The starting point
Public SEC flagship with a four-tier Bluegrass Spirit Scholarship ladder for non-residents ($5,000 / $8,000 / $10,000 / $12,500 per year), a two-tier Provost Scholarship for Kentucky residents, and a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. Every automatic merit program is tied to a December 1 Early Action deadline.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 4 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Presidential Scholarship
Full in-state tuition (Kentucky residents) OR full out-of-state tuition (non-residents) for up to 4 years · Variable or qualified amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.50+ · SAT: 1390+ · ACT: 31+
Eligibility: 3.50+ HS GPA AND 31+ ACT or 1390+ SAT, OR a 4.0 unweighted GPA test-optional pathway (verbatim per UK's Incoming Freshmen Scholarships page). Application must be submitted by the December 1 Early Action deadline. CRITICAL CAVEAT (verbatim per live source): 'funds have been exhausted before the December 1 deadline' in previous years; even applying by Dec 1 does not guarantee an award; earlier is better.
Renewal: Renewable for up to 4 years subject to the published GPA terms and full-time enrollment of at least 12 credits each semester
Other terms: Presidential is UK's top automatic tier. Non-residents receive the non-resident variant (full out-of-state tuition). Residents receive the in-state variant (full in-state tuition). Students who clear Presidential stats are the core pool for Singletary competitive review. UK states that students may receive only one award from the institutional academic scholarships listed on its incoming-freshman page, so model Presidential, Provost, Bluegrass Spirit, and Singletary as alternatives rather than an internal stack.
https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships/academic-scholarships/incoming-freshmen-scholarships
Provost Scholarship (Kentucky residents)
$2,500/year at 3.30 GPA + 26 ACT / 1230 SAT; $5,000/year at 3.30 GPA + 28 ACT / 1300 SAT · Published award terms
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.30+ · SAT: 1230+ · ACT: 26+
Eligibility: Kentucky resident. Two test-score tiers: $2,500/year at 26 ACT / 1230 SAT and $5,000/year at 28 ACT / 1300 SAT, OR a 3.75+ unweighted GPA test-optional pathway for the $5,000 tier (verbatim per UK's Incoming Freshmen Scholarships page). Application must be submitted by the December 1 Early Action deadline. Same 'funds may be exhausted before December 1' caveat applies; apply early.
Renewal: Renewable for up to 4 years subject to the published GPA terms and full-time enrollment of at least 12 credits each semester
Other terms: Provost is the resident-only tier that sits below Presidential. The 28 ACT breakpoint doubles the annual award from $2,500 to $5,000, so a 27 ACT student lifting to 28 picks up $2,500/year in additional aid. The 3.30 GPA floor is consistent across both test-score tiers.
https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships/academic-scholarships/incoming-freshmen-scholarships
Bluegrass Spirit Scholarship (non-resident)
$5,000 / $8,000 / $10,000 / $12,500 per year across four subtiers · Published award terms
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
Eligibility: Non-resident. The four subtiers are determined by combinations of HS GPA and ACT/SAT score published on UK's incoming freshmen scholarships page. Application must be submitted by the December 1 Early Action deadline.
Renewal: Renewable for up to 4 years subject to the published GPA terms and full-time enrollment of at least 12 credits each semester
Other terms: Bluegrass Spirit is UK's single named non-resident automatic merit program and pays $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, or $12,500 per year across four subtiers. Students who clear Presidential stats (3.50 GPA + 31 ACT) receive full out-of-state tuition via Presidential and should not model Bluegrass Spirit on top. Non-residents below the Presidential threshold should model the applicable Bluegrass Spirit tier plus any Legacy Tuition Program benefit they qualify for. UK does not combine ACT or SAT sittings for scholarship awarding, so use the best qualifying single test date rather than a superscore.
https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/financial-aid-and-scholarships/academic-scholarships/incoming-freshmen-scholarships
