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AN ACT relating to the Kentucky Education Excellence Scholarship. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 164.7874 is amended to read as follows: 3
As used in KRS 164.7871 to 164.7885: 4
(1) "Academic term" means a semester or other time period specified in an 5
administrative regulation promulgated by the authority; 6
(2) "Academic year" means a period consisting of at least the minimum school term, as 7
defined in KRS 158.070; 8
(3) "ACT score" means the composite score achieved on the American College Test at 9
a national test site on a national test date or the college admissions examination 10
administered statewide under KRS 158.6453(5)(b)5. if the exam is the ACT, or an 11
equivalent score, as determined by the authority, on the SAT administered by the 12
College Board, Inc.; 13
(4) "Authority" means the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority; 14
(5) "Award period" means the fall and spring consecutive academic terms within one 15
(1) academic year; 16
(6) "Council" means the Council on Postsecondary Education created under KRS 17
164.011; 18
(7) "Eligible high school student" means any person who: 19
(a) Is a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States and Kentucky 20
resident; 21
(b) Was enrolled after July 1, 1998: 22
1. In a Kentucky high school for at least one hundred forty (140) days of 23
the minimum school term unless exempted by the authority's executive 24
director upon documentation of extreme hardship, while meeting the 25
KEES curriculum requ irements, and was enrolled in a Kentucky high 26
school at the end of the academic year; 27
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2. In a Kentucky high school for the fall academic term of the senior year 1
and who: 2
a. Was enrolled during the entire academic term; 3
b. Completed the high school's gradua tion requirements during the 4
fall academic term; and 5
c. Was not enrolled in a secondary school during any other academic 6
term of that academic year; or 7
3. In the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the 8
Craft Academy for Excellence in Sci ence and Mathematics, or in high 9
school at a model and practice school under KRS 164.380 while meeting 10
the Kentucky educational excellence scholarship curriculum 11
requirements; 12
(c) Has a grade point average of 2.5 or above at the end of any academic year 13
beginning after July 1, 1998, or at the end of the fall academic term for a 14
student eligible under paragraph (b) 2. of this subsection; and 15
(d) Is not a convicted felon; 16
(8) "Eligible postsecondary student" means a citizen, national, or permanent resident of 17
the United States and Kentucky resident, as determined by the participating 18
institution in accordance with criteria established by the council for the purposes of 19
admission and tuition assessment, who: 20
(a) Earned a KEES award; 21
(b) Has the required postsec ondary GPA and credit hours required under KRS 22
164.7881; 23
(c) Has remaining semesters of eligibility under KRS 164.7881; 24
(d) Is enrolled in a participating institution as a part-time or full-time student; and 25
(e) Is not a convicted felon; 26
(9) "Full-time student" means a student enrolled in a postsecondary program of study 27
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that meets the full -time student requirements of the participating institution in 1
which the student is enrolled; 2
(10) "Grade point average" or "GPA" means the grade point average earned by an 3
eligible student and reported by the high school or participating institution in which 4
the student was enrolled based on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent if the high school 5
or participating institution that the student attends does not use the 4.0 grade scale; 6
(11) "High school" means any Kentucky public high school, the Gatton Academy of 7
Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the Craft Academy for Excellence in 8
Science and Mathematics, a high school of a model and practice school under KRS 9
164.380, and an y private, parochial, or church school located in Kentucky that has 10
been certified by the Kentucky Board of Education as voluntarily complying with 11
curriculum, certification, and textbook standards established by the Kentucky Board 12
of Education under KRS 156.160; 13
(12) "KEES" or "Kentucky educational excellence scholarship" means a scholarship 14
provided under KRS 164.7871 to 164.7885; 15
(13) "KEES award" means: 16
(a) For an eligible high school student, the sum of the KEES base amount for 17
each academic year of high school plus any KEES supplemental amount, as 18
adjusted pursuant to KRS 164.7881; and 19
(b) For a student eligible under KRS 164.7879(3)(e), the KEES supplement al 20
amount as adjusted pursuant to KRS 164.7881; 21
(14) "KEES award maximum" means the sum of the KEES base amount earned in each 22
academic year of high school plus any KEES supplemental amount earned; 23
(15) "KEES base amount" or "base amount" means the amount earned by an eligible 24
high school student based on the student's GPA pursuant to KRS 164.7879; 25
(16) "KEES curriculum" means five (5) courses of study, except for students who meet 26
the criteria of subsection (7)(b)2. of this section, in an academic year as determined 27
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in accordance with an administrative regulation promulgated by the authority; 1
(17) "KEES supplemental amount" means the amount earned by an eligible student 2
based on the student's ACT score pursuant to KRS 164.7879; 3
(18) "KEES trust fund" means the Wallace G. Wilkinson Kentucky educational 4
excellence scholarship trust fund; 5
(19) "On track to graduate" means the number of cumulative credit hours earned as 6
compared to the number of hours determined by the postsecondary education 7
institution as nece ssary to complete a bachelor's degree by the end of eight (8) 8
academic terms or ten (10) academic terms if a student is enrolled in an 9
undergraduate program that requires five (5) years of study; 10
(20) "Participating institution" means: 11
(a) An "institution" as defined in KRS 164.001 that is eligible to participate in the 12
federal Pell Grant program, executes a contract with the authority on terms the 13
authority deems necessary or appropriate for the administration of its 14
programs, and: 15
1.[(a)] a.[1.] Is publicly operated; 16
b.[2.] Is licensed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and has operated 17
for at least ten (10) years, offers an associate or baccalaureate 18
degree program of study not comprised solely of sectarian 19
instruction, and admits as regular students only h igh school 20
graduates, recipients of a High School Equivalency Diploma, or 21
students transferring from another accredited degree granting 22
institution; or 23
c.[3.] Is designated by the authority as an approved out -of-state 24
institution that offers a degree progr am in a field of study that is 25
not offered at any institution in the Commonwealth; and 26
2.[(b)] Continues to commit financial resources to student financial 27
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assistance programs; or 1
(b) Beginning with the 2027 -2028 academic year, the United States Air Force 2
Academy, the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval 3
Academy, the United States Coast Guard Academy, or the United States 4
Merchant Marine Academy, if the academy executes a contract with the 5
authority on terms the authority deems necessary or appropriate for the 6
administration of its programs; and 7
(21) "Part-time student" means a student enrolled in a postsecondary program of study 8
who does not meet the full-time student requirements of the participating institution 9
in which the student is e nrolled and who is enrolled for at least six (6) credit hours, 10
or the equivalent for an institution that does not use credit hours. 11