For more than a decade, the First Degree Scholarship program has funded scholarships for eligible Kentucky high school seniors to attend any two- or four-year accredited college or university. As the name suggests, the scholarship is awarded to eligible students who intend be the first in their immediate families to complete a postsecondary degree.
One scholarship each will be awarded to two male and two female students, drawn from a pool of eligible nominees from across the state.
These nonrenewable $2,500 scholarships will be paid directly to the institution of higher education upon the recipients’ official admission acceptances.
Eligible students are those who would be the first members of their immediate families (parents, guardians, siblings) to receive a degree from an institution of higher education. Eligibility also requires the nominee(s) to have obtained an ACT reading score of at least 20 as a junior or senior.
Nominations must be completed and affirmed by the high school guidance counselor. The form must be completed on or before the nomination deadline (Nov. 30, 2023). The individual completing the online form must attest to the fact that the district’s superintendent and school board have approved the nominee. (The process for how the superintendent and board approve the nominee is at the district’s discretion.)
This nomination form must be completed in its entirety and received by the Kentucky School Boards Association no later than the enclosed deadline. Any board of education in Kentucky may place in nomination the names of up to two eligible students per public school district – one male, one female.
Following the application deadline, scholarship recipients will be drawn at random from the pool of eligible applicants. The drawing will be conducted by the KSBA Board of Directors during one of its scheduled meetings.
Questions? Contact Beth Pritchett.