Advanced Placement (AP)

25-26 AP Exam Fees and Funding Overview for Kentucky Public Schools

The Advanced Placement (AP^*) Program is governed by the College Board. There are over 40 college-level courses available (42 for the 26-27 school year), most of which are offered in our local Kentucky high schools. Students take an end-of-course exam and, based on their score, may earn college credit.

^*Advanced Placement, AP and Pre-AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board.

Students and Families

• Standard-Fee Students: $25 per AP Exam, excluding AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) and AP Computer Science A (CSA).
• Fee-Reduced Students: $0 for any AP Exam (including AP Seminar and AP Research).
• AP CSP and AP CSA Exams: $0 for all public school students.

State Funding for Fee-Reduced Students

For eligibility criteria, visit AP Exam Fee Reductions.

• Eligibility: Students must qualify for a $36 fee reduction per exam. Eligibility is determined individually, even in CEP and Title I schools.
• Funding: Kentucky pays $53 per AP Exam.
• Rebate: Schools forgo their $9 rebate.

State Funding for Standard-Fee Students

• Eligibility: Students who do not qualify for fee reduction.
• Funding: Kentucky pays $65 per AP Exam (excluding AP CSP and AP CSA).
• Rebate: Schools may keep or forgo the $9 rebate.

AP CSP and AP CSA Exam Funding

• Funding:
  • $89 per exam for standard-fee students.
  • $53 per exam for fee-reduced students.
• Final Fee: $0 for all public school students.
• Rebate: Schools forgo the $9 rebate for free and reduced-lunch students, but may choose to keep or forgo the $9 rebate for standard-fee students.

School Responsibilities

Before Exams

• Indicate fee-reduction status in AP Registration and Ordering.
  
• Check “Reduced Fee” for eligible students.
• Update status by April 30, 2026.

After Exams

• Invoices are generated and emailed after late testing.
• Kentucky covers the fees listed above; schools handle extra fees (late orders, cancellations).
• Payment postmark deadline: June 15, 2026.
• Schools keep a list of fee-reduced students for KDE verification.