The William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship Program (WCP) directly supports the UK Strategic Plan goal to bring together many people as one community. Within this community is a broad range of lived experiences among our students, faculty and staff. Together, these experiences and backgrounds help UK create and sustain a community of inclusion, understanding and belonging. To that end, we want to better understand an applicant's experiences, beliefs, background and perspectives. By recognizing the influence of individual experiences on skills, knowledge, character and contribution, we will identify students who will positively contribute to a campus community where everyone belongs and where they thrive academically.
William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship Program
Incoming freshmen applicants for this competitive scholarship program must have a minimum unweighted GPA of 2.50. Level of award varies based on academic profile of applicant. A student’s scholarship application will not be reviewed until they have been admitted to the University of Kentucky.
For maximum consideration for the William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship, freshmen must apply for admission to the University providing all supporting documents to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and should complete the William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship section of the admission application, including a 500-word essay on the following topic:
The University of Kentucky is committed to bringing together many people with a broad range of lived experiences and backgrounds as one community. Please share a perspective or an experience you've had and how you believe it will enable you to contribute meaningfully to our campus community.
Unfortunately, a William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship will not be offered to every excellent student who meets the requirements and applies. However, we assure each applicant that their application will receive consideration and fair treatment in what is a very competitive process.
Priority Application Deadline: December 1, 2024*
Application Deadline: February 15, 2025*. However, early application is encouraged as awards will be offered pending early application and availability of funds.
*If a deadline falls on a weekend, the application will remain open until 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the following Monday.
Incoming transfer students interested in applying for this competitive scholarship should visit: : https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships/academic-scholarships/transfer-student-academic-scholarships
Currently enrolled UK students interested in applying for this competitive scholarship should visit: https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships/academic-scholarships/current-undergraduate-student-scholarships
For more information concerning the William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship Program, please contact:
William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship Program
217 W.D. Funkhouser Building
Lexington, KY 40506-0054
P: (859) 323-6334
E: parkerscholarship@uky.edu