News | 55,000 Degrees

Student must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Be a Kentucky resident
- Be a high school or GED graduate
- Have not earned an associate’s or higher degree
- Be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, at an eligible postsecondary institution in an approved program of study that leads to an industry recognized certificate in a high-demand workforce sector.
  - Qualifying areas for the 2017-2018 year are health care, advanced manufacturing, transportation/logistics, business services/IT, and construction
- Not be in default on any obligation to KHEAA
Application:
- FAFSA
- Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship application. Create a KHEAA account to apply. Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis by WRKS application date.
Award:
- Amount equals tuition amount minus federal and state grants and scholarships, up to the maximum amount.
- Maximum amount shall not exceed the in-state tuition and fees rate for full-time enrollment at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Estimated near $3,900 for the 2017-2018 year.
Eligibility:
- Expires when the first of the following conditions is met:
  - Receipt of scholarship funding for the equivalent of four academic terms;
  - Receipt of the scholarship for 32 credit hours of enrollment; or
  - Receipt of a first associate’s degree
- Recipients must earn a grade point average of 2.0 or higher each semester the scholarship is received in order to be eligible the following semester.

Degrees Work Media Coverage

Posted on March 07, 2017 at 11:52am.

Posted by admin

New Louisville Start-Up Will Recruit Employees Back to College (Business First)

Wanted: Adult Learners (Courier Journal)

Program Launched in Louisville to Help Employees Finish College (The Lane Report)

How Cities Can Survive Workforce Automation (State Tech Magazine)

Looking Back at the Power Forward Summit

Posted on December 19, 2016 at 3:32pm.

Posted by admin

On December 9, 2016, KentuckianaWorks, 55K and GLI, sponsored Power Forward, the Louisville Region Education and Workforce Summit. The summit, which was attended by over 250 people, picked up on last year’s call to accelerate progress with two main themes:

Making stronger connections between education and employers. Keynote speakers included Peter Cappelli, professor of Management at The Wharton School (Penn) and Director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources, and Dr. Kate Ziemer, Associate Vice Provost of Curriculum and Professor of Chemical engineering at Northeastern University. Cappelli is also the author of Will College Pay Off?: A Guide to the Most Important Financial Decision You’ll Ever Make, and his presentation called for a “shorter supply chain” between employers and higher education. Ziemer’s presentation explored Northeastern University’s Co-op Program for cooperative education and career development which integrates rigorous classroom study with real-world experiences to create a self-directed learning pathway for students. KentuckianaWorks’ Career Calculator and SummerWorks programs were also highlighted.
Tackling policies and practices to improve equity in student outcomes. Presentations on the Tennessee Promise, Redlining Louisville, and concentrated poverty in Louisville explored the historic policies and current realities of inequity, and potential solutions.

View the presentations from our speakers below. (In chronological order)

Peter Cappelli – Meeting the human capital challenges of the business community

Mary Gwen Wheeler – Fast Forward to Power Forward

Michael Gritton – KentuckianaWorks Career Calculator

Haley Glover – What the data says about employer investments in their employees’ education

Rob Lauber – Changing lives through employee education

Paul Diaz – The importance and opportunity of youth employment

Kate Derrick – The Tennessee Promise and what it could mean for Kentucky

John Marshall – How JCPS is helping every student to succeed

Kate Ziemer – How universal co-ops have transformed Northeastern University

Andrew Melin – Career Readiness in Clark County Schools

Lilly Massa-McKinley – Bellarmine’s promise to get an internship for every student who wants one

Please check back in as we add more presentations from our speakers.

FAFSA Is Now Open! Have You Filed?

Posted on October 03, 2016 at 10:44am.

Posted by Cara Young

This year’s FAFSA comes with important changes, the first being an early release date. Rather than waiting until January to open, the FAFSA opened on October 1st! Don’t fall for the myth that the FAFSA can’t help you; many schools require a FAFSA to give any aid at all, including work-study awards or student loans. Head on over to FAFSA.ed.gov to get started.

An earlier release date means earlier tax information. This year is a “prior prior” year, which means you’ll use 2015 taxes for your 2017-2018 FAFSA. You’ll also have to create a FSA ID (if you don’t already have one) before filling out this year’s FAFSA this year. A FSA ID is an electronic signature that verifies your identity, and you need an email address to create it. Learn more about the FSA ID here.

Remember: Kentucky awards financial aid on a first-come, first-serve basis, so waiting to file your FAFSA could make you lose out on state aid.

If you want guidance for this year’s FAFSA, the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) is hosting FAFSA completion events at libraries and schools all throughout October. These walk-in events are free and open to the public, so make sure to attend with plenty of questions!


1-Oct	Catholic Enrichment Center	3146 W Broadway, 40211	9am-12pm
1-Oct	Main Library	301 York St, 40203	2pm-4pm
5-Oct	Seneca HS	3510 Goldsmith Ln, 40220	5-7pm
8-Oct	Southwest Library	9725 Dixie Hwy, 40272	10-12pm
11-Oct	Fern Creek HS	9115 Fern Creek Rd, 40291	6-8pm
13-Oct	Jeffersontown HS	9600 Old 6 Mile Ln, 40299	5-8:30pm
18-Oct	Moore HS	6415 Outer Loop, 40228	6-8pm
20-Oct	PRP	5901 Greenwood Rd, 40258	6-7:30
25-Oct	Louisville Urban League	1535 W Broadway, 40203	6-7:30pm

Latino Student Resource Guide – Scholarships, Financial Aid, & More!

Posted on September 23, 2016 at 12:57pm.

Posted by Cara Young

The Louisville Latino Educational Outreach program compiled a list of materials for Latino students interested in college. View the PDF below to learn about scholarships, financial aid resources, career development opportunities, and help with the college application process.

LLEO Student Guide 2016

Louisville Recognized as Culture of Health Prize Winner

Posted on September 21, 2016 at 9:30am.

Posted by Cara Young

Louisville has been selected to receive the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health prize for its efforts in improving community health and well-being. 55,000 Degrees was recognized as a contributing force in these efforts through a collective impact approach, giving Louisville residents a greater chance at obtaining degrees and improving their quality of life.

Louisville Sets New Record in Education Attainment

Posted on September 20, 2016 at 11:07am.

Posted by Cara Young

Louisville’s adult population has set a new record for college attainment, according to 2015 data released this week from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Highlights of the data include:

The percentage of working-age adults with at least an associate degree now stands at 44.7 percent, up 3 percentage points over the previous year.
The percentage with at least a bachelor’s degree was also up to 35.7 percent, a 2.4 percentage point increase.
In addition, in the annual ranking of 15 “Peer Cities” tracked by the organization, Louisville moved up to the No. 9 position for adults with at least an associate’s degree, passing Greensboro, N.C.

These are the most significant gains since 55,000 Degrees was created in 2010.

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