What are the scholarship deadlines at UPIKE?

Merit (GPA) scholarships are awarded automatically on a rolling basis as soon as admission is received — comprehensive financial aid offers begin no later than December 1 (must be admitted and have submitted the FAFSA). Application-based awards have their own deadlines: Presidential Fellow Scholarship and Legacy Scholarship — March 1; Bill Baird Family — September 15 (fall) / March 1 (spring); Hettie Charles Hughes/Able Hughes, Horn Family, and Jackson First Semester Living — September 15; Elizabeth Stepp Goff Memorial — September 30; Alumni Association — August 1; ACE First Generation — October 1-15.

Are UPIKE's merit scholarships automatic?

Yes for the GPA grid. The Offer page states: 'After being admitted to the University of Pikeville, you will automatically be considered for merit-based scholarships (those based on your ACT/SAT and GPA), but some scholarships (like Wells Family Scholarship or Legacy Scholarship) require the submission of a scholarship application.' The published award grid itself is tiered by GPA only ($3,000-$8,000).

What does the UPIKE Pledge cover, and who qualifies?

Full tuition plus free books for Kentucky resident undergraduates and transfers who file the FAFSA, are awarded full Pell, CAP, and KTG grants, and enroll full-time. It is last-dollar (covers remaining tuition after federal, state and UPIKE aid) and does NOT cover food, housing, or the student activity fee. It renews up to four years if you complete 24+ credit hours per year, file the FAFSA annually, and remain fully Pell/CAP/KTG eligible.

Is there a full-ride scholarship?

Yes — the Presidential Fellow Scholarship is a full ride including room and board, renewable up to eight semesters. It requires a 3.75 unweighted GPA, a 28 ACT or 1300 SAT, 50 hours of community service, a personal statement, an interview for finalists, and 10 hours/week of campus work; preference goes to Kentucky residents. Deadline: March 1.

How much does UPIKE cost for 2026-2027?

Full-time undergraduate tuition is $26,500/year. The published 2026-2027 cost of attendance is $49,516 living on campus ($51,296 living with parent; $56,408 living off campus). Books are bundled into tuition ('There are NO book costs to students'), and the only extra fee is a $90/semester ($150/year per the Pledge page) student activity fee.

UPIKE· Renewal Rules

Keeping UPIKE’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 5 of 5
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 5
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

UPIKE's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

GPA Scholarships (Trustee Excellence Scholarship / Provost Leadership Award / Dean Service Award / Appalachian Academic Achievement / Mountain Merit Award): Full-time enrollment
UPIKE Pledge: See notes
Presidential Fellow Scholarship: See notes
Activity Scholarships (Governor's Scholar, Rogers' Scholar, Dual Credit, Early College Academy, OSP, OMSP, Athletic, Organizational): Full-time enrollment
Pikeville Medical Center/UPIKE Workforce Investment ADN Scholarship: 2.75 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

GPA Scholarships (Trustee Excellence Scholarship / Provost Leadership Award / Dean Service Award / Appalachian Academic Achievement / Mountain Merit Award)
$3,000-$8,000
Entry requirements: Tiered by unweighted 4.0-scale GPA: 3.75 and above = $8,000; 3.5-3.74 = $6,750; 3.0-3.49 = $5,000; 2.75-2.99 = $3,750; 2.74 and below = $3,000 GPA
To keep it: Scholarships are available up to eight semesters of undergraduate study; students will be required to complete a new FAFSA each year; all UPIKE scholarships are based on full-time enrollment (12 or more credits per semester).
Source: https://www.upike.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/
UPIKE Pledge
Full tuition + books
To keep it: Renewable up to four years. To renew the Pledge annually, recipients must: complete at least 24 credit hours each year; file the FAFSA annually; continue to be fully eligible for Pell, CAP and KTG grants.
Source: https://www.upike.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/upike-pledge/
Presidential Fellow Scholarship
Full ride (includes room and board)
Entry requirements: Minimum unweighted high school GPA of 3.75 GPA · 1300 or higher SAT · 28 or higher ACT
To keep it: Renewable for up to eight semesters or until the completion of a bachelor's degree, as long as selected students meet renewal criteria (specific renewal criteria not published on the page).
Source: https://www.upike.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/
Activity Scholarships (Governor's Scholar, Rogers' Scholar, Dual Credit, Early College Academy, OSP, OMSP, Athletic, Organizational)
$1,000-$3,500 (Athletic and Organizational amounts vary)
To keep it: Institutional scholarships are available up to eight semesters of undergraduate study with annual FAFSA and full-time enrollment; renewal terms specific to activity awards are not separately stated.
Source: https://www.upike.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/
Pikeville Medical Center/UPIKE Workforce Investment ADN Scholarship
$24,700 per year (up to two years)
Entry requirements: Maintain 2.75 cumulative GPA throughout enrollment GPA · Minimum composite ACT score of 21 ACT
To keep it: Up to two years for selected applicants who maintain scholarship eligibility standards, including maintaining a 2.75 cumulative GPA throughout enrollment.
Source: https://www.upike.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

