{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.7894","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.7894","heading":"Kentucky Coal County College Completion Program.","body":"(1) The General Assembly recognizes that the bachelor degree attainment rate in the\ncoal-producing counties of Kentucky is lower than the state average. It is the intent\nof the General Assembly to establish the Kentucky Coal County College\nCompletion Program t o assist residents of coal -producing counties who are\nattending postsecondary education institutions located in coal -producing counties\nby providing:\n(a) Scholarships to:\n1. Decrease the financial barriers to bachelor's degree completion; and\n2. Encourage students to remain in the area; and\n(b) Grants to community colleges located in coal -producing counties to enhance\nthe extent and quality of student support services and program offerings\nnecessary to increase student success and degree production in the area.\n(2) For purposes of this section:\n(a) \"District\" means the Kentucky Coal County District consisting of coal -\nproducing counties as defined in KRS 42.4592(1)(c);\n(b) \"High school\" means a Kentucky public high school or a private, parochial, or\nchurch sc hool located in Kentucky that has been certified by the Kentucky\nBoard of Education as voluntarily complying with curriculum, certification,\nand textbook standards established by the Kentucky Board of Education under\nKRS 156.160;\n(c) \"Kentucky Coal County College Completion scholarship\" or \"KCCCC\nscholarship\" means a scholarship described in subsection (1)(a) of this\nsection;\n(d) \"Kentucky Coal County College Completion student services grant\" or\n\"KCCCC student services grant\" means a grant described in subsection (1)(b)\nof this section; and\n(e) \"Tuition\" means the in-state tuition and mandatory fees charged to all students\nas a condition of enrollment in an undergraduate program.\n(3) A participating institution shall:\n(a) Be physically located in the district;\n(b) Offer bachelor's degree programs; and be:\n(c) 1. A regionally accredited, independent nonprofit Kentucky college or\nuniversity licensed by the Council on Postsecondary Education whose\nmain campus is based in the district, incl uding a work -college as\ndetermined by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority;\n2. A four (4) year public university extension campus; or\n3. A regional postsecondary education center, including the University\nCenter of the Mountains.\n(4) A participating institution may establish extension campuses within the district to\noffer bachelor degree programs for purposes of this section.\n(5) A nonparticipating institution shall:\n(a) Have its main campus located in Kentucky but not in the district;\n(b) Offer a bachelor's degree program not offered at any participating institution;\n(c) Be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and\n(d) Be a public or independent, nonprofit college or university that is licensed by\nthe Council on Postsecondary Education.\n(6) The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority shall administer the\nKentucky Coal County College Completion Program and shall promulgate\nadministrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A as may be needed\nfor the administration of the program.\n(7) The authority may award a KCCCC scholarship under this section, to the extent\nfunds are available for that purpose, to any person who:\n(a) Is considered a permanent resident of the district for at least one (1) year\nimmediately preceding July 1 of the academic year in which the scholarship is\nmade;\n(b) Is a United States citizen;\n(c) Is a Kentucky resident as determined by the institution in accordance with\ncriteria established by the Council on Postsecondary Education for the\npurposes of admission and tuition assessment;\n(d) Completes and submits the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the\nacademic year in which the grant is made;\n(e) Has earned at least sixty (60) credits or the equivalent of completed\ncoursework toward a bachelor's degree;\n(f) Is enrolled at least half-time at a participating institution, or a nonparticipating\ninstitution in accordance with subsection (8) of this section, in upper division\ncourses in a program of study that leads to a bachelor's degree;\n(g) Is in good academic standing in accordance with the institution's policy; and\n(h) Is not in default on any obligation to the authority under any program\nadministered by the authority under KRS 164.740 to 164.785, except that\nineligibility for this reason may be waived by the authority for cause.\n(8) A student otherwise eligible for the KCCCC scholarship who is enrolled in a\nnonparticipating institution shall be eligible to receive the KCCCC scholarship if he\nor she is enrolled in a bachelor's degree  program in a field of study that is not\noffered at any participating institution. A program shall be clearly unlike any degree\nprogram offered by a participating institution to be eligible. The authority shall\npromulgate administrative regulations to esta blish procedures to designate the\napproved programs of study at nonparticipating institutions for which an eligible\nstudent can receive the KCCCC scholarship, which shall include a program review\nprocess that requires fifty percent (50%) or more of the cou rses offered in a\nprogram to be different from courses available in a program offered by a\nparticipating institution. The maximum annual total of KCCCC scholarships\nexpended for this purpose, to the extent funds are available, shall not exceed five\npercent (5%) of the amount appropriated for KCCCC scholarships.\n(9) (a) The KCCCC scholarship amount provided to a student may be applied to the\nstudent's cost of attendance and shall be forty percent (40%), up to the\nmaximum amount defined in subsections (10) and (11) of this section, of the\namount remaining after subtracting  the student's federal and state grants and\nscholarships from the institution's published tuition and mandatory fees\namount that is used for purposes of packaging federal student aid. Work study\nand student loan funds shall not be included in the calculation.\n(b) For purposes of this subsection, the tuition amount for a work -college, as\ndescribed in subsection (3)(c)1. of this section, shall be the average tuition and\nmandatory fees amount of the participating institutions that are described in\nsubsection (3)(c)1. of this section and are not work-colleges.\n(c) Students attending less than full -time shall receive a pro rata amount as\ndetermined by the authority.