KU's new renewable scholarships make college affordable

LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas education is becoming even more affordable thanks to a package of new, four-year renewable scholarships for freshmen and two-year scholarships for transfer students.

“We don’t want finances to keep students who are ready to attend KU from being able to realize their educational dreams,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “These new scholarships will open the door to a KU education, and by rewarding academic achievement, encourage students to do well in both high school and college.”

Starting with the Fall 2012 incoming class, KU will automatically award students renewable scholarships according to their academic performance. Prospective students will now know what scholarships they qualify for even before they apply, and KU will confirm the awards within two weeks of a student’s admission to the university.

Four-year scholarships for Kansas students run as high as $40,000. Students and their families can visit the new affordability website, affordability.ku.edu to see the range of scholarships, grants and financial aid available. Prospective freshmen must apply by Nov. 1, while the deadline for transfer students is Feb. 1.

The university has also created the KU Pell Advantage program, which will be available to new Fall 2012 Kansas freshmen who receive Federal Pell Grants and meet academic requirements. The KU Pell Advantage assures high-need students a gift aid package to fully fund 15 hours of KU tuition and fees each semester for four years, through federal, state and institutional resources. This is just one of the many need-based aid options available to students with limited resources.

“When combined with our Four-year Tuition Compact, these renewable scholarships add to the affordability of a KU education,” said Gray-Little.

In FY 2010, KU provided more than $70 million in scholarships and grants to 13,878 students, and tuition and fees at the university rank 28th lowest among the nation’s top 34 public research universities.

For more information on the new scholarships and on how to apply to KU, visit the affordability website.