Scholarships

Scholarships are funds awarded to students who meet certain criteria, such as merit, need, and background. Generally, these funds are considered gift aid, which means that they do not need to be repaid, whether a student does or does not graduate. First-time freshmen and transfer students apply for KU scholarships through the KU Office of Admissions.

KU scholarships

Find out more about scholarship eligibility requirements for freshman and transfer students through the Office of Admissions.

Unless otherwise noted, KU provides four-year renewable scholarships to eligible freshmen who submit a complete application by the priority scholarship deadline of Dec. 1. Scholarships are based on a student's overall GPA on a 4.0 scale (weighted or unweighted) at the time of application. Recipients receive written notification of their scholarship eligibility at the time of admission.

An incoming fall freshman or transfer student can defer a scholarship for one year, or until they attend another college, university, or community college. Any change in residency or resident tuition rates may also impact eligibility for a scholarship.

Renewal criteria

Freshman scholarships expire after eight consecutive semesters of undergraduate study, or upon graduation with a first bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first. Transfer scholarships expire after six consecutive semesters of undergraduate study, or upon graduation with a first bachelor's degree, whichever occurs first.

Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time (i.e. 12 credit hours per semester) and maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative KU GPA.

After spring grades have posted, Financial Aid & Scholarships will verify that students have met the renewal criteria. Students are notified of their scholarship status for the upcoming academic year via their KU email address.

If a scholarship is not renewed after the first year due to grades and/or hours, it is possible to earn that scholarship back for a future academic year. Financial Aid & Scholarships annually monitors grades and hours for all students, and will send notification if renewal criteria is met.

For students that take a gap year, KU will hold their scholarship until the next fall semester, as long a they don’t attend another college or university. Students that attend another school will be considered a transfer student and will be considered for a transfer scholarship.

Scholarship eligibility is reviewed annually at the end of each spring semester. Students must have a 3.0 cumulative KU GPA in order to retain their scholarship for the next academic year. Students must also be enrolled full time to receive their funds each semester.

If you lose your scholarship, you will have the next academic year to get your cumulative KU GPA to a 3.0 or higher. Financial Aid & Scholarships (FAS) will review your grades at the end of the following spring semester and, if you meet renewal criteria at the time of review, we will reinstate your scholarship for the next academic year. 

  • If you attend summer school at KU, your GPA will be reviewed at the end of summer to see if you reached the 3.0 cumulative KU GPA requirement.
  • If you do not take KU summer classes, then you will have the Fall and Spring semesters to reach the 3.0 cumulative KU GPA requirement.

If a student does not meet the renewal criteria for their scholarship and has mitigating circumstances, a student has the right to appeal for their merit scholarship to be reinstated. Directions on on how to appeal are included in your scholarship email sent in early June to your KU email. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee that your scholarship will be reinstated. 

  • Appeals may be granted for medical/mental health issues, extenuating circumstances such as a death in the immediate family, or other hardships. Please include documentation of your extenuating circumstances.
  • Appeals will not be granted for major changes or academic rigor of your chosen major. 

If your scholarship is being funded by your School/Department, FAS will inform the School/Department of the appeal for those students that are in their 3rd or 4th year before a decision can be made.

No, KU merit scholarships are only for fall and spring semesters. 

No, all merit scholarships are for the first bachelor’s degree. 

Additional KU scholarships

On-campus groups, departments, schools, and offices at KU also offer scholarships:

 

Private scholarships

A student may also obtain scholarships offered by private businesses, community organizations, and local and state governments.

  • Resources like the Kansas ScholarShop, provided by the Office of the Kansas State Treasurer and powered by the Sallie Mae scholarship search engine, can help identify scholarships you may qualify for.
  • Kansans can also visit the Board of Regents website for scholarship opportunities through the State of Kansas.

Additional places to seek out scholarship opportunities

  • Scholarship search engines such as CollegeBoard, or FastWeb.
  • Guidance counselors and/or advisors
  • School libraries and local libraries
  • Civic organizations
  • Businesses/organizations

The KU Financial Aid and Scholarships office is providing this information as a courtesy and does not promote, validate or maintain the websites listed. By linking to these external sites, it is not implied that the University of Kansas or the Financial Aid and Scholarships office agrees with the material contained or linked in the websites.

Report outside scholarships

Types of aid