Available Scholarships
The University of Kansas KU Scholarships for Freshmen
The University of Kansas provides a variety of KU scholarships to deserving first-year students (US citizens and permanent residents) who enroll for the semester after graduating from high school. All scholarships are extendable for a maximum of four years, provided that the student maintains a specific GPA while attending KU.
Benefit
The University of Kansas is pleased to provide students with a variety of renewable institutional scholarships based solely on GPA. Kansans can earn more than $20,000 over four years, while out-of-state students can earn up to $64,000 over the course of their KU career.
In-state freshman merit scholarships
| Name | GPA (based on a 4.0 scale) | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Chancellor | 3.95+ | $20,000 ($5,000 per year) |
| Traditions | 3.85 to 3.94 | $16,000 ($4,000 per year) |
| Crimson & Blue | 3.70 to 3.84 | $12,000 ($3,000 per year) |
| Rock Chalk | 3.5 to 3.69 | $8,000 ($2,000 per year) |
| Jayhawk | 3.25 to 3.49 | $4,000 ($1,000 per year) |
Out-of-state freshman merit scholarships
| Name | GPA (based on a 4.0 scale) | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| KU Excellence | 3.95+ | $64,000 ($16,000 per year) |
| KU Distinction | 3.85 to 3.94 | $56,000 ($14,000 per year) |
| KU Achievement | 3.70 to 3.84 | $48,000 ($12,000 per year) |
| KU Performance | 3.5 to 3.69 | $40,000 ($10,000 per year) |
| KU Access | 3.25 to 3.49 | $32,000 ($8,000 per year) |
National Merit Finalists
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will add $1,000 per year to the award of students who have been named National Merit Finalists and have chosen KU as their top college choice. Similar to other merit-based aid, renewal criteria must be met.
Eligibility
- To be eligible for institutional scholarships, you must send to KU your official or unofficial high school transcripts. The most effective way to submit them is to submit them along with your admissions application. If you don’t send in your transcripts, awards will be withdrawn.
- Scholarship decisions are based on a student’s GPA. After the student’s sixth high school semester, KU will use either the weighted or unweighted GPA, depending on which is more advantageous to the student. Scholarships are not given by KU based on grades that students self-report.
- Domestic students who enroll in at least 12 credits for both the fall and spring semesters right after high school graduation are eligible for these scholarships.
- Please get in touch with your admissions representative if you believe your application needs more scrutiny.
Renewal
- Each academic year, the student must complete at least 27 hours at KU, which can include any summer coursework, and maintain a 3.25 KU GPA.
- Scholarships are awarded for either eight semesters of enrollment or the completion of the student’s first bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.
Need-based aid
Freshmen entering next year who submit their FAFSA by February 1 and show they have financial need will be given consideration for our Jayhawk Access Grant. If granted, the student’s financial aid overview, which becomes available in early March, will include this grant.
About the University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, the state’s capital, as well as a number of satellite campuses, research and educational hubs, healthcare facilities, and educational programs spread throughout Kansas. The university’s medical school and hospital are located in Kansas City, Kansas, and the Edwards Campus is located in Overland Park. Both of these branch campuses are in the Kansas side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Additionally, Garden City, Hays, Leavenworth, Parsons, Topeka, a rural agricultural education center in north Douglas County, and branches of the medical school in Salina and Wichita all have educational and research facilities. The college belongs to the Association of American Universities and is categorized as one of the “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity” institutions.
The university was established on March 21, 1865, and it officially opened its doors in 1866 thanks to a charter granted by the Kansas State Legislature in 1864 and legislation passed under the State Constitution in 1863, which was adopted two years after the former Kansas Territory was admitted as the 34th state to the Union in 1861.
In the fall of 2021, there were 23,958 students enrolled at the campuses in Lawrence and Edwards. An additional 3,727 students were enrolled at the KU Medical Center (KUMC), bringing the total number of students enrolled at the three campuses to 27,685. In the fall of 2021, the university as a whole (including KUMC) employed 4,776 faculty members, including librarians, administrators, and graduate student workers.
FAQ
Assurance of admission criteria: a GPA of at least 2.0 along with an ACT score of at least 21 or an SAT score of at least 1060.
Ranking #121 out of 443 National Universities is the University of Kansas. Schools are rated based on how well they perform against a set of generally recognized indicators of excellence.
The basketball team and extensive course offerings at the University of Kansas, the state’s premier research institution, are well-known. West of Kansas City, on about 860 wooded acres, is where the Lawrence, Kansas, campus is located. In the Big 12 conference, the Jayhawks compete against 16 varsity NCAA Division I teams.
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