those programs, visit kheaa.com or studentloanpeople.com. You can also contact The Student Loan People at P.O. Box 24266, Louisville, KY 40206 or (888) 678-4625. You can reach KHEAA by writing P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602-0798; calling (800) 928-8926, ext. 7381; or faxing (502) 696-7373.

-30-