General Information

Adults Returning to School, supported by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, is one of the best websites for adults who are interested in starting or going back to school. Using this link, you can get some basic information you will need to plan for your college education or vocational-technical training. Information about taking the ACT may be found online at The ACT site.

Advisors at the University of Kentucky are ready to help you get started at UK and be successful in your academic career. There are many ways advisors can help and support you. They can advise about scheduling, explain the requirements for various majors and university procedures, and refer you to appropriate sources of information. Detailed information is available using the links below:

• College of Agriculture
• School of Human Environmental Sciences
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Gatton College of Business and Economics
• College of Communications and Information Studies
• College of Design
• The Graduate School
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Fine Arts
• College of Health Sciences
• College of Nursing
• College of Public Health
• College of Social Work

If you are undecided about a college, you may contact Central Advising Service.

If you are wishing to enroll graduate courses, detailed information may be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in your college of interest.

Career specialists and services are available to assist students in all phases of career decision making and search for employment, before and after graduation. Students may utilize online self-assessment and occupational exploration tools, attend career fairs and workshops, participate in experiential learning programs, and take advantage of the career resource library-all at no charge. For more information contact the James W. Stuckert Career Center or call (859) 257-2746.

Undergraduate students must have at least 120 credit hours to complete a degree at UK (about 40 courses). Although some courses are worth more than three credits and some less, the majority of courses at UK are "worth" three "credit hours" (also known as "credits" or "hours"). See the Schedule of Classes or the UK Bulletin (also called the catalog) using these links to look up how many credit hours each course is worth.

The University of Kentucky offers networking and Internet services for desktop computing to students and many other computer users. Once accepted as a student, you will have a computing account automatically created for you. You will use this to register for classes, pay your bill, access your e-mail account, login to computers and access other computer services at UK. Contact the IT Customer Service Center if you have questions or need assistance contacting them, IT CSC, 111 McVey, 257-1300, helpdesk@uky.edu.

All students need to acquire an Active Directory account and can create their own accounts as long as they know their UK ID number, usually their social security number, and their PAC number. A default PAC number is your Birth Month and your Birth Day in the MMDD format. For a step by step guide to creating an Active Directory Account please follow the link, Creating an Active Directory Account, or call 257-1300.

The Lexington Public Library offers FREE classes in computer basics at their Computer Center. For more information, call 231-5573.

Daycare is available at a 10% discount to University of Kentucky students, faculty and staff through the Kinder-Care Learning Centers located throughout Lexington. You may contact the U of Kentucky Kinder-Care located on the UK campus by calling 255-3444.

A Student Government Child Care Grant is available to UK students through the Student Government. It is a one-time award and is considered taxable income. To receive the grant, you must have applied for financial aid through the UK Financial Aid office. Your application will be considered for the semester in which you will be eligible for university, state, or federal aid. An application may be obtained from the Student Government Office or click here to obtain a printable online application.

Donovan Scholars Program provides an opportunity for persons aged 65 and older to become students at the University of Kentucky. Tuition and fees are paid through funds authorized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. There is no limit on the number of semesters a person may enroll. Donovan Scholars must meet the same admissions criteria as any other university student when working toward a degree. For more information, contact the Donovan Scholars Program or call (859) 257-2656.

You may conveniently drop a course before classes begin through the middle of the term by using myUK. You may also withdraw through Adult Student Services or Student Records in person, by fax or by mail. Students receive a W grade on their transcript for dropped courses after the middle of the term.

After end of the middle of the term, you may drop a class for urgent non-academic reasons only subject to the approval of the instructor of the course(s). You will need to start the drop process beginning with the dean of your college via your student services office.

Dropping a course that reduces your course load from full-time to part-time after classes begin impacts your tuition liability. To take advantage of a release/refund policy, you must contact Adult Student Services or Student Records instead of using myUK when dropping a course. (Click here to view release/fund schedule).

The Employee Education Program (EEP) waives tuition and activity fees to 18 credit hours per year for all regular full-time UK employees. The program is available for classes taken for credit at the University of Kentucky (including Independent Study Program classes), Bluegrass Community and Technical College (formerly LCC), Kentucky Community & Technical Colleges (including Community Colleges and Technical Colleges) and any other Kentucky public institution. For more information contact Human Resource Services or call (859) 257-9519 extension 150.

A semester load of 12 credit hours or more is considered full-time for undergraduate students and 9 credit hours or more for graduate students. Many adult students attend part-time for years and eventually complete their degrees while other students attend full-time or switch back and forth between part-time and full-time. Generally, it doesn't matter whether you are part-time or full-time, however, part-time students are not eligible for tickets to UK football and basketball games.

Student health services are available to students through the University Health Service by appointment. Part-time students have the option of prepaying the health fee during the first two weeks of the semester or of using health services on a fee-for-service basis. For more information, contact the Student Health, Kentucky Clinic, first floor, Wing C, or call (859) 323-2778.

The Wildcard is the official University of Kentucky student identification card and also a key to services including use of the UK libraries, to pick up tickets for campus events and other services. For more information contact the ID Center, 107 Student Center, 257-1378.

Generally, most libraries are open during the daytime, evenings and on the weekend. The WT Young and Medical Center libraries hours are open 24 hours a day during the week. Weekend hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays. Students enrolled in the Colleges of Nursing, Health Sciences, Pharmacy, or Medicine, may use the Medical Center Library.

