The Kentucky Educational
Excellence Scholarship (KEES) is a program managed by the Kentucky Higher
Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). How does KEES work? Kentucky high
school students earn KEES scholarships if they make at least a 2.5 GPA each year. The higher the GPA,
the more money the student earns for higher education. Additional scholarship
money is given for scores of 15 and
above on the ACT and scores of 710
(math/verbal) and above on the SAT. For free/reduced lunch students, AP
exams and IB tests earn you KEES money as
well.
As you can see, there
are many ways to earn KEES money, and this money can accumulate into a
significant scholarship. For example, if you have a GPA of 3.6 each year of
high school, you will earn $400 per year. Then, if you get a 21 on
the ACT, that is an extra $250 for each year. Don’t forget that AP exam! If you
qualify for free or reduced lunches, your score of 3 will earn you another $200
per year. Already that is $2050 for each year of college. So, if you attend a
four-year degree program, you will have a total KEES scholarship of $8200!
The best part about the
KEES scholarship (aside from the free money) is that no application is
necessary. Kentucky students who meet the requirements automatically begin earning
KEES money their freshman year in high school. To find out more about the
requirements, visit the KHEAA Web site at https://www.kheaa.com/website/kheaa/home.
To check how much money you have earned so far, go to https://www.kheaa.com/apps/registration/register-new.
Register as a student and sign in to your KEES account. Soon you will realize
how much money you can earn for higher education just by getting good grades in
high school!
READERS, what do you
think?
How much KEES money
could you earn for higher education? And are there other sources of scholarship
money you could add to your KEES scholarship to help pay for education?
Reference:
Kentucky Higher
Education Assistance Authority. (2013). Kentucky Educational Excellence
Scholarship (KEES). Retrieved from https://www.kheaa.com/website/kheaa/kees?main=1.
