Important Dates and Deadlines
- March 1, 2022
- Rodney Gross Diversity Scholarship Deadline
- Last day to submit updated ACT scores and updated transcripts for Merit Scholarship upgrades
- March 15, 2022 – Trailblazer First Generation Scholarship Application Deadline
- April 15, 2022 – Last day for students to be admitted to be considered for Merit Scholarships
- May 1, 2022 –
- Last day to accept Merit Scholarships
- Foundation Scholarship Application deadline
Single Institutional Scholarship Award (All Students)
To financially assist as many students as possible, Eastern Kentucky University does not make multiple institutional scholarship awards. If you have already qualified for an academic award through a different category of eligibility, you will receive one award with the greater monetary value. Multiple scholarships may not be awarded to students who qualify for more than one tuition assistance program, including merit scholarships, state-mandated tuition waivers and EKU staff scholarships.
Merit Scholarships (In-State and Out-of-State Freshmen)
-Merit scholarships are only offered to students being admitted to the fall semester. Students who have previously enrolled at any other college or university (post high school graduation) are no longer eligible for new freshman student awards regardless of the number of credit hours earned, but may qualify for a transfer student scholarship. EKU does NOT make scholarship offers to students who are starting in the spring or summer terms.
-Students must be admitted to the university by February 1. After February 1, EKU may continue to make scholarship awards until available funds are exhausted. Students have until March 1 to submit information justifying a scholarship upgrade. There will be no additional upgrades after March 1.
-Students need to apply for admission to be considered for listed scholarships. For more information, visit the EKU Admissions website. Qualified students will receive their official scholarship award letter and acceptance form after being admitted to the university.
-For out-of-state students, if his/her residency changes to Kentucky (in-state status) at any point in the future, this may change his/her scholarship eligibility or award amount.
-Scholarship acceptance must be completed and recorded by the EKU Scholarship Office no later than May 1. New students must be enrolled during the fall semester.
-Students enrolled in a 100% online degree program are NOT eligible for merit scholarships.
-If a student is participating in the Academic Common Market program, he/she will NOT be eligible for merit scholarships since he/she is already receiving a tuition waiver which reduces the tuition cost to the in-state level.
-View the Scholarship Estimator to see what academic scholarship you may qualify for in the upcoming academic year. Note: scholarship amounts may vary from year-to-year, so please revisit the Estimator often.
Overaward Policy (All Students)
An overaward is financial aid that exceeds a student’s financial need and/or cost of attendance. When a student receives aid, EKU is required to adhere to all associated regulations. All aid, including scholarships, grants, loans, tuition remission, awards and prizes must be counted as estimated financial assistance in a student’s total aid package.
It is the student’s responsibility to report all sources of estimated financial assistance including departmental scholarships, employee tuition remission, outside scholarships and third party assistance to Big E Central. To report estimated financial assistance not already included in your aid package, complete the Scholarship/Other Aid Resources Form (docx, 15.3 Kb) or contact Big E Central. Reporting this information early will help prevent changes in eligibility that can result in reductions to financial aid.
When Big E Central identifies an overaward, adjustments must be made to the student’s financial aid package to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. When allowable, self-help aid, such as loans and work-study awards, are adjusted before grant or scholarship aid is affected. If an overaward occurs after aid has been disbursed, the student may be required to repay all or a portion of their financial aid to the university.
To avoid an overaward:
- Notify Big E Central of money you are receiving from any outside source such as scholarships, alternative loans, etc.
- Check with Big E Central before applying for additional aid to see if the maximum financial aid has already been awarded.
Retention Scholarships (Current Students)
The Retention Scholarship is to help current and continuing full-time undergraduate EKU students in good standing remain in school and make progress toward graduation. Retention Scholarship awards are grants based on students’ need and will be primarily used to help pay down outstanding balances so students can register for classes. Retention Scholarship grants are conditional upon registering for and remaining in classes for the following semester. Retention Scholarship grants cannot be used to pay down balances without registering for courses. Students who are graduating in the current term are not eligible for Retention Scholarships. Because Retention Scholarship funds are limited, not all students who apply can receive an award.
Transfer Student Scholarships
-Transfer student scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to those transfers earning at least 24 hours after high school graduation. Awards are made based on the cumulative GPA at the time of admission to EKU.
-Scholarship recipients are required to enroll and complete a minimum of 12 hours per semester while maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA. If you are participating in a financial aid consortium between EKU and another institution, you must be enrolled in at least 6 hours at EKU.
-Students enrolled in a 100% online degree program are not eligible for transfer scholarships.
-Students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree are not eligible for transfer scholarships.
-Per university policy transfer GPA from international transcripts are not recorded and thus cannot be the basis for awarding of transfer scholarships.
-Students need to apply for admission to EKU to be considered for a scholarship. For more information regarding admission, please visit the EKU Admissions website.
-EKU Admissions must receive (1) your EKU Application for Admission and (2) copies of all official transcripts by these deadlines. Students must make transcript requests from previous institutions at least 2 weeks in advance of these deadlines:
April 15 for Summer Session
June 15 for Fall Semester
November 15 for Spring Semester