State Aid

Early Childhood Development Scholarship

The Early Childhood Development Scholarship provides a seamless system to upgrade the professional development of child-care workers and trainers. The state legislature and the Governor created the Early Childhood Development Scholarship as part of the KIDS NOW early childhood initiative. The scholarship provides financial assistance, to the extent of available funds, in the form of non-repayable tuition scholarships for Kentucky students who are pursuing one of the following:

• Child Development Associate Credential
• Associate degree in early childhood education
• Bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary early childhood education or a related program that is approved by the Early Childhood Development Authority
• Kentucky Early Childhood Development Director's Certificate
• The scholarship amount is the tuition actually charged by the institution, not to exceed $1,800 per award year. Funds are either credited to the student's account or, if the student has paid the tuition, disbursed to the student at the beginning of each school term by the institution.

For more information, including eligibility requirements and application procedures, please visit KHEAA's website.

Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship

"The 1998 General Assembly provided Kentucky high school students a great opportunity to make their education pay with the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)! KEES is administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). Students who try to get the most from high school by studying hard and making good grades (2.5 GPA or higher) can earn scholarships for college or technical school. The better students do in high school, the more they will earn toward college scholarships. And students who complete their college studies have a better opportunity to achieve their career goals and improve their standard of living. Education really does pay!" (KHEAA). You must be enrolled at least half-time to qualify for the funds.

More information is available on KHEAA's KEES webpage.

• If you have been awarded KEES, you must be enrolled at least half-time to qualify for the funds. Your scholarship is adjusted to the number of hours you are enrolled if you attend less than full-time (12 hours).

Your cumulative GPA is reported to the state agency KHEAA at the end of each spring term to determine eligibility for the subsequent fall and spring. Cumlative GPA is calculated using only coursework that is completed at U of L. University policy states that only transfer credit hours from previous institutions attended are accepted, not GPA.

KEES On Track To Graduate Policy

Kentucky Coal County College Completion Scholarship

The Kentucky Coal County College Completion Scholarship provides financial assistance for residents of Kentucky's coal‐producing counties to complete a first bachelor's degree. KCCCCS funds may be awarded at an institution that is not located in a coal‐producing county only if an eligible student is pursuing an approved bachelor's degree program in a field of study that is not offered at any institution located in a coal‐producing county. Recipients must meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be a permanent resident of a Kentucky coal‐producing county.
• Have earned at least sixty (60) credit hours toward a bachelor's degree.
• Be enrolled at least half‐time in a bachelor's degree program.
• Be in good academic standing.
• Have no past due financial obligations to KHEAA.

For more information, including additional eligibility requirements, please visit KHEAAs website.

KHEAA Innovative Scholarship 

Funds for the summer 2024 semester are limited, and current scholarship recipients will receive first priority for awarding. We encourage new students to apply and will maintain a waitlist until we know more information. 

Scholarship funds for the 2024-2025 academic year will first be awarded to current recipients, and completing this application does not guarantee funds. Once all current students have been awarded, new students will be reviewed.

Please note that for the 2024-2025 academic year, this scholarship will only be available for displaced students. No study abroad awards will be made after summer 2024. 

KHEAA Innovative Scholarship Application

This scholarship is designed to provide college access and promote undergraduate student success for displaced students and for students participating in international exchange programs. Please note that this program is limited to undergraduate students pursuing their first degree.

 For the purpose of this program, a “displaced student” is defined as a traditional or non-traditional aged student who is a foreign national who has received U.S. asylum (asylees), submitted a U.S. asylum application (asylum-seeker), or is a resettled refugee, or is in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), humanitarian parole, or through special immigrant visa (SIV).

KHEAA Teacher Scholarship

The Teacher Scholarship Program provides financial aid to Kentucky students pursuing initial teacher certification at participating Kentucky colleges. Recipients must meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be a resident of a Kentucky
• Be admitted into a teacher education program at a participating school
• Be enrolled full-time unless enrolled for the final term of a teacher certification program and less than full-time enrollment is required to complete the program.
• Demonstrate Financial Need
• Maintain SAP

For more information, including additional eligibility requirements, please visit KHEAAs website.

Vocational Rehabilitation

If you have a disability, you may be eligible for state aid toward the cost of your education. “The Kentucky Department of Vocational Rehabilitation assists Kentuckians with disabilities to achieve suitable employment and independence.” You may review information online at Vocational Rehabilitation. If you are receiving Vocational Rehab benefits you need to submit this information to our office at Report Other Aid Resources.

Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship

The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship (WRKS) helps qualified Kentuckians who have not yet earned an associate's degree afford to complete an approved program that leads to an industry-recognized certificate. Effective for the 2021-2022 academic year, the University of Louisville's Human Resources Leadership Certificate Program has been certified as an approved program. Students must be pursuing the certificate exclusively and meet all application and eligibility requirements as outlined by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).

KHEAA's 2021-2022 WRKS application cycle begins in May and ends in June. Interested students must go to KHEAA.com, sign in (or create) their MyKHEAA account, and navigate to the online scholarship link in MyKHEAA. For more information, including eligibility requirements and application procedures, please visit KHEAA's website.