University of Kentucky (UK) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

The University of Kentucky is a land-grant university and a flagship public university. The campus sits on 784 acres of land in Lexington, Kentucky which is an urban environment. The university is an excellent research university, according to the U.S. News and World Report.

John Bowman founded the university in 1865. The original name was the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky. Originally, this university was a male-only school, but in 1880, women received admission. The early campus consisted of the Barker Hall, the main building, and a lake. The UK is home to some of the largest buildings in the United States. The Biomedical Biological Science Research is one of the largest buildings in the state of Kentucky.

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Information Summary

Ranks 4th in Kentucky and 280th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	90.7
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$30,101
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	29 / 1300
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	19 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	85% / 39%
Enrollment Total (all students)	29,182

Academics

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredits the University of Kentucky. The university has 16 colleges that includes the College of Agriculture, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of Communications & Information Studies, College of Dentistry, College of Design, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of Health Sciences, College of Law, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, and College of Social Work.

Several of the Programs rank in the “Top 20” programs, including nursing, pharmacy, entomology, health communications, plant pathology, molecular biomedical pharmacology, anatomy and neurobiology, and educational psychology.

Students can choose from 4 professional degrees, nearly 100 undergraduate degrees, nearly 100 master’s degrees, and many doctorate degrees at this university. A few of the major departments are the Department of Art, Department of Theatre, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Department of Pharmaceutical, Department of Civil Engineering, and Department of Computer Science.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

This university has students from many countries that travel from all across the world to attend school here. The basic admission requirements for freshmen include a non-refundable application fee with the application, ACT scores and SAT scores, and GED scores or high school transcript. Students who are interested in scholarships must also include a scholarship essay and a co-curriculum summary with the application. The deadline to submit applications is early February for the fall semester and summer sessions and early October for the spring semester.

International students seeking an undergraduate degree must complete an application, submit a non-refundable application fee, submit transcripts from previous colleges, provide a syllabi in English and the native language of each course on the transcript, provide a bank statement on letterhead, submit ACT and SAT scores, submit a sponsor guarantee form, and include IELTS or TOEFL scores. The application deadline is early March for the summer sessions, early October for the spring semester, and early May for the fall semester.

Those seeking admission into graduate school must have a bachelor’s degree, and undergraduate GPA of 2.75 and a graduate GPA of 3.0, an official transcript from the undergraduate institute, official GRE scores, official IELTS or TOELF scores, and an application fee for domestic students and international students. Applications are due in early March for the fall semester and early August for the spring semester.

Slightly different requirements are necessary for admission into a medical school. The deadline for applications is early November for regular decision and early August for the Early Decision Program Applicants. Students must submit MCAT scores along with the graduate school application. It is also necessary to have letters of recommendation submitted. You may also be selected for personal interviews that are conducted may the interviewing panel. The interviews take place at various times from August to March.

The requirements for entrance into law school are a completed application, a signed certification letter for those applying online, a bachelor’s degree, LSAT scores, application fee, transcripts from previous colleges or universities, and letters of recommendation. Applications are due in early March.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid is very important for many students. There are a number of financial options in which students may choose. The financial aid process begins with the completion of the FAFSA form to determine eligibility. Students may qualify for grants, loans, and work-study programs. Others may choose to apply for scholarships. FAFSA applications must be completed by early February for consideration.

Private loans may be an option for students who do not qualify to receive federal financial aid. The school has a link on the website for students who are interested in this form of financing. Students must meet basic requirements that vary by lender.

Scholarships are available through the University of Kentucky. The university also offers scholarships for students in need who complete the FAFSA form. The awards begin at $500 per semester for full-time students. Incoming freshman must have a minimum SAT score of 1240 or a minimum ACT score of 28 to qualify. Current students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA to qualify.

The university also offers academic scholarships for incoming freshmen, current students, and transfer students. Departmental scholarships are also available to students. Links are available on the website for students’ convenience. An increasing number of scholarships are available to students from outside contributors. A few of available scholarships are the Hope Scholarship/Lifetime Learning and Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 1489th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Kentucky.

Students

Campus life has much to offer students who enter the campus. There are over 250 student-operated organizations on the campus for students to enjoy. There are 23 residential halls on the campus. A few of the halls are Donovan, Jewell, Keeneland, New North, Smith, Patterson, Kirwan I, and Haggin. There are also on campus apartments for interested students. There are 7 main dining facilities on the campus. Lemon Tree is located in Erikson Hall and K-Lair is located near Haggin Hall.

Libraries are important to college students because they provide a peaceful environment in which students can study. There are 15 libraries on the campus, including the Education Library, Shaver Engineering Library, Law Library, Agricultural Information Center, Distance Learning Library Services, Design Library, and Special Collections and Digital Programs.

There are currently 25 fraternities and 16 sororities on the campus of University of Kentucky. A few of the sororities are: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Xi Delta , Ceres, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Delta

A few of the fraternities on campus are: Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Tau Omega, Beta Theta Pi, Farm House, Kappa Sigma, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Chi, Sigma Pi, Triangle Fraternity

This school is home to two independent FM stations. One of the stations, 91.3 FM WUKY, is the first radio station of Kentucky and the first university-owned FM station in the U.S. The other station, 88.1 FM WRFL, operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The university radio stations began operating on October 17, 1940 in Beattyville and moved to Lexington five years later. The radio station became the first station in Lexington to broadcast digital radio in high-definition.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

UK is part of the Southeastern Conference. The school has 21 varsity teams with many fierce competitors. The school colors are blue and white. The school’s mascot is Blue the Wildcat. The teams include basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, track and field, rifle, cross-country, swim and dive, golf, baseball, tennis, softball, soccer, and tennis.

One of the biggest attractions on the campus is the Rupp Arena that seats 23,500. Fans look forward to seeing the cheerleaders perform the traditional “Big K” cheer during the games. The team has won 6 NCAA championships between 1948 and 1996. The men’s basketball team became the first team to reach 2000 all time wins on December 21, 2009. The 2000th win was over Drexel University.

The football team has made many bowl appearances in the past, including the Music City Bowl in 2006 and 2007 and the Liberty Bowl in 2009. All of these victories occurred under Rich Brooks, the first African-American football coach in the school’s history.

Additional School Information

The university has over 140,000 alumni currently living in Kentucky. There are many famous graduates including, Ashley Judd, actress; Thomas Hunt Morgan, Nobel Prize recipient in Philosophy of Medicine; Steve Beshear, Kentucky governor; Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader and U.S. Senator; Paul Chellgren, CEO and Chairman of Ashland Inc.; and William Lipscomb, Nobel Peace Prize winner in Chemistry.

University of Kentucky