Scholarships and Education Grants for Single Mothers in Kentucky

What has changed since August 2026?

• The 2027–28 FAFSA is now available. The 2026–27 form still applies to the earlier aid year.
• The JCPS Class of 2027 Evolve502 scholarship application is open, with a July 15, 2027 deadline for that class.
• Blue Grass Community Foundation has posted its December 15, 2026–March 1, 2027 window, and Central Kentucky Scholarship Central lists January 1–March 1, 2027.
• Kentucky’s nursing scholarship has posted the January 1–May 1, 2027 window for the 2027–28 school year.

These are application dates, not promises of awards. Ask the sponsor if your school, county, age, and program qualify.

Where to start: four steps

1. Choose your program. Ask whether it is approved for federal aid and whether a shorter certificate or community college route will help you reach the same job.
2. Submit the right FAFSA year. Save your confirmation and FAFSA Submission Summary. Check every school’s deadline and list each school you are considering.
3. Check state aid. Sign in to MyKHEAA from the KHEAA aid directory. Ask about CAP, KTG, KEES, Work Ready, and any career program that fits.
4. Make a family cost plan. Call the child care office, financial aid office, and, if needed, a Kentucky Career Center before paying for classes or training.

Know which aid you are getting

A grant, scholarship, loan, and student job are not the same. A school may list all four in one aid offer. Before you accept anything, ask what the award pays for and whether you could owe money later.

Do not pay a company to file FAFSA. If someone promises a guaranteed scholarship for a fee, ask your school to check it before sharing personal information.

Federal aid: FAFSA, Pell, work-study, and loans

Use the right FAFSA year

For classes through June 30, 2027, use 2026–27. For classes from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028, use 2027–28. Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA instructions explain how to pick the form and add schools. The federal 2026–27 deadline is June 30, 2027, but a college must have your correct record by the last day you are enrolled. The state or college may have an earlier date.

Check the official deadline page, and do not wait for the federal cutoff. Kentucky CAP and KTG funds are awarded in order of FAFSA completion while money is available. If you want help for summer classes, ask your financial aid office which year covers that session.

If you support a child, ask how FAFSA treats your household and whether you count as an independent student. Having a child does not, by itself, prove that you meet every dependency test. Answer the official questions as they apply to your situation.

Pell Grant

The maximum Federal Pell Grant for 2026–27 is $7,395. Your own award may be smaller or zero. It depends on your Student Aid Index, school costs, enrollment, program length, and how much Pell eligibility you have left. Do not use $7,395 as a quoted award for the 2027–28 year: that year’s maximum has not yet been announced.

Work-study and loans

Federal Work-Study is paid through work hours. It is not a cash grant deposited at the start of term. Ask for shifts that fit child pickup, class times, or your field. If loans are on your offer, ask the school to explain how much you would owe and to check grants, payment plans, and less costly courses first.

Kentucky grants and scholarships

KHEAA runs several programs, but each has different rules. You may have to file FAFSA and a second application. The school may also need to confirm your enrollment before an award is final. The following dollar amounts are for 2026–27 only.

College Access Program (CAP) Grant

CAP helps Kentucky residents with financial need attend eligible schools. You must enroll at least half time in an eligible program of at least two years. In 2026–27, the maximum is $2,500 at a two-year institution or $5,300 at a four-year institution. Your award depends on eligibility, the school, and available funds. KHEAA awards CAP in order of completed FAFSA forms. Ask your school’s aid office to check whether you were considered.

Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG)

KTG is for residents with financial need who attend eligible private Kentucky colleges full time in an associate or bachelor’s degree program. The maximum for 2026–27 is $3,300. Your school decides financial need and may reduce the award when you receive other aid. KTG is also first-come based on FAFSA completion, so do not treat the maximum as promised money.

Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship

Work Ready can help eligible Kentucky residents who have not earned an associate or higher degree get an approved certificate, diploma, Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, or qualifying transition program. For 2026–27, the fields include construction, education, health care, manufacturing and logistics, and professional, scientific, and technical services.

You must file both FAFSA and the 2026–27 Work Ready application through MyKHEAA. Funding is first-come by completed Work Ready application, subject to funds and school reporting. You must choose an approved specific program; a college appearing on a list does not mean every major qualifies. Use KHEAA’s current program information rather than an older 2025–26 PDF.

This is last-dollar tuition and fee help. Federal and state grants and scholarships are counted first. The award cannot exceed the KCTCS in-state tuition-and-fee rate; the fee portion is capped at $400 per year. Aid ends at 60 funded credit hours or the first associate degree, whichever comes first. Books, transport, tools, and child care may still need other support.

KEES and career awards

The Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) is tied mainly to grades and test results earned in Kentucky high school. Some homeschool or GED students may qualify through qualifying scores. Check MyKHEAA for earned awards and renewal terms rather than assume you can earn a new KEES award as an adult.

KHEAA also lists teacher and early childhood scholarships, some with a required work commitment in Kentucky. Several 2026–27 application periods have already ended. Ask whether the next year’s window is posted, whether service is required, and what happens if you cannot finish it. Do not confuse a service scholarship with a loan: some awards can become repayable when their terms are broken.

Local and career scholarships: dates to save

Try the school’s foundation, your county community foundation, employer, hospital, union, and faith or community groups. Awards may be for one county, school, major, or graduation year. Ask the school’s scholarship desk if one application matches you to several funds.

