Frequently Asked Questions

As a transfer student, with a 2.0 GPA and 24 earned credit hours, you can be admitted into the majority of UK's programs of study. However, there are a number of majors that are considered selective, which have slightly higher GPA requirements. Please note, UK has adopted a test-optional policy through the 2024-25 academic year. This means students who have earned less than 24 hours can be considered for admission without standardized test scores.

Read about Transfer Admission Requirements

Majors in the Colleges of Business and Economics, Communication and Information, Design, Engineering, Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Nursing and Public Health are considered selective.

Yes, the Colleges of Design, Fine Arts and Health Sciences have required additional applications for prospective students. 

College of Design Admissions

College of Fine Arts Admissions

College of Health Sciences Admissions

Apply Online 

Some majors are designated with a Pre- status until you obtain major standing here at UK. If you're having trouble finding your major, try looking in the P section of the alphabetical dropdown menu when you select your major in the online application.

Kentucky residency is evaluated by the residency team in the Office of the Registrar. Read more about residency here or email your questions to residency@uky.edu.

We will accept both hard-copy official transcripts as well as digital copies, provided that they are sent to us by the institution that you previously attended and are indeed official copies. Have digital transcripts sent to admissions@uky.edu and hard-copy transcripts can be addressed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 100 Funkhouser Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0054.

You can check your application status by logging into the online application and clicking the Check Status link under the Already applied? header.

You will receive a letter in the mail regarding your admission decision about three to four weeks after we receive your application and supporting documents.

You will confirm your acceptance offer by registering to attend a Big Blue Nation Orientation. Once you receive your acceptance packet in the mail, follow the instructions to set up your linkblue account and choose an orientation date.

Sign up for your Big Blue Nation Orientation via myUK, following these instructions. Attendance is required for all students, with the exception of summer non-degree students and military-affiliated students with verifiable orders that interfere with the orientation dates.  At BBN Orientation, you'll sit down with your academic advisor and schedule your first semester of classes here at UK  - you don't want to miss out on that!

orientation.uky.edu

You will be able to register for classes with the help of your college advisor at your Big Blue Nation Orientation. After your first semester, you will register for classes during priority registration. You will be assigned a window when you may register for classes online through the myUK portal. 

The application fee is required to process your application. However, there are opportunities for free applications at certain recruitment events and on Transfer Tuesdays.

If you hold a current US visa or will need to apply for one, complete the international application here. All other prospective students will complete the domestic application. Once your admission officer receives and reviews your application, our International Student and Scholar Services team will contact you a list of needed items.

You can transfer with any number of credit hours earned after high school graduation. If you have 24 or more earned credit hours, we will only require a transcript from each college or university you have previously attended. If you have 23 or fewer earned credit hours, we will also need your high school transcript and your ACT/SAT scores (optional through 2024-25) in addition to your college transcript(s). UK is test-optional for admission through the 2024-25 academic year; this means students with less than 24 earned hours may be considered for admission without standardized test scores. Learn more about our test-optional policy here. You can find more information about this on our Transfer Requirements page.

We are not be able to accept ACT or SAT scores that are more than five years old. If your scores are more than five years old, you will either need to retake the ACT or SAT, attend a community college until you have earned at least 24 credit hours or students may also choose to apply using our test-optional policy. Applying test-optional meaning students with less than 24 earned credit hours may be considered for admission to UK without standardized test scores. Learn more about our test-optional policy, which runs through the 2024-25 academic year, here.

Unlike ACT/SAT scores, AP scores do not expire! Please see the CollegeBoard’s AP website for information regarding their maintenance of AP records.

While it is difficult to know exactly how your credits will transfer unless you've applied, your college-assigned academic advisor will be able to give you a better forecast of your degree progress, which often depends on course availability and pre-requisites. For a general summary of the courses you will have left to complete your degree program, a transfer advisor can assist you in an advising appointment.

The course catalog is housed by the Office of the Registrar. You can find a full list of yearly course offerings here, and if you're curious about specific semester offerings, contact the Registrar here.

UK does offer online classes. In fact, many UK program, certificates and degrees can be completed online through UK Online. Semester offerings can be found in the course catalog maintained by the Registrar. 