\n(10) The maximum KCCCC scholarship award amount for the 2014-2015 academic year\nshall not exceed:\n(a) Six thousand eight hundred dollars ($6,800) per academic year for a student\nattending a participating institution that is a nonprofit, independent college or\nuniversity;\n(b) Two thousand three hundred dollars ($2,300) per academic year for a student\nattending a participating institution that is a public university extension\ncampus or a regional postsecondary education center; or\n(c) Three thousand four hundred dollars ($3,400) per academic year for a student\nattending a nonparticipating institution as p rescribed in subsection (8) of this\nsection.\n(11) The authority shall calculate the average annual percentage increase in tuition for\nthe six (6) comprehensive universities as defined in KRS 164.001. The maximum\nKCCCC scholarship amounts in subsection (10)  of this section shall be increased\nfor each subsequent academic year by the total average percentage increase since\nthe 2014-2015 academic year.\n(12) The authority shall award KCCCC scholarships chronologically based on when\napplicants submit the Free App lication for Federal Student Aid until funds are\nexhausted, except prior recipients shall be awarded before any new KCCCC\nscholarship recipients. Applicants who received a KCCCC scholarship in the\nimmediately preceding academic semester and apply by the de adline established by\nthe authority shall be awarded first.\n(13) A student may receive a KCCCC scholarship for a maximum of five (5) full -time\nfall or spring academic semesters, or their equivalent under a trimester or quarter\nsystem, or until the completi on of a first bachelor's degree, whichever occurs first.\nThe authority shall determine the equivalent usage of academic semester eligibility\nfor students enrolled less than full-time.\n(14) The authority may award KCCCC student services grants under this se ction, to the\nextent funds are available for that purpose, to a Kentucky Community and\nTechnical College System institution that is physically located in the district.\n(15) The maximum annual KCCCC student services grant shall be one hundred fifty\nthousand dollars ($150,000) per institution.\n(16) KCCCC student services grants shall be used for the following purposes:\n(a) To expand outreach services in high schools, in coordination with outreach\nservices provided by the authority, to advise students of the a dvantages and\nimportance of seeking a bachelor's degree and the opportunities to attain a\nbachelor's degree within the district;\n(b) To expand advising resources to encourage completion of associate degree\nprograms and transfer into bachelor's degree programs;\n(c) To expand career advising resources to better link baccalaureate academic\npursuits to career opportunities, especially within the district; and\n(d) To provide multifaceted retention and student transfer initiatives to encourage\nassociate degree completion leading to bachelor's degree programs.\n(17) Beginning November 1, 2015, and each year thereafter, the authority shall make an\nannual report to the Interim Joint Committee on Education on the status of the\nKentucky Coal County College Completion Program.\n(18) Every four (4) years after implementation of the Kentucky Coal County College\nCompletion Program, the authority shall evaluate the program to ensure the policy\nobjectives are being realized and to suggest adjustments to maximize the increase in\nbachelor's degree completion rates.\n(19) Each participating institution, nonparticipating institution, and recipient of a\nKCCCC student services grant shall make data available to the authority for the\nreport and evaluation described in subsections (17) and (18) of this section.\n(20) If any participating institution, nonparticipating institution, or recipient of a\nKCCCC student services grant does not demonstrate improved performance in\nstudent performance metrics, including but not limited to graduation a nd transfer\nrates, the authority may revoke the institution's eligibility for participation in the\nKCCCC scholarship or KCCCC student services grant.\n(21) (a) The coal county college completion scholarship fund is hereby created as a\ntrust fund in the Sta te Treasury to be administered by the Kentucky Higher\nEducation Assistance Authority for the purpose of providing scholarships\ndescribed in subsection (1)(a) of this section.\n(b) The trust fund shall consist of amounts appropriated annually from coal\nseverance tax receipts to the extent that the enacted biennial budget of the\nCommonwealth includes such appropriations. The trust fund may also receive\ngifts and grants from public and private sources and federal funds. No general\nfund moneys shall be appropriated for this purpose.\n(c) Any unallotted or unencumbered balances in the trust fund shall be invested\nas provided in KRS 42.500(9). Income earned from the investments shall be\ncredited to the trust fund.\n(d) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any fund balance at the close of the fiscal year\nshall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year and\ncontinuously appropriated only for the purposes specified in this section.\n(22) (a) The coal county college completion student services grant fund is here by\ncreated as a trust fund in the State Treasury to be administered by the\nKentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority for the purpose of providing\ngrants described in subsection (1)(b) of this section.\n(b) The trust fund shall consist of amounts approp riated annually from coal\nseverance tax receipts to the extent that the enacted biennial budget of the\nCommonwealth includes such appropriations. The trust fund may also receive\ngifts and grants from public and private sources and federal funds. No general\nfund moneys shall be appropriated for this purpose.\n(c) Any unallotted or unencumbered balances in the trust fund shall be invested\nas provided in KRS 42.500(9). Income earned from the investments shall be\ncredited to the trust fund.\n(d) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any fund balance at the close of the fiscal ye ar\nshall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year and\ncontinuously appropriated only for the purposes specified in this section.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=43513","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:18Z","sha256":"ea37d72870c6763c7e2546ff756633a87a12f7e065b3008a17946e2d802c880a","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.7893","next":"us-ky/krs-164.7895"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}