University of Kentucky: Courses, Fees & Admissions

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About University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky (UK) is a university in Lexington, Kentucky, in the heart of the Bluegrass Region, built around a single main campus. Its mission is to educate, innovate, heal and serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a mission that goes back to 1865. Lexington is a city of a little more than 330,000 people, within a day's drive of two-thirds of the country's population, with downtown about ten minutes from campus.

UK supports more than 200 academic programs across 16 degree-granting colleges, the Lewis Honors College, the Graduate School and the UK Library system. The colleges are the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; College of Arts and Sciences; Gatton College of Business and Economics; College of Communication and Information; College of Dentistry; College of Design; College of Education; Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering; College of Fine Arts; College of Health Sciences; J. David Rosenberg College of Law; College of Medicine; College of Nursing; College of Pharmacy; College of Public Health; and College of Social Work. The Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce are also part of the university.

UK states that it earned 28 Top 10 rankings and 50 Top 25 rankings over recent years, and that U.S. News and World Report ranks the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration fourth in public finance and budgeting and the College of Pharmacy sixth among graduate programs. Research is carried out across more than 75 centers and institutes, and UK HealthCare, established in 1957 as the university's medical center, includes the 724-bed UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital and Kentucky Children's Hospital and the 221-bed UK Good Samaritan Hospital.

Student life includes more than 550 student organizations, 22 varsity sports programs in the Southeastern Conference, campus recreation and intramural sports. Residence halls and Living Learning Programs (including the Honors Residential Experience, Engineering LLP and the International Village) are run by Wildcat Living. The student body represents more than 100 countries, every state and all 120 Kentucky counties.

International applicants are defined as those with citizenship other than the United States; they apply through the undergraduate international application or the Common Application, and International Student and Scholar Services issues the I-20 or DS-2019. The university is an equal opportunity university and publishes its accreditation information at uky.edu/accreditation.

University information

Tuition and costs

The 2026-27 undergraduate cost of attendance budget lists tuition and fees of $14,178 for Kentucky residents and $35,846 for non-residents, with food and housing at $17,048 (on campus), books and supplies at $1,200 and personal expenses at $3,240. International students are expected to finance their own education; the estimated minimum funding for the I-20 or DS-2019 is $57,800 (undergraduate) and $59,500 (graduate), including $3,720 for health insurance. International students may work up to 20 hours per week on campus while enrolled full-time, with most on-campus jobs paying $8 to $15 per hour.

Scholarships for international freshmen (Fall start only; renewable and combinable)

Bluegrass Scholarship: $6,500 (3.0 GPA); $10,000 (3.5 GPA, or 3.0 GPA and 1200 SAT); $13,000 (3.6 GPA, or 3.5 GPA and 1200 SAT); $16,000 (3.8 GPA, or 3.5 GPA and 1360 SAT). Deadline December 1.
William C. Parker Scholarship: variable amount per year; holistic review of all applicants with a minimum 3.0 GPA, no separate application. Priority deadline December 1.
International Ambassador Scholarship: $3,000 to 50% of tuition (up to $16,000 per year); minimum 2.5 GPA, 500-word essay and a letter of recommendation; priority deadline February 15 (freshmen) and May 15 (transfer); decisions by April 1.

Scholarships for international transfer students

Transfer Achievement Scholarship: $4,000 per year, minimum 3.0 GPA, priority deadline June 15.
International Ambassador Scholarship: as above, priority deadline May 15.

Domestic aid and graduate funding

Non-resident (out-of-state) freshmen are also considered automatically for academic scholarships (Bluegrass $6,500 to $16,000) and competitive scholarships (Presidential and Otis A. Singletary, covering full out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees) when admitted by December 1. Need-based aid (grants, Federal Work-Study, loans) requires the FAFSA (UK school code 001989). Graduate students may hold teaching, research and graduate assistantships awarded by departments. Details: international scholarships.

UK Bluegrass Scholarship for International Freshmen →

UK International Ambassador Scholarship →

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First-year (freshman) admission

Applications are made with the UK application or the Common App. A completed application includes an official high school transcript, the application fee ($50 domestic, $60 international) and, optionally, official ACT or SAT scores: UK is test-optional for admission and scholarships through the 2028-29 academic year. Deadlines for Fall 2027: Early Action December 1 (encouraged for consideration for the Lewis Honors College, competitive and academic scholarships, and on-campus housing) and Regular Decision February 15. Applicants should use a personal, non-school email address.

Transfer admission

Transfer application deadlines: Fall, August 1 (scholarship deadline June 15); Spring, November 15; Summer, April 15. Applying on a designated Transfer Tuesday waives the $50 application fee. All applicants must submit official transcripts from every institution attended.

International applicants

Applicants with citizenship other than the United States apply with the UK International Application for Undergraduate Admission or the Common Application, with a $60 non-refundable fee and official transcripts in English. U.S. permanent residents apply with the domestic application.

English proficiency (sent directly from the testing centre): TOEFL iBT 71 or above if taken on or before January 20, 2026; 4 or above overall and in each subscore if taken on or after January 21, 2026; TOEFL Essentials 7.5; IELTS 6.0; Duolingo 105. A list of countries exempt from testing is provided, and applicants who completed English 101 and 102 (or equivalent) at a U.S. institution may qualify for a TOEFL waiver.
ACT/SAT are optional but required for engineering programs (ACT code 1554, SAT code 1837).
Freshman priority deadlines: December 1 for Fall (August start) and October 15 for Spring (January start). Transfer deadlines: May 15 for Fall and October 15 for Spring.
International transfer applicants with 23 or fewer college credit hours need a 2.0 GPA plus college and high school transcripts; with 24 or more hours, a 2.0 GPA plus college transcripts. UK accepts up to 67 hours from two-year institutions and an unlimited number of credits from four-year institutions.
After admission, International Student and Scholar Services emails instructions to begin the New Student Information Checklist in icat.uky.edu to determine I-20/DS-2019 eligibility.

Graduate admission

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a fully accredited U.S. institution or recognised foreign institution, a bachelor's GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (2.5 for Graduate Certificate and post-baccalaureate applicants) and proof of English language proficiency. Applications go through the Graduate School application. International deadlines: Spring 2027, September 15, 2026; Fall 2027, April 15, 2027 (domestic: December 11, 2026 and July 23, 2027); many programs set earlier deadlines. GRE scores are not required for post-baccalaureate admission.

Lexington, Kentucky (main campus): all 16 degree-granting colleges, the Lewis Honors College, the Graduate School, UK Libraries, residence halls and Living Learning Programs (Wildcat Living), campus recreation and intramural sports, the Visitor Center, and the UK HealthCare medical center including UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital.
Online: online programs are delivered through UK Online (online.uky.edu).

A campus transformation of more than $6.5 billion covers residence halls, academic buildings, dining halls and a student center.

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University of Kentucky