2024 Guide to Kentucky Public University Scholarships
Students have tremendous opportunities to raise their ACT scores with practice and strategy. By achieving these higher scores, a whole world of scholarship opportunities presents itself.
Here’s a quick compilation of all Kentucky public universities and their requirements for scholarships. Contact each school’s website for more information regarding deadlines, potential changes to information, and minimum ACT composite score requirements for both admissions and scholarships. This post is full of important links, so please use them!
Remember that individual colleges within each university have additional scholarship opportunities (for example, UK’s College of Engineering has fantastic scholarships for engineering majors.) All information is current as of February 2024, and of course, is subject to change. Please reach out to individual universities regarding scholarship opportunities that are available each year.
I hope this information is helpful as you begin your application process! Good luck!
University of Kentucky
Campus Population, 2023: 34,000+
Primary Campus: Lexington, Kentucky
Early Action Deadline for Fall 2025 Scholarships: December 1, 2024
Otis A. Singletary Scholar (Honors College) Deadline: December 1, 2024
Scholarship/University overview: UK has multiple opportunities for scholarships for high-achieving students. Here is a partial list for Kentucky residents taken from UK’s 2024 Fall Freshman Guide.
Quick takeaway: partial scholarships available with a 26 ACT and a 3.3 GPA.
University of Louisville
Campus Population, 2023: 22,640
Primary Campus: Louisville, Kentucky
Deadline for admission: None. Scholarships are awarded through May 1.
Honors Early Action Deadline: October 15, 2024
Regular Honors Deadline: December 15, 2024
Scholarship/University Overview: The University of Louisville has a competitive honors college and many levels of academic scholarships available for those with a qualifying ACT composite score.
Quick takeaway: Partial scholarships are available with a 26 ACT and a 3.0 GPA for Kentucky and border-county Indiana residents.
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Western Kentucky University
Campus Population, 2023: 20,171
Primary Campus: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Early Action Deadline: For scholarship opportunities, students must be accepted by WKU by December 31, 2024.
Mahurin Honors College Early Action Deadline: December 1, 2024
Scholarship/University overview: WKU has recently upped their ACT requirement from a 28 to a 30 ACT composite with a 3.8 GPA for automatic, non-competitive scholarships.
Quick takeaway: Some scholarship monies are available at WKU without ACT requirements.
Eastern Kentucky University
Campus Population, 2023: 14,293
Primary Campus: Richmond, Kentucky
Scholarship Acceptance Deadline: April 15, 2025, Last day for students to be admitted to be considered for Merit Scholarships
Scholarship/University Overview: EKU is known for its criminal justice and aviation degrees. Their aviation program is the only one in Kentucky and boasts a 100% job placement rate.
Quick takeaway: 28 ACT composite and 3.8 GPA = automatic in-state tuition
Morehead State University
Campus Population, 2023: 9,000
Primary Campus: Morehead, Kentucky
Scholarship Acceptance Deadline: varies based on scholarship level
George M. Luckey, Jr. Honors College Deadline: December, 2024
Scholarship/University Overview: MSU is a smaller state school in Kentucky, but is known for its high rate of financial aid and low threshold for scholarships. Full tuition, room, board, and meals are included for Honors College students.
Quick takeaway: With a 21 ACT composite and a 3.0 GPA, incoming students can get $3,000 per year in scholarships.
Kentucky State University
Campus Population, 2023: 1,689
Primary Campus: Frankfort, Kentucky
Scholarship Acceptance Deadline: varies based on scholarship level
Scholarship/University Overview: KState is Kentucky’s oldest HBCU. Check out their full list of scholarship opportunities here.
Quick takeaway: With a 28 ACT composite and a 3.5 GPA, incoming freshmen can get full tuition and fees, housing, and meals.
Northern Kentucky University
Campus Population, 2022: 15,827
Primary Campus: Covington, Kentucky
Scholarship Acceptance Deadline: January 16, 2025
Scholarship/University Overview: NKU is located in Covington and has dropped some requirements for ACT composite scores. However, as of February 2024, a 34+ ACT composite and a 3.75 GPA make one eligible for their Presidential Scholarship, which includes full tuition and a $6,000 housing stipend.
Quick takeaway: Northern has dropped many ACT requirements for scholarships, but does require a minimum GPA of 3.0 for partial scholarships.
Murray State University
Campus Population, 2023: 9,818
Primary Campus: Murray, Kentucky
Scholarship Acceptance Deadline: varies based on scholarship level
Scholarship/University Overview: Murray is ranked #1 in the state for the highest percentage of graduates with no student debt.
Quick takeaway: Murray State doesn’t require ACT scores for partial scholarships with certain GPAs.
