The Advanced Placement (AP*) Program is governed by the College Board. There are over 30 college-level courses available, most of which are offered in our local Kentucky high schools. Students take an end-of-course exam and, based on their numerical score, may be awarded college credit for the course.
*Advanced Placement, AP and Pre-AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board
AP Exam Fees from College Board
In an effort to provide equitable opportunities and access for all public school students living in Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will provide funding for Advanced Placement (AP) Exams for public school students.
24-25 AP Exam Fees and Funding Overview for Kentucky Public Schools
Students and Families
- Standard-Fee Students: $25 per AP Exam (excluding AP CSP and AP 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 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).
- $113 per AP Seminar and AP Research Exam.
- Final Fee: $25 per exam for all public-school standard fee students
- Rebate: Schools may keep or forgo the $9 rebate.
State Funding for Fee-Reduced Students
- Eligibility: Students must qualify for a $37 fee reduction per exam. Eligibility is determined individually even in CEP and Title 1 schools.
- Funding: Kentucky pays:
- $53 per AP Exam (excluding AP Seminar and AP Research).
- $101 per AP Seminar and AP Research Exam.
- Final Fee: $0 per exam for all public-school fee-reduced students.
- Rebate: Schools forgo their $9 rebate.
AP CSP and AP CSA Exam Funding
- Funding: Kentucky pays:
- $90 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 they may choose to keep or forgo the $9 rebate for standard fee students.
School Responsibilities
- Before Exams: AP coordinators must:
- After Exams:
- Invoices are generated and emailed post-late-testing administration.
- Kentucky covers specific fees as indicated above; schools manage any extra fees (e.g., late orders, cancellations).
- Payment postmark deadline: June 15, 2025.
- Schools keep a list of students with fee reductions for KDE verification if needed.
AP Professional Development Opportunities
Research shows that professional development for teachers increases performance in Advanced Placement courses.
AdvanceKentucky
AdvanceKentucky's mission is to work with local, state and national partners to dramatically expand access to and participation and success in rigorous college-level work in high school, particularly among student populations traditionally underrepresented in these courses.
Regulations
Regulation 702 KAR 3:220 KDE's interpretation of Regulation 702 KAR 3:220 is that the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam fees fall within the fee categories described in this regulation. As such, these fees are to be waived by the district for students who are eligible for free OR reduced price lunch. Therefore, districts should not be collecting any amount of the fee from these students and instead paying the amount, after the federal grant funds are applied, from general funds just like they do for other fees required to be waived for these students by this regulation.
KRS 160.348 (3) While this statute requires costs of the AP examinations to be “… paid by” the KDE, the General Assembly has not provided an appropriation to provide the funding for this statute.
Senate Bill 1 states that school report cards will report the Advanced Placement courses offered, the number of students enrolled, completing and taking the examination for each course, and the percentage of examinees receiving a score of three (3) or better.