All students wishing to park in a UK parking lot or a parking structure must purchase a parking permit. Signs located at the entrances to campus parking areas indicate the type of permit required and the hours of control. Parking Permits allow students to park weekdays or evenings in parking structures or designated parking lots. You may purchase a parking permit in person or online. Students may pay an hourly rate at Parking Structure #5 or use 45-minute or 3-hour meters located throughout campus instead of purchasing a permit. Contact Parking and Transportation Services or call 257-5757.

A placement test may be required for some courses such as in mathematics and foreign languages before enrolling in a course. A placement test is required for all students are enrolling in college-level Spanish courses for the first time. New students registering in mathematics courses 109 or above are required to take a math placement test.

Most college courses require lots of study time outside the classroom. The standard guideline is to allow about 2 hours of study for every hour you spend in class. For a three-hour course, this means you spend about three hours in class each week plus about six more hours of study time for a total of about nine hours. Each semester is approximately sixteen weeks long. If you have not been in school for a while, be careful not to overextend yourself and give yourself (and perhaps your family) time to adapt to your new life-style. If you are not sure how many courses you can handle, it's better to err on the side of caution.

2007 Fall Semester

• August 21, Tuesday - Last day to withdraw or drop a course and get a full release/refund of fees.
• August 28, Tuesday - Last day to withdraw or drop a course and get an 80 percent release/refund.
• September 19, Wednesday - Last day to withdraw or drop a course and get a 50 percent release/refund.
• After September 19 - No release/refund.

2008 Spring Semester

• January 8, Tuesday - Last day to withdraw or drop a course and get a full release/refund of fees.
• January 15, Tuesday - Last day to withdraw or drop a course and get an 80 percent release/refund.
• February 6, Wednesday - Last day to withdraw or drop a course and get a 50 percent release/refund.
• After February 6 - No release/refund.

All classes meet 150 minutes per week. Classes may meet once a week, twice a week or three times each week for a lecture. Sometimes there are labs and/or discussion group listed at a completely different time and location along with a lecture. A student is expected to attend all meetings including the lab and/or discussion group.

In the schedule book, courses are abbreviated with a prefix and a number (e.g. "History of U.S. thru 1865" is HIS 108). The course prefix, number and section number designates the course, classroom, building, and time. This is used to register using myUK, the online registration system. The three-digit number called the section number (e.g. HIS 108 401) designates the delivery format for the course (e.g. 401+ is evening/weekend, 201+ is distance learning and 301+ is winter intersession). Many courses will have prerequisites listed abbreviated "Prereq.". A prerequisite is a course which should be taken prior to another course. Mathematics courses require at least one prerequisite. It is useful to browse through the schedule book in order to see how the University is broken down into colleges and departments.

In order to graduate with a bachelor's degree, there are certain requirements for your particular major degree program and a University Studies Program requirement which everyone must meet. Courses that are a part of the University Studies Program are abbreviated as USP in the schedule book.

Course information may also be viewed online. Class schedules for all courses may be viewed online each semester at http://www.uky.edu/Registrar/schedule.htm. Schedules for Evening and Weekend courses exclusively may be viewed online at http://www.uky.edu/EWP/EWCourses.htm. Course ddescriptions are also available online via the UK Bulletin (also called the catalog) at http://www.uky.edu/Registrar/Bulletin.htm. To obtain a printed copies of schedules and bulletins, contact Adult Student Services.

Textbooks may be purchased from the UK Bookstore, Kennedy Bookstore or Wildcat Textbooks. Bookstores generally have extended hours prior to the beginning of each semester using the links above.

Total enrollment liability, which may include program, course, activity and health fees as well as tuition, is due before beginning of classes, whether or not you receive a bill. Cash, checks, credit cards and money orders are accepted. You may pay tuition using a credit card and access your account by signing on to the new myUK portal. Checks and money orders are to be made payable to the University of Kentucky. Include your name and social security number payments to insure proper crediting. Tuition may be paid by mail, in person, and night deposit. Students who are unable to pay fees in full before the start of classes will be assessed a monthly late fee of 1.25 percent on any unpaid balance, as reflected on the account statement. For more information, check tuition schedule and fee payment instructions,contact Student Billing Services, or call (859) 257-3406.

Tutoring assistance is available FREE OF CHARGE through the Writing Center and The Study. The Writing Center in the WT Young Library provides individual and group consultations on prewriting, writing, and rewriting during the daytime and in the evening. Call 257-1368 or online at www.uky.edu/AS/English/wc/ for more information. The Study in the 306B of the Complex Commons offers free drop-in tutoring in many entry level courses and peer guided support weekdays during the daytime and evenings and on Sunday. Call 257-1356 or online at www.uky.edu/UGS/study/ for more information.

Federal and state benefit programs for students who are veterans and eligible dependents are coordinated through Veterans Services. To make an appointment with the veteran certifying official contact Veterans Services or call 257-7169.

You may conveniently withdraw or cancel all your classes before the first day of classes by using myUK. You may also withdraw through Adult Student Services or Student Records in person, by fax or by mail.

Withdrawals after classes begin impact your tuition liability. To take advantage of a release/refund policy, you must contact Adult Student Services or Student Records instead of using myUK when dropping a course. (Click here to view release/fund schedule).

After classes begin and up to the middle of the term, you will need to withdraw or cancel your registration through Adult Student Services or Student Records in writing. Requests may be submitted in person, by fax or by mail. Students receive a W grade on their transcript for cancelled courses after the middle of the term.