KU Merit Scholarships

To be considered for a KU Merit Scholarship, an incoming freshman must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• KU Merit scholarships are awarded based on a student's residency and high school GPA at the time of admission - please review the incoming freshman scholarship grid for more information.
• Submit a complete admissions application by December 1, including an official or unofficial transcript.
• Enroll in at least 12 KU credit hours for both the fall and spring semesters immediately following high school graduation.

Please note: Students enrolling in an exclusively online bachelor's degree program are not eligible for KU merit scholarships. 
 

To be considered for a KU Merit Scholarship, an incoming transfer student must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Scholarships are awarded based on a student's residency, current transfer hours, and transferable GPA. Please review the incoming transfer student scholarship grid for more information.
• Have completed 24 transferable college credit hours.
• Submit a complete admission application (by Aug. 1 for fall semester or by Dec. 1 for spring semester).
• Submit an official transcript (by August 15 for fall semester or by Jan. 6 for spring semester). 
• Not have previously earned a bachelor's degree.
• Not have previously attended KU as a degree-seeking student.
• Enroll in at least 12 KU credit hours for both the fall and spring semesters.
• Ask your Phi Theta Kappa advisor to submit a PTK Membership Verification Form by Aug. 15 for the fall semester or Jan. 6 for the spring semester (if seeking the Phi Theta Kappa scholarship).

Students who start in the summer will receive their scholarship beginning in the fall.

Please note: Students enrolling in an exclusively online bachelor's degree program are not eligible for KU merit scholarships. Students receiving Missouri Tuition Reciprocity from the School of Architecture cannot receive a KU merit scholarship. 

Scholarship eligibility is reviewed annually at the end of each spring semester to determine if a student can renew their scholarship for the next academic year. 

Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative KU GPA in order to retain their scholarship for the next academic year. 

Students must also be enrolled full-time (full-time is defined as 12 credit hours per semester) to receive their funds each fall and spring semester.

How many years/semesters you have to renew your scholarship depends on the type of KU merit scholarship you received at the time of admission - a Freshman Scholarship or a Transfer Scholarship.

KU Freshman Scholarships include the following scholarships: Chancellor, Traditions, Crimson & Blue, Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU Excellence, KU Distinction, KU Achievement, KU Performance, and KU Access.

These scholarships may be renewed for eight consecutive semesters (4 years) or upon receipt of a first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. The timeframe for renewal begins with the first semester you receive your scholarship. Any semester in which you are not enrolled or do not receive the scholarship will still count towards the 8-semester renewal timeframe, with the exception of summer - summer semesters do not count towards the 8-semester timeframe.

KU Transfer Scholarships include the following scholarships: Mount Oread, Golden Valley, Sunflower, Meadowlark, and Heartland.

These scholarships may be renewed for six consecutive semesters (3 years) or upon receipt of a first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. The timeframe for renewal begins with the first semester you receive your scholarship. Any semester in which you are not enrolled or do not receive the scholarship will still count towards the 6-semester renewal timeframe, with the exception of summer - summer semesters do not count towards the 6-semester timeframe.

The Financial Aid & Scholarships office (FAS) will begin the process of reviewing student eligibility for scholarship renewals once grades have been successfully posted at the end of the spring semester. FAS will also look at grades at the end of the summer semester to determine if any students can have their scholarship reinstated due to improvement during summer courses.

No review is performed between the fall and spring semesters.

The Financial Aid & Scholarships office will only consider grades earned for courses taken at the University of Kansas in calculating your cumulative KU GPA for KU Merit Scholarship renewal purposes. 

If you lose your KU Merit Scholarship because you do not meet the minimum 3.0 KU cumulative GPA requirement, 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 following academic year. 

• If you attend summer classes 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, or your cumulative KU GPA still does not meet the renewal requirement after summer classes, then you will have the next academic year (fall and spring) to reach the 3.0 cumulative KU GPA requirement. Grades are NOT reviewed at the end of the fall term for scholarship renewal.

This year without your scholarship will count towards the total number of semesters for which you were eligible to receive your scholarship. 

If a student does not meet the renewal criteria for their scholarship and has mitigating circumstances, a student has the right to petition for their merit scholarship to be reinstated. Directions on how to petition are included in scholarship renewal notifications sent via email in June each year. Petitions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Submitting a petition does not guarantee that your scholarship will be reinstated. 

• Petitions 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.
• Petitions will not be granted for major changes or academic rigor of your chosen major. 

To receive your KU Merit Scholarship you must be enrolled full-time (in at least 12 KU credit hours).

If you are enrolled in less than 12 KU credit hours when financial aid disburses for the semester, your scholarship will not be disbursed. 

Students who have a KU merit scholarship are generally required to enroll in at least 12 credit hours each semester to receive their scholarship. 

