Scholarships for Incoming Freshmen

Our Incoming Freshman Competitive Scholarship Program awards a renewable four-year scholarship ranging $1,000 – $3,000 per year for a possible total of up to $12,000 during their academic career. Students must maintain certain academic requirements to renew the award each year.

Incoming freshman are considered for the scholarship if the following requirements are met:

• A student must apply to UK and select a College of Engineering major by December 1. All test scores and transcripts must be in by that date, as well.
• A student must have a composite score of 30 on the ACT or 1360 on the SAT
• A student must have a math score of 33 on the ACT or 740 on the SAT
• A student must have a 3.50 unweighted high school GPA

If you choose not to submit ACT or SAT scores for admission and scholarship purposes, your application will be reviewed for scholarship consideration on a holistic basis. However, we strongly encourage students to take the ACT or SAT. Official scores listed on your high school transcript or scores received directly from the testing agency are both acceptable.

There is no application for this scholarship. Candidates’ admission applications are reviewed, and selected recipients will be notified in February. Meeting the above requirements allows a student to be considered but does not guarantee an award.

There are two need-based scholarship opportunities for new incoming freshmen who have been accepted to UK and have graduated from a Kentucky high school:

• L. Stanley Pigman Engineering Scholarship (Includes a study abroad opportunity)
• Robert B. and Helen P. Jewell Foundation Scholarship

There is one application for both scholarships. The application is found on Scholarship Universe and is titled “College of Engineering Freshmen Need-Based Scholarship Application for 2025-26 (Jewell & Pigman)” Please reference your UK acceptance letter to set up your UK Link Blue login credentials. You will need them to login to Scholarship Universe. Once in Scholarship Universe, choose “Applications” from the left menu panel and the application will be listed.

Documents required to upload with the application: (These must be uploaded and cannot be mailed or emailed to The College.):

• Two letters of recommendation, one from a math or science teacher.
• A 500-word essay: Justify why you should be a recipient of one of these awards while including your reason for pursuing a degree in Engineering.
• High school activities (a downloadable template is in the application for students to fill out and upload.)

Only those with financial need are considered for these awards so a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must be on file for the student so that we can verify that need. The FAFSA can be completed beginning in December for the upcoming school year, and taxes do not have to be completed to apply. Families can estimate income to get the FAFSA done early and update it once the taxes are complete. The University will receive the FAFSA information approximately two weeks after completion.

Each application will be reviewed by the College of Engineering Scholarship Committee as designated by the Dean. Students are awarded based on GPA, ACT or SAT scores, writing ability, leadership potential, extracurricular activities, and financial need. The committee will decide if a scholarship will be awarded, and if so, the amount of the award will depend on the student’s need. These awards range from $1000 to $15,000. The College plans to award approximately 50 new scholarships for the 2024-25 school year.