Financial Aid Eligibility & Verification Requirements

A FAFSA is not required to receive an academic scholarship awarded by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, however the University strongly encourages every student to file a FAFSA so they may be considered for all types of financial assistance that is available. If a student is offered and received funding from a completed FAFSA, remember that a FAFSA must be completed for each academic year. 

You may be eligible for aid if you meet the following conditions:

1. You are a citizen of the United States of America or an eligible non-citizen (See the Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
2. You will be enrolled in a degree program for the purpose of obtaining a degree offered by the University of Kentucky.  *Individuals admitted by the Office of Admissions as non-degree students generally DO NOT qualify for state or federal financial assistance.  Non-degree students must contact the Office of Student Financial Aid to speak with a financial aid counselor who will determine if they are eligible to apply for financial assistance.

Undergraduate, graduate or professional students enrolled in a certificate program are NOT eligible for federal Title IV financial aid funds unless they are concurrently enrolled in a degree program at the University of Kentucky.

In order to receive a completed financial aid notification, the 2024-2025 FAFSA Key Filing Dates are: 

• Incoming First-Year Students: March 1st
• Current UK Students, Transfer Students and Graduate/Professional Students: April 15th

You may need to complete items in addition to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For simplicity, we have gathered these items into one area under the heading of Required Documents, found in the Financial Aid area of your myUK Student Portal. These required documents typically fall into two broad categories known as Eligibility Confirmation and Verification. Your financial aid offer is not finalized without completing these steps.

Students who are new to UK must first setup their linkblue account, as it is required to access their additional items.

No matter your individual situation, our office is here to assist you with navigating through the requirements. If at any time you are confused or find yourself overwhelmed, do not hesitate to contact us.

Verification is the process when federal and state regulations require us to compare the information you reported on the FAFSA with corresponding documentation. If your application is selected for verification, you will be sent an email instructing you to log on to StudentForms to review the additional items and information we need from you. If you have not yet created a StudentForms Account, here is a Step by Step Guide on how to create an account. 

We must receive all required documentation before your financial aid can be disbursed (or credited) to your student account. If there are differences between the data you supplied on your FAFSA and the verification documentation you submit, we may be required to send corrections to update and reprocess your FAFSA data, which could affect the amounts and types of financial aid you are eligible to receive.

If selected for verification, your responsibilities are to:

• Submit all required documents as promptly as possible.
• Ensure that all documents are signed or e-signed where applicable.
• Keep copies of all information submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

It is extremely important that you respond to requests for information promptly because finalized financial aid offers are processed in the order of file completion date. To ensure that your financial funds are disbursed as scheduled at the start of your intended term, we suggest you register for classes and have submitted all required documentation, prior to July 1st. In the event your financial aid file is not complete by billing deadlines, the student may incur late fees and be responsible for making payment arrangements with the Student Account Services Office.

You will be sent an email directing you to review your revised financial aid awards in your myUK Student Portal if there are any changes as a result of verification.

Our office cannot eliminate the regulations that surround Federal Student Aid, but we can guide you through the process more easily. If at any time you are confused or find yourself overwhelmed, do not hesitate to contact us.

*Your deadline for submitting verification documents for federal and state aid programs (except for the Federal Pell Grant) is 30 days prior to the end of the academic year or your last period of enrollment. This deadline allows us to process and authorize disbursements within the timeframe permitted under state and federal regulations. If you do not provide required documents within this timeframe, it will result in cancelation of your financial aid offers. The deadline for you to submit verification documentation may be extended up to 60 days after the last day of enrollment during the academic year or last period of enrollment on a case-by-case basis. Even with the exceptions you may forfeit your eligibility for certain types of financial aid due to other regulatory deadlines.

A Federal Pell Grant applicant selected for verification must have any verification updates completed by the deadline published in the Federal Register. The deadline specified in the Federal Register is 120 days after the last day of classes in the prior academic term.

In order to complete FAFSA Verification and Eligibility Requirements, students will first need to create a StudentForms account. Here you can find the Step by Step Guide to help you through the process of setting up your StudentForms Account.