However, some exceptions can be made for specific situations - requests are made by contacting your financial aid counselor.  You will be required to provide a graduation plan submitted by your academic advisor to your financial aid counselor as a part of the review. Exceptions are not automatic and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact your financial aid counselor if you have questions. 

No, there is no credit hour completion requirement for renewal of your KU merit scholarship. However, students do need to be enrolled full-time (in at least 12 KU credit hours) each semester when aid disburses to receive their scholarship for the fall or spring semester. If you are enrolled in less than 12 KU credit hours when financial aid disburses for the semester, your scholarship will not be disbursed. 

If an undergraduate student has received an out-of-state merit-based scholarship dependent upon nonresident status and is subsequently granted in-state residency or has a tuition adjustment, the scholarship will be cancelled or adjusted to the appropriate resident-based scholarship.

• In-state merit scholarships are awarded when a student is granted residency for tuition-purposes only – not for reciprocity. If you are receiving reciprocity, you will not receive a KU merit scholarship/your KU merit scholarship will be cancelled.
• Students enrolling in an exclusively online bachelor’s degree program are not eligible for KU merit scholarships.
• Students receiving the Edwards Campus Metro rate are not eligible for KU merit scholarships. 

Yes, in-state and out-of-state merit scholarships can be used for participation in semester and academic year study abroad programs through KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement. 

Please note that out-of-state merit scholarships can only be used toward tuition and fee expenses for studying abroad. Students will receive their standard scholarship amount or an amount equivalent to the tuition and fees charged for the study abroad program, whichever is less. 

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

No. Once you receive your bachelor's degree, you are no longer eligible for the scholarship.

No, all merit scholarships are for the first bachelor’s degree. Once you receive your first bachelor's degree, you are no longer eligible for the scholarship.

No. Freshman scholarships are renewable for eight consecutive semesters (4 years) or upon receipt of a first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. 

Transfer scholarships are renewable for six consecutive semesters (3 years) or upon receipt of a first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. 

No. If you are receiving tuition reciprocity through the School of Architecture then you will no longer be eligible for a KU merit scholarship. 

Students who are from the state of Missouri and are admitted to the School of Architecture may receive tuition reciprocity - this provides the selected students with in-state tuition rates. 

If a student receives an out-of-state KU merit scholarship when admitted, but is then admitted to the School of Architecture and will receive tuition reciprocity through the program, then the student will no longer receive the out-of-state scholarship and they will not be switched to an in-state scholarship equivalent.

No. Students receiving the Edwards Campus Metro rate are not eligible for KU merit scholarships.

No. Students enrolled in an exclusively online bachelor’s degree program are not eligible for KU merit scholarships.

If you are enrolled in a standard tuition rate undergraduate program, you are eligible to receive your KU merit scholarship, regardless of whether or not you are taking any online courses.

Please Note: If you are enrolled in a standard tuition rate program you may generally take one semester of online or primarily online coursework without being switched to an online program, provided you do not intend to continue in a primarily online modality. If you remain in an online modality beyond one semester, your academic program may review your declared program and may switch you to an online program, resulting in the loss of your KU merit scholarship. We encourage you to talk with your academic advisor about your enrollment plans if you are considering taking online classes.

You must be considered an undergraduate student in order to receive a KU merit scholarship. Students in the Pharmacy program can receive the KU merit scholarship during the undergraduate portion of their KU degree. Once a student is in the professional portion of the program (typically when a student has reached 132 cumulative credit hours earned) the student is considered a Graduate/Professional student and will no longer be eligible for the KU merit scholarship.

You must be considered an undergraduate student in order to receive a KU merit scholarship. Students in the Legal Education Accelerated Degree (LEAD) program can receive the KU merit scholarship during the undergraduate portion of their KU degree - this is typically the first three years of the program. Once a student is in the professional portion of their program (typically the last 3 years of the program) they are considered a Law student and will no longer be eligible for the KU merit scholarship.

Students who are enrolled in both an undergraduate and a graduate degree program at the same time may be eligible for a scholarship exception depending on their program and enrollment. Exceptions are not guaranteed and are made on a case-by case basis. Please contact your financial aid counselor if you have questions. 

If you need to take a leave of absence from KU, you will have the opportunity to appeal for a scholarship upon your return to KU. The Financial Aid & Scholarships office (FAS) can provide a scholarship appeal for you to be reconsidered for a scholarship at the time of re-admission / the semester before you return to KU. Reach out to your financial aid counselor to start the process. 

The following factors will be considered in the appeal process upon your return:

• The reason why you took a leave of absence - including mitigating circumstances such as physical/mental health issues, military service obligations, etc.
• How long you have been away.
• If you attended school elsewhere during your absence.
• Prior grades/GPA at KU, as well as grades earned elsewhere during your absence.

It is never guaranteed that a student will receive a scholarship upon re-admission/appeal. All of the above factors will be considered to determine eligibility upon your return. 

FAS cannot accept appeals for a leave of absence before a student leaves KU.