Assuming a UPIKE scholarship reduces your whole bill — institutional awards are tuition-only and can shrink.
The scholarships page states: 'Institutional awards, with the exception of Athletic and Activity, are applied to tuition only. Awards may be reduced based on other aid received.' Your GPA scholarship cannot be applied to housing/food, and other aid can reduce it.
Skipping the FAFSA because you only want merit aid.
All institutional scholarships require the FAFSA: 'You are required to complete the FAFSA. Students will be required to complete a new FAFSA each year.' Missing the annual FAFSA jeopardizes renewal.
Dropping below full-time or stretching past four years.
'Scholarships are available up to eight semesters of undergraduate study' and 'All UPIKE scholarships are based on full-time enrollment (12 or more credits per semester).' Pledge renewal additionally requires completing at least 24 credit hours each year.
Missing the March 1 deadline for the Presidential Fellow or Legacy awards.
The full-ride Presidential Fellow Scholarship and the Legacy Scholarship both list a March 1 deadline and require a separate submission, unlike the automatic GPA scholarships.
Counting on a weighted GPA to hit a higher scholarship tier.
The scholarships page specifies 'GPA will be based on a 4.0 unweighted scale,' so a weighted 3.8 may not qualify for the $8,000 Trustee Excellence tier.
Leaving mid-year with the Jackson First Semester Living Scholarship.
'If the recipient does not complete the full year, the entire award is removed from their financial aid account and they would owe any resulting balance.' It is also capped so combined aid cannot exceed the Cost of Attendance.

Renewal questions families ask

What are the scholarship deadlines at UPIKE?: Merit (GPA) scholarships are awarded automatically on a rolling basis as soon as admission is received — comprehensive financial aid offers begin no later than December 1 (must be admitted and have submitted the FAFSA). Application-based awards have their own deadlines: Presidential Fellow Scholarship and Legacy Scholarship — March 1; Bill Baird Family — September 15 (fall) / March 1 (spring); Hettie Charles Hughes/Able Hughes, Horn Family, and Jackson First Semester Living — September 15; Elizabeth Stepp Goff Memorial — September 30; Alumni Association — August 1; ACE First Generation — October 1-15.
Are UPIKE's merit scholarships automatic?: Yes for the GPA grid. The Offer page states: 'After being admitted to the University of Pikeville, you will automatically be considered for merit-based scholarships (those based on your ACT/SAT and GPA), but some scholarships (like Wells Family Scholarship or Legacy Scholarship) require the submission of a scholarship application.' The published award grid itself is tiered by GPA only ($3,000-$8,000).
What does the UPIKE Pledge cover, and who qualifies?: Full tuition plus free books for Kentucky resident undergraduates and transfers who file the FAFSA, are awarded full Pell, CAP, and KTG grants, and enroll full-time. It is last-dollar (covers remaining tuition after federal, state and UPIKE aid) and does NOT cover food, housing, or the student activity fee. It renews up to four years if you complete 24+ credit hours per year, file the FAFSA annually, and remain fully Pell/CAP/KTG eligible.
Is there a full-ride scholarship?: Yes — the Presidential Fellow Scholarship is a full ride including room and board, renewable up to eight semesters. It requires a 3.75 unweighted GPA, a 28 ACT or 1300 SAT, 50 hours of community service, a personal statement, an interview for finalists, and 10 hours/week of campus work; preference goes to Kentucky residents. Deadline: March 1.
How much does UPIKE cost for 2026-2027?: Full-time undergraduate tuition is $26,500/year. The published 2026-2027 cost of attendance is $49,516 living on campus ($51,296 living with parent; $56,408 living off campus). Books are bundled into tuition ('There are NO book costs to students'), and the only extra fee is a $90/semester ($150/year per the Pledge page) student activity fee.

Rules that bite at UPIKE

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from UPIKE's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalGPA Scholarships (Trustee Excellence Scholarship / Provost Leadership Award / Dean Service Award / Appalachian Academic Achievement / Mountain Merit Award): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Scholarships are available up to eight semesters of undergraduate study; students will be required to complete a new FAFSA each year; all UPIKE scholarships are based on full-time enrollment (12 or more credits per semester). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How UPIKE compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UPIKE is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against UPIKE’s own published materials.