The Academic Excellence Scholarship Program for currently enrolled UK students is open to all currently enrolled, full-time UK undergraduate students on the main campus with a 3.50 or greater cumulative grade point average by the end of the spring 2024 semester and who have completed at least 12 semester hours at UK. 

All applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the Academic Excellence Scholarship Program will be considered for a limited number of non-renewable awards of $1,500 for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Undergraduate students who will be receiving other academic scholarships from the Office of Academic Scholarships for 2025-2026 are not eligible to be considered for these awards. Additionally, students currently applying to or enrolled in a professional or graduate program at the University of Kentucky are not eligible for these scholarships and should contact their respective departments for scholarship information. 

Deadline to Apply for Fall 2025: June 1, 2025* 

To Apply: 

1. Click here to access Scholarship Universe. 
2. Enter your UK linkblue email and password. 
3. Click on the “Applications” tab and locate the Academic Excellence Scholarship Application. 
4. Click “Start Application” to begin applying for the scholarship. You will need to complete all sections, including the 500-word essay on the listed topic. 
5. You can save and continue your application prior to submitting. When you log back in to Scholarship Universe, your application will now be under “In Progress.” 

6. Once you complete the application questions and essay, please “Review and Submit” your application. Once submitted, changes cannot be made. Please submit the application by the deadline of June 1, 2025*

   *If a deadline falls on a weekend, the application will remain open until 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the following Monday. 

Students should check with their college, as well as the individual departments within their college, for information about available departmental scholarships. Requirements and application deadlines vary by department.

Other departments on campus, such as the Student Government Association, also offer scholarship funding. Click on the "Departmental Scholarships" link to the left to access information and website links for many of the Colleges and departments across UK's campus that offer scholarships. 

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.

The William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship for Continuing Students is a one-year, non-renewable award, valued at $2,500 for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

Undergraduate students currently enrolled at the University of Kentucky may apply for the William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship for Continuing Students. Applicants must be planning to enroll as a full-time undergraduate student pursuing their first bachelor’s degree and must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 by the end of the spring 2025 semester, with a minimum of 24 credit hours earned during the 2024-2025 academic year. Applicants must submit a completed scholarship application and a 500-word essay on the listed topic.

Awards will be based on the applicant's ranking within the competitive pool. 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.

Students may receive only one award through the William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship Program. Undergraduate students who will be receiving the four-year William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship for 2025-2026 are not eligible to be considered for this scholarship. Additionally, students currently applying to or enrolled in a professional or graduate degree program are not eligible for this scholarship and should contact their respective departments for scholarship information.

Deadline to Apply for Fall 2025: June 1, 2025* 

To Apply: 

1. Click here to access ScholarshipUniverse.  
2. Enter your UK linkblue email and password. 
3. Click on the “Applications” tab and locate the William C. Parker Belonging Scholarship Application for Continuing UK Students. 
4. Click “Start Application” to begin applying for the scholarship. You will need to complete all the sections, including the 500-word essay on the listed topic. 
5. You can save and continue your application prior to submitting. When you log back in to Scholarship Universe, your application will now be under “In Progress.” 
6. Once you complete the application questions and essay, please “Review and Submit” your application. Once submitted, changes cannot be made. Please submit the application by the deadline of June 1, 2025*.   

*If a deadline falls on a weekend, the application will remain open until 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the following Monday. 

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

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. For questions, please contact externalschol@uky.edu. 

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. 

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. 

For more information on the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits, and other tax benefits for post-secondary students, go to www.irs.gov. IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, which explains these credits and other tax benefits, is available online, or call 1-800-829-1040. TTY callers should call 1-800-829-4059. 

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

External scholarships and fellowships are awards that are funded by sources (such as a non-government foundation or government agency) outside the University of Kentucky. These awards honor exceptional students across the nation, and UK students have received many of these awards. Scholarships supported by the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships involve both undergraduate and graduate study. They provide support for tuition, fees, travel (if applicable), and oftentimes, a stipend. The Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships assists current UK undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni in applying for these opportunities, please visit https://www.uky.edu/chellgren/competitive-awards.

Students can search for external scholarship opportunities on Scholarship Universe. Students should also contact student and/or parents' employers, churches, credit unions, and local clubs and organizations for additional scholarship sources.