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Available Scholarships

Need-Based Scholarships

The FAFSA is the application for need-based scholarships awarded by the UK Student Financial Aid Office.

Incoming Freshman

Minimum requirements:

• Financial need
• 28 ACT or 1240 SAT
• The free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) is available January 1st for the following fall term and must be received by (not postmarked) the federal processor no later than February 15th.
• Awards range from $500.00 to full tuition per year.

Currently-enrolled UK students

Minimum requirements:

• Financial need
• At least a 3.0 GPA
• The free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) is available January 1st for the following fall term and must be received by (not postmarked) the federal processor no later than April 1st.
• Awards range from $500 to full tuition per year.

Transfer students

Student Financial Aid does not award transfer student scholarships. After transfer students have been at UK for at least one 12 hour semester, students can apply for the following school year. Notification will be sent to students selected for scholarships in the form of an award letter, as well as on the financial aid notification (FAN). For academic scholarships for transfer students, see the link below.

Academic Scholarships

All academic scholarship applications are in addition to the application for admission to UK.

• Incoming Freshmen
• Transfer Students
• Current Students

Departmental Scholarships

Students should check with their college as well as the individual schools within their college for information about available departmental scholarships. Requirements and application deadlines vary by department . Other departments on campus such as the Student Governmental Association also offer scholarship funding. Listed below are some of the Departmental Colleges' across UK's' campus & their corresponding web links for their Scholarship web sites.

2020 Scholars

The 2020 Scholars program is a broad-based scholarships initiative designed to increase access to higher education among Kentuckians while pushing more students to take rigorous math and science courses in their junior and senior year of high school. For more information, visit the 2020 Scholars site.

Outside Scholarships

Students already receiving scholarships from outside sources should have their donor send the scholarship funds to the Office of Student Financial Aid along with the student's name, the semesters the funds cover, and the student's ID number.

To see if your outside scholarship has arrived at the University, view the Outside Scholarship List (PDF).

NOTE: If you are expecting a scholarship from an outside agency that is not currently listed and that you think should be there by this time, please contact the awarding agency to determine when it will be disbursed to the University of Kentucky. Once the scholarship funds are received by the University, it may take up to 7 - 10 business days to get on the list and be credited to the student's account.

Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)

Governor Paul E. Patton and the 1998 General Assembly have provided Kentucky high school students a great opportunity to make their education pay with the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES). The KEES program is administered by the (Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA)). Students who try to get the most from high school by studying hard and making good grades (C+ and above) can earn scholarship for college or technical school. The better students do in high school, the more they will earn toward college scholarships. Eligible students will receive official notification of the amount of their award from KHEAA. For more information, visit the KEES Program web site.

Hope Scholarship/Lifetime Learning

Understanding the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit. For more information, please refer to the NASFAA web site.

KHEAA Monies

Please visit the KHEAA site for more information on KHEAA (Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority) Scholarships available to the University of Kentucky.

Information about scholarships from outside organizations is available in Room 127 Funkhouser Building. This information has been sent to UK by outside sources and any questions should be directed to those sources.

Free internet scholarship databases searches

• Fastweb
• BrokeScholar
• College Board
• SRN Express
• Contact student and/or parents' employer's, churches, credit unions, and local clubs and organizations for additional scholarship sources.
• UK Woman's Club applications for women ages 25 and over are available in 13A Funkhouser Building, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and online (PDF). Applications should be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid, 128 Funkhouser Bldg., Lexington, KY 40506-0054.