• Blue Grass Community Foundation: The 2027–28 scholarship window opens December 15, 2026, with applications due March 1, 2027, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Many awards are for specific schools or counties. Check each fund’s rules.
• Central Kentucky Scholarship Central: The 2027–28 cycle runs January 1–March 1, 2027. It uses an online application and often asks for school records and test scores. Check whether your school or status fits.
• Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund: The Kentucky Board of Nursing has posted its January 1–May 1, 2027 window for 2027–28. Apply through the Nurse Portal and watch requests for missing papers. An award may come with a Kentucky nursing work commitment.
• Evolve502 (Jefferson County): The JCPS Class of 2027 form is open through July 15, 2027. It is for eligible JCPS graduates or certain GED earners, not all Kentucky parents. Applicants must complete FAFSA and other school steps. It is last-dollar tuition aid at participating colleges.
• Jefferson County Impact Scholarship: An Impact Scholarship application also runs through July 15, 2027 for eligible Class of 2027 students who live and attend qualifying non-JCPS schools in Jefferson County and receive a Pell Grant. Check its separate rules; do not apply as though it is Evolve502 for JCPS.

KHEAA’s college planning resources can help you search for more aid. Dates and award sizes for future school years can change. Keep a list with each sponsor’s eligibility, deadline, required documents, and contact method.

Child care and other support while you study

Kentucky’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) may help qualifying families who work, go to school, or enter approved training. The rules depend on your activity, income, household, and care needs. Start with the state CCAP application page or call DCBS at 855-306-8959. Ask which school, class, lab, clinical, and work hours are covered and what proof you need.

You may also apply through kynect benefits. An eligible family may still owe a daily copay, enrollment fee, or a charge above the state payment. Ask a provider for the whole cost before care begins. Kentucky has rules for care during approved education, but not every student qualifies on enrollment alone.

Some colleges offer campus care or have CCAMPIS support for student parents. CCAMPIS goes to participating colleges, not directly to every applicant. Ask your college if it has a program and whether space is open.

Use the Kentucky child care guide for other choices. Parents receiving cash aid can also check the Kentucky TANF guide for education and work rules. The Kentucky family help page explains other benefits by need.

For school-day costs, use the Kentucky transport guide. If you need diapers or children’s essentials during school, the Kentucky baby supplies guide lists other places to ask.

GED, certificates, and job training

You do not need a four-year degree to start. Ask about adult education, apprenticeships, community college certificates, and job training tied to local employers.

Kentucky Adult Education

The official Kentucky GED guidance describes free GED preparation and GED Ready practice help. Ask a local center about the cost of the actual tests, any test-payment support, online or evening study, and how to move into a college program.

Ready to Work at KCTCS

The Ready to Work program supports some low-income parents and former KCTCS students. A college coordinator can screen you for work-study, mentoring, training, transport, and child care support. Some parents receiving KTAP may have special work and school options. Ask what counts in your case.

WIOA training

Kentucky Career Centers may help qualifying job seekers train for approved work through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Review the state’s training provider list, then ask a Career Center to check funding. A course being listed does not mean your application is approved or that every charge will be paid. Get written approval before you enroll or spend money.

ASMOM’s job training guide explains more work-based paths. If you hope to work for yourself after training, the Kentucky business resources guide covers separate small-business support; it is not a college tuition grant.

2026–27 community college tuition

The KCTCS tuition guide lists $198 per credit hour for Kentucky residents in 2026–27, plus an $8 mandatory fee per credit. Distance-learning courses may also carry a $20 per-credit distance fee. Some programs charge for tools, uniforms, exams, and clinical needs. Ask for a full cost sheet before you choose classes.

Build a full school cost plan

A tuition award may not pay your rent, food, care, fuel, books, or licensing tests. Write down the cost for the whole term and ask which items are covered by each award.

Use the Kentucky community support guide if daily costs threaten your classes.

Documents to gather

• StudentAid.gov login and details for any required contributors.
• FAFSA Submission Summary, school admission notice, and full cost sheet.
• Tax or income records and benefit letters the school asks for.
• Class timetable, lab or clinical hours, work hours, and care provider information.
• Scholarship essays, school transcript, references, and any test results required by the sponsor.
• Proof of a job loss or family change if requesting a new financial aid review.
• Notices, case numbers, scholarship deadlines, screenshots, and copies of everything sent.

Send private records only through the school’s or agency’s approved method. Do not email account passwords or bank logins to a scholarship contact.

If aid is denied, delayed, or too low

1. Read the notice. Find the reason, missing document, date, and way to ask for review.
2. Call the school. Ask whether FAFSA processing, a signature, income proof, enrollment, school certification, satisfactory academic progress, or a separate application caused the problem.
3. Ask about a change in family finances. If your job, income, marriage, housing, or other facts changed, the financial aid office may review special circumstances. Federal Student Aid’s special circumstances guide explains why this decision belongs to the school.
4. Protect your appeal deadline. Ask whether there is a school appeal, scholarship review, or a state agency route. Different notices have different deadlines; there is no single appeal deadline for every education grant.
5. Before withdrawing, ask for a written estimate. Federal grant rules can make some aid repayable after withdrawal or loss of eligibility. The school can explain how your term and future eligibility may change.

Phone scripts you can use