Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Kentucky
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Kentucky college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Kentucky scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,100 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
Have your award letter? Build your SmartTuition plan, $99 →
Already have a list? Put your schools side by side →
From the state
Kentucky's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Kentucky Tuition Grant
A need-based grant for Kentucky residents who attend one of the state’s independent colleges full time. It pays up to $3,300 a year in 2026-2027.
Sources: Bellarmine University, Kentucky State Assistance and Campbellsville University, Financial Aid
“The 2026-2027 Kentucky Tuition Grant awards up to $3,300; no repayment required; and is awarded to students with financial need.”
“KTGs currently provide up to $3,300 per year to qualifying Kentucky residents attending Kentucky's independent colleges on a full-time basis.”
College Access Program Grant
A grant for Kentucky students who are eligible for a Pell Grant and still have need after other aid. It pays up to $5,300 a year in 2026-2027.
Source: Bellarmine University, Kentucky State Assistance
“The 2026-2027 Kentucky College Access Program Grant awards up to $5,300; no repayment required; and is awarded to Pell eligible students who demonstrate unmet financial need.”
Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)
Kentucky high school students earn money toward a Kentucky college for each year they keep a GPA of 2.5 or higher, with a bonus for ACT or SAT scores. Students on free or reduced-price lunch can also earn a bonus for AP or IB exam scores. It pays for up to eight semesters.
Source: Bellarmine University, Kentucky State Assistance
“The Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) provides Kentucky high school students with an opportunity to earn money towards an education in an eligible Kentucky postsecondary institution by maintaining a GPA of 2.5 or higher for each year of high school. There is also an added bonus for ACT or SAT scores.”
“Students in the free/reduced lunch program can also earn a bonus for scores earned on the AP/IB exams.”
“For more information on KEES or to check your KEES Award online, please visit www.kheaa.com. Available for up to 8 semesters, if eligible.”
Kentucky National Guard Tuition Award
Pays up to in-state tuition at any Kentucky public college for active members of the Kentucky National Guard who have finished basic training, while funds last. Apply through the Guard by April 1 for summer and fall, or October 1 for spring.
Source: Morehead State University, Guard and Reserves Benefits
“Eligibility: The applicant must be an Active member of the Kentucky National Guard, maintain all minimum standards, be eligible for all positive personnel actions, and have completed basic training or its equivalent.”
“Award: Up to in-state tuition for full or part-time study at any Kentucky public college while funds are available.”
“Spring Semester Deadline: October 1 Summer & Fall Semester Deadline: April 1”
Kentucky also has programs for career training and for particular groups of students. See the Higher Education Assistance Authority's site.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbury University private | None published | — | $49,181 |
| Bellarmine University private | None published | — | $67,132 |
| Campbellsville University private |
| — | $42,494 |
| Centre College private | None published | — | $78,032 |
| Kentucky State University public | None published | — | $25,709 |
| Murray State University public | None published | — | $24,679 |
| University of Kentucky public |
| — | $33,588 |
| University of Louisville public |
| — | $29,216 |
| University of Pikeville private |
| — | $37,950 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
11 more Kentucky colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Berea College
- Eastern Kentucky University
- Georgetown College
- Lindsey Wilson University
- Midway University
- Morehead State University
- Northern Kentucky University
- Thomas More University
- Transylvania University
- University of the Cumberlands
- Western Kentucky University
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Kentucky from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 8 colleges in Kentucky take part:
- Eastern Kentucky University
- Kentucky State University
- Morehead State University
- Murray State University
- Northern Kentucky University
- University of Kentucky
- University of Louisville
- Western Kentucky University
Going from Kentucky to another southern state
A Kentucky student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Kentucky to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Kentucky students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
Build your SmartTuition plan, $99 →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get the monthly email.
How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,100 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Kentucky scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Kentucky at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Kentucky.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.