Incoming Freshmen Scholarships

*Housing stipend of $10,000 per year is available for Singletary Scholars living on campus in a UK residence hall during the first two years of enrollment only. 

**Applicants for the Kentucky Governor’s Scholar/School for the Arts/School for Entrepreneurs Presidential Scholarship must complete the competitive section of the admission application to have their application reviewed for this highly competitive scholarship as a limited number of scholarships will be offered. 

*Housing stipend of $10,000 per year is available for Singletary Scholars living on campus in a UK residence hall during the first two years of enrollment only. 

Academic Scholarships 

Students who meet the traditional or test optional minimum criteria, apply for admission and submit all supporting documents, including high school transcript, as soon as possible, but by no later than December 1, 2024, will be considered for academic scholarships. Once admitted, eligible students are automatically considered for academic scholarships. Scholarship awards are limited and will be offered pending early application and availability of funds. In previous years, funds have been exhausted before the December 1 deadline. No additional application is required. 

Competitive Scholarships 

Students must meet the traditional or test optional minimum criteria, apply for admission, complete the competitive scholarship section of the admission application and submit all supporting documents, including high school transcript, as soon as possible but by no later than December 1, 2024, to have their application reviewed in this highly competitive program. A limited number of awards will be offered. Selected applicants may be invited to campus for interviews. Please note, these scholarships are highly competitive. The University of Kentucky received over 2,400 competitive scholarship applications for the 2024-25 incoming freshman class and awarded 50 Presidential scholarships and 25 Otis A. Singletary scholarships. Students selected for the Otis A. Singletary Scholarship are required to enroll in the Lewis Honors College, therefore students applying for the Singletary Scholarship are also required to apply for the Lewis Honors College by the December 1 deadline.

Selective Scholarships 

Students must have completed the programs listed, meet the traditional or test optional minimum criteria, apply for admission and submit all supporting documents, including high school transcript, as soon as possible, but by no later than December 1, 2024. Once admitted, eligible students are automatically considered for the Kentucky Governor’s Scholar Provost Scholarship. Scholarship awards are limited and will be offered pending early application and availability of funds. In previous years, funds have been exhausted before the December 1 deadline. No additional application is required. 

All scholarship offerings are subject to change each year.     

William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship 

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. More information can be found here.

College and Department Scholarships 

Several colleges and departments at UK administer their own scholarship programs. Students who have chosen an academic program are encouraged to contact their college/department regarding scholarship opportunities. Requirements vary. Some UK colleges are now utilizing Scholarship Universe for departmental scholarship applications, but please check with your respective college regarding their specific scholarship procedures and deadlines. Contact information and webpages for the various UK colleges can be found here.  

Scholarship Universe 

The University of Kentucky Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships is excited to offer Scholarship Universe as a resource for our students! 

Scholarship Universe (SU) is an online scholarship platform that matches students to relevant, vetted external scholarship opportunities, as well as internal scholarships offered by the university. Each external scholarship opportunity a student sees on SU has gone through an extensive vetting process to ensure the scholarship is offered through a reliable and authentic source. 

SU is available for currently enrolled UK students and admitted prospective students who have a linkblue account. Students can login to complete the student profile and search and apply for external and internal scholarship opportunities. The external scholarship opportunities are available through sources outside of the University of Kentucky. 

Some UK colleges are now utilizing Scholarship Universe for departmental scholarship applications, but please check with your respective college regarding their specific scholarship procedures and deadlines. Contact information and webpages for the various UK colleges can be found here. 

Institutional awards are not guaranteed. All students are considered based on timing of application, meeting requirements for admission, and doing so by established deadlines. Institutional aid programs are evaluated each year and are provided based on the availability of funds.