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Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
Financial Aid Tip of the Month, May 2008
Kentucky students may earn money for college through the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program. The KEES program rewards students for making good grades in high school and doing well on the ACT or SAT. The awards may be used upon graduation from high school, and no application is necessary. Students just enroll at an eligible college, and their KEES money will be there a few weeks later.
Students may use their KEES awards at any public college or university in Kentucky, at nearly all private colleges and universities in the state and at many of the state’s trade schools. If a major isn’t offered in Kentucky, students may be able to use their KEES awards at out-of-state schools that offer that major and belong to the Academic Common Market. These majors must be approved by Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education. (Illinois, Indiana and Ohio schools are not eligible because those states do not participate in the Academic Common Market.)
Here’s how KEES works: Students earn a KEES award for each year they attend a certified Kentucky high school and earn at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA). Students may also earn a bonus award for certain ACT or SAT scores.
Of course, students must maintain good grades in college to continue to receive their awards. Many scholarships require at least a 3.0 GPA for renewal, but KEES recipients may get the full award as sophomores if they earn at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA as freshmen. After their freshmen year in college, students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA to keep their full award. Students whose cumulative GPA is between 2.5 and 2.99 will receive half the award. Juniors and seniors may regain the full award if they raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 or better.
For more information about KEES and for detailed statistics about the KEES program, visit www.kheaa.com.
To learn how to plan and prepare for higher education, visit www.GoHigherKY.org. For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602-0798; or call (800) 928-8926, extension 7381. For more information about student loans, visit www.studentloanpeople.com; write The Student Loan People, P.O. Box 24328, Louisville, KY 40224-0328; or call (888) 678-4625.
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