A Jefferson County Public Schools student earns Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship money for every high school year with at least a 2.75 GPA, up to $500 a year for a 4.00, according to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority's scholarships page, checked November 4, 2026. A good ACT or SAT score adds up to $500 more. There's no application. The money adds up quietly from freshman year, and most families don't look at the total until senior year.
KEES is a merit scholarship run by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) and paid for by the Kentucky Lottery. It's separate from the federal FAFSA, which our FAFSA and Kentucky aid cheat sheet covers.
How much is a KEES year worth?
Each high school year with a qualifying GPA earns a base award, and those years stack. KHEAA's page gives this example: a freshman who earns a 3.5 GPA has a $375 scholarship "for each year of college." The page also says amounts may change based on available funds.
Selected amounts from KHEAA's current chart:
4.00 GPA: $500
3.75 GPA: $437
3.50 GPA: $375
3.25 GPA: $312
3.00 GPA: $250
2.90 GPA: $225
2.80 GPA: $200
2.75 GPA: $187
The total a student builds before graduation is the amount available each year of college, as long as the student keeps meeting the renewal rules, KHEAA says.
Here's what that looks like for one made up JCPS student. Say a teen posts a 3.0 freshman year, a 3.2 sophomore year, a 3.5 junior year and a 3.6 senior year. That's $250, $300, $375 and $400, or $1,325. Add an ACT composite of 22, worth $286, and the student has $1,611 for each year of college. Over four years, that's $6,444. That's a JCPS Insider calculation from KHEAA's chart, and it assumes the student keeps the award in college and the state doesn't change the amounts.
What changed with the 2.75 GPA rule?
The yearly floor went up. Starting with the 2026 to 2027 school year, a student needs at least a 2.75 GPA to earn a base award for that year. KHEAA's 2026 KEES report to lawmakers says House Bill 500 "removed the ability to earn base scholarship awards for GPAs below a 2.75 beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year." The WKDZ report from May 7, 2026, quoting KHEAA officials, said money earned in earlier years, including years below 2.75, stays put.
The change is budget language. KRS 164.7879 still says 2.5, and KHEAA's newsletter says the 2.75 minimum applies for the 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028 school years.
That matters most for this year's juniors and seniors. A senior who banked a 2.6 sophomore year keeps that money. A 2.6 this year earns nothing.
One trap: KHEAA still posts an older KEES brochure marked "Printed 07/20." It shows the old 2.5 floor and a $125 award at 2.5. The current scholarships page says 2.75. Go by the current page.
Do AP and dual credit grades count more?
Yes. Under 11 KAR 15:090, Section 2, AP, IB and Cambridge Advanced International grades use a 5.0 scale for KEES. Dual credit uses the grade the college gives, also on a 5.0 scale, except remedial courses.
There's a second condition parents miss. Every base award requires the student to earn the GPA "while meeting the KEES curriculum requirements." Under 11 KAR 15:090, the KEES curriculum is Kentucky's minimum high school graduation requirements in 704 KAR 3:305. Schools may swap in honors, AP, IB, Cambridge, dual credit or approved co op courses. The regulation also requires the high school to tell each student in writing, every year, whether the schedule meets the KEES curriculum. Ask for that notice.
Families weighing early college or dual credit can start with our guide to JCPS high schools with associate degrees, early college and dual credit.
How much is the ACT or SAT bonus?
A KEES eligible graduate with an ACT composite of 15 or higher, or an SAT score of 830 or higher on the reading, writing and math sections, earns a bonus each year of college. KHEAA uses the highest score earned before high school graduation. A current junior can count a national ACT or SAT score earned before graduation toward the bonus.
Selected bonus amounts:
ACT 28 or above, SAT 1300 to 1600: $500
ACT 25, SAT 1200 to 1220: $393
ACT 22, SAT 1100 to 1120: $286
ACT 21, SAT 1060 to 1090: $250
ACT 18, SAT 960 to 980: $143
ACT 15, SAT 830 to 870: $36
Every point counts here. Going from a 21 to a 25 on the ACT is worth $143 more each year of college, or $572 over four years, by KHEAA's chart.
Kentucky gave juniors the SAT, not the ACT, during the school day in spring 2026. Senate Bill 197 then made the state rebid that contract, and the Kentucky Department of Education still listed the spring 2027 exam as "Coming Soon" when we checked November 4, according to the KDE College Admissions Exam page, published July 15, 2026, and the KDE SB 197 release of April 30, 2026. The JCPS parent calendar's line about a free in school ACT predates that switch. The same calendar lists national SAT dates of December 5, 2026, and March 6, May 1 and June 5, 2027; check College Board's SAT dates and deadlines and ACT's national test dates for each test's own registration deadline, which are not the same.
Can AP exam scores add KEES money?
Yes, but only for students who were eligible for free or reduced price lunch during any year of high school. For those students, KHEAA adds $200 for an AP score of 3, $250 for a 4 and $300 for a 5. IB scores of 5, 6 and 7 earn the same three amounts. Cambridge Advanced International (CAI) exams also pay under the same rule, KHEAA lists, at $200 for an "e," $250 for a "c" or "d," and $300 for an "a*," "a" or "b." KHEAA says there's no limit on how many of these supplemental awards a student can earn.
That rule lands strangely in JCPS. Every JCPS student eats free under the federal Community Eligibility Provision, so "free lunch" doesn't tell you whether your child counts as eligible on paper. Under 11 KAR 15:090, Section 10, each high school reports every student as eligible or ineligible for free or reduced price lunch to KHEAA every year, using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's income guidelines. Free meals for everyone don't settle that, so if your family isn't directly certified, ask the counselor whether your teen is being reported as eligible and whether an Educational Benefits Form is on file.
Our guide to the Educational Benefits Form goes deeper on how families get counted.
Where can a student use KEES?
At participating Kentucky colleges and universities, including the University of Louisville and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System campuses on KHEAA's list. The student must be enrolled at least half time, which KHEAA defines as 6 credit hours, in the fall or spring term.
The award ends at the first of three things: eight semesters of KEES used, five years after high school graduation, or a bachelor's degree.
Out of state use is narrow. KEES can follow a student only when the major isn't offered at any Kentucky public college and the out of state school takes part in the Academic Common Market, which is run by the Southern Regional Education Board; Kentucky students must also be approved by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Indiana, Ohio and Illinois don't participate.
Not every graduate goes to college, and KEES has a path for that too. Graduates in a state approved registered apprenticeship, an approved KCTCS Workforce Solutions program, a qualified workforce program at an eligible proprietary school in a high demand field, or the Kentucky College of Art and Design can ask KHEAA to reimburse approved costs such as tools, licenses, books and uniforms. Work apparel is capped at $400 a year and travel at $500 a year, and KHEAA won't process handwritten receipts.
To keep KEES once college starts, follow the renewal GPA rules on our FAFSA and Kentucky aid cheat sheet.
How do you check your child's KEES total?
Your child's high school sends each year's GPA to KHEAA. To see the running total, sign in or register at KHEAA.com with a MyKHEAA account. KHEAA's brochure says a wrong number goes first to the high school counselor, who reports the fix to the district's KEES coordinator.
Questions about a specific award go to kees@kheaa.com. KHEAA's toll free number is 800 928 8926. If your child is a junior or senior, open the account this month, write down the total and compare each year against the GPA on your child's report cards. A missing year is easier to fix while your child is still in high school.