UK offers 200+ undergraduate degrees in a variety of disciplines including STEM, business, health care, the humanities, arts and design, education and the social sciences. Explore all of our majors and minors here. If you're unsure of what might be the right major for you, contact a transfer advisor for guidance.

While in the process of transferring to UK or completing coursework through other institutions, a transfer advisor will serve as your resource. The transfer advisors are divided by regions for in-state transfer students and by alphabetical order of your last name for out-of-state transfer students. Find your dedicated transfer advisor here. 

Advising holds are lifted automatically for new students during their Big Blue Nation Orientation, where you will meet with a college academic advisor and schedule your first semester of classes. 

GETA is the Kentucky statewide General Education Transfer Policy is an agreement between all Kentucky public institutions that facilitates the transfer of general education coursework. Eligible students can be certified in up to five categories from their previous institution to complete the corresponding categories at UK. Check out the detailed GETA breakdown on our Transfer Requirements page.

UK accepts up to 67 hours of college-level credit from 2-year institutions and an unlimited number of college-level credits from 4-year institutions. So, yes! Your credits will be processed and matched to UK courses with the help of an equivalency officer. Your transfer advisor can help you understand how those credits might apply to your intended degree or which degree might incorporate the most of your past work.

UK does accept dual credit issued from accredited higher-learning institutions. If you took college-level classes in high school, the college or university that awarded this credit must send a transcript for it to be added to your UK record. Dual-credit coursework can not be accepted from only a high-school transcript.

UK has limited opportunities for high school students to earn UK credit as part of their high school coursework (most of these opportunities are available in high schools that are part of our Next Generation Scholars Network). However, a transfer advisor can help dual-credit students determine which classes offered by other universities may transfer to UK as required coursework.

You can check your transfer credits in one of two ways, and both are accessed from myUK - your myUK GPS degree audit and your UK unofficial transcript.

• To access your degree audit, click the Student Services tab in myUK, followed by the Degree Planning and Registration (myUKGPS) subtab. This shows how your previous coursework applies to your UK major. You'll also register for classes in this system at your Big Blue Nation Orientation.
• To access your unofficial transcript, click the Student Services tab in myUK, followed by the myRecords subtab and the Unofficial Transcript link in the sidebar. This view will show you how your credits transfer in a line-by-line fashion.

Once you have received your acceptance packet in the mail, it will likely take around two weeks for your transfer coursework to be added to your student record. Our office processes transfer coursework in the order it was received, so if it's not currently appearing on your UK unofficial transcript, that doesn't mean that none of your coursework will transfer. Rather, we just have not had a chance to process it on our end yet!

College transcripts can usually be obtained from the student records, registrar or bursar's office at your current (and previous) institutions. There is usually a small fee associated with the request. Official transcripts can be sent electronically by the institution directly to admission@uky.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to Office of Undergraduate Admission, University of Kentucky, 100 Funkhouser Bldg., Lexington, KY 40506-0054.

Unfortunately, we cannot. You will need to submit documentation from whichever institution supplies the credential. This means contacting (or accessing electronically) services like ACT, College Board or the college/university(s) is responsible for your previous college credit.

Yes, we have to see all of your college work from the school that actually gave it to you.

Yes! We offer academic scholarships to transfer students with a minimum 3.0 GPA and at least 24 college-level credit hours. We also offer competitive transfer scholarships with their own unique requirements. You can read more about our transfer scholarship opportunities here.

Tuition at UK, like most public universities, can fluctuate from year to year. You can look at tuition details for the current year here. It's also important to note that the "sticker price" for tuition is not often what you would wind up paying. Financial aid and scholarship opportunities can play a large role in the final amount due. Use our Net Price Calculator to get an idea of what your expenses might be to attend UK. Feel free to contact a Financial Aid Counselor with questions. If you have not been admitted, then Lexie Foellger will be able to help you.

A KCTCS degree does not guarantee a tuition adjustment to other Kentucky public institution. However, UK does offer a competitive scholarship opportunity that meets the difference between in-state KCTCS tuition and in-state UK tuition. Read more about the Trustees Scholarship here.

