Financial Aid

Kentucky Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

Kentucky gave merit aid averaging $8,450 to 2,436 first-year students who had no financial need, about 81% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

Scholarships Kentucky gave to first-year students who had no financial need.

Average merit award

$8,450

Freshmen who got one

2,436

of 6,438 in the class

Share of those without need

81%

who received merit aid

Need-based aid

For first-year students the college found to have financial need.

Average need-based grant

$9,921

Average percent of need met

57.2%

Freshmen with need

53%

3,438 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $18,278.

How to read these numbers

Merit aid is awarded for grades, scores, or talent. Need-based aid is awarded for family finances. A student can receive both.
The merit figures count only students with no financial need, so they show what a family that will not qualify for need-based aid can expect.
A grant does not have to be repaid. A package can include loans, which do.

Email me Kentucky's aid numbers

A link to this page, plus the merit aid comparison for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Kentucky give merit scholarships?

Kentucky gave merit aid averaging $8,450 to 2,436 first-year students who had no financial need, about 81% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at Kentucky?

$8,450 for first-year students without financial need, according to Kentucky's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does Kentucky meet full financial need?

Kentucky reports meeting 57.2% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid. A figure under 100% means the average student was left with a gap to cover.

What share of Kentucky freshmen have financial need?

3,438 of 6,438 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 53%, were found to have financial need.

Source: Kentucky’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section H, for first-time, full-time freshmen. Last checked 2026-10-08. These are averages for one entering class, and some colleges report the prior year’s class in this section. Your own offer depends on your family’s finances and your application.