The short answer is that it depends on your specific situation. You have a five-year window from when you first graduate from high school to use your KEES money. Additionally, you must have maintained Kentucky residency during your tenure at your previous institution and not yet received a bachelor's degree. If you meet all of these requirements, your KEES money can still be used at UK. If you have additional questions about KEES, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Your linkblue account is your access to most online portals and resources at UK, so it's critical that you set up it as soon as possible. There are instructions in your acceptance packet, and a step-by-step setup wizard at newstudent.uky.edu.

The wizard will also assist you on setting up your UKY email address. We encourage students to also set up a recovery email address using their personal email address for their UKY account. You may also forward your UKY email to your personal email address.

Students do not have to live on-campus (no matter how far away your family lives or how many credit hours you have). However, you can if you would like. UK Campus Housing has great options for transfer students who want to live on campus. If you would prefer to live off-campus, we have support services for you too. Our Office of Off-Campus Student Advising can help you learn more about the ins-and-outs of living off-campus. 

Your parking options will depend on your on or off campus status. Students who live in on-campus residence halls may have access to resident lots closer to their halls where as commuter students may have access to commuter lots disbursed across campus. Learn more about parking options and permit costs on UK Transportation's website.

That communication error message generally means that there is some type of personal information in the password you're attempting to use, which the system is not accepting. This can include parts of your name, your birthday, your address or any other personal identifying information. Try using a different password, and if that still doesn't work, contact UK ITS at 859-218-HELP (4357) or 218help@uky.edu.

There are no age restrictions for our residence halls, so yes! There are also residence halls that are dedicated to upper-level students and more apartment-style options in University Flats. Visit Campus Housing's website to learn about all the housing options for transfer students. Campus Housing can also help you find a suitable roommate if you don’t already have one in mind.

When you're on UK's campus, you are never more than a five minute walk from a campus dining location! UK is surrounded by places to eat and has many favorite local and national brand restaurant options incorporated into campus. UK Dining also offers meal plans to utilize the “all you care to eat” campus dining options. Read more about UK Dining as an on-campus and commuter student here.

Welcome and thank you for your and your family's service to our country! Our Veterans Resource Center is dedicated to helping you succeed here at UK. Connect with the VRC to learn more about the opportunities available for you at UK.

Project Graduate is a Kentucky-wide initiative to assist adult learners with 80 or more earned credit hours to return to school and finish their first bachelor's degree. You can find more information, including program benefits and contact information, here.

We're excited to have you back! Check out our readmitted students page for more information on how to continue your college career at UK.

We do! The BCTCBlue+ program is designed for BCTC students who intend to complete an associate in arts or science (AA or AS) degree and then transfer to UK. The program will allow you to take up to 12 credit hours of pre-major or major coursework at UK for BCTC prices while simultaneously pursuing your AA or AS degree at BCTC. You can find more information on the program on BCTC's website here or by contacting the program coordinator, Kelsey Carew, at kelsey.carew@uky.edu.

Transfer students are only students who have attended another institution after graduating high school, so if you only have dual-credit coursework, you'll still be applying as a first-time freshman. Just make sure you send the Office of Undergraduate Admission a copy of your official transcript from your dual-credit institution so we can add that coursework to your UK student record.

Great question! UK's Human Resources has an FAQ page that covers all the basics. You will need to start the process by applying to UK via our online application and filling out the EEP Tuition Waiver Form.

You can sign up for a campus tour through the Visitor Center website. The Visitor Center can also assist in connecting you with your academic college to schedule a program tour. Be sure to reach out several weeks in advance and we'll help craft a visit tailored just for you! Additionally, we have transfer-student-specific tours offered as part of our Transfer Visit Days.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our hometown because #UKLovesLex. Lexington is a vibrant, friendly community of a little more than 330,000. Our hometown has a close connection with the University and a culture that students describe as close-knit, eclectic, opportunity-rich, and supportive of all things local. Lexington is within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population. You get the best of both worlds here - city bustle adjacent to campus, nestled in the midst of beautiful rolling hills and immaculate horse farms a short drive out of town. Lexington is a great city with plenty of opportunities to try new things or connect to current interests. Check out VisitLex.com to learn more about our hometown.

Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 859-257-2000 or email us UKTransfer@uky.edu; we're here to help and will you get the answers you need!