Whitlock Building 251
Phone: (859) 622-2361
Fax: (859) 622-2019
Email: finaid@eku.edu

Financial assistance is available to help students offset the cost of their college education. There are five types of financial aid: grants, loans, employment, entitlements, and scholarships. The grants, loans, and federal work study programs are need-based. To determine how much money and for which programs the student qualifies, he/she must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year.

Entitlements include but are not limited to resources from the Veterans Administration and Vocational Rehabilitation. Scholarships are awarded from the University as well as outside sources. For information regarding entitlements, students should contact the Division of Student Financial Assistance at (859) 622-2361. This office can guide the student to the proper source depending on the type of entitlement or scholarship the student is interested in pursuing.

For scholarship information, students should contact the Scholarship Office in the Whitlock Building, Room 346 (859) 622-8032.

Entitlements

Veterans Program

The Veterans Program at Eastern Kentucky University is approved by the Kentucky Approving Agency for Veterans Education for the education of veterans and their eligible dependents. Students concerned with veterans training should have, at the time of registration, a certificate of eligibility. This is secured from the regional office of the Veterans Administration. The University is responsible for the completion of certain Veterans Administration forms and the other necessary information about students who receive this aid.

If you have completed courses while in the armed forces, ask the Registrar about the possibility of receiving credit for such courses.

Veterans Administration Benefits

War orphans, widows, children and wives of deceased and disabled veterans should contact the Veterans Administration, 600 Federal Place, Louisville, Kentucky (phone: 1-800-827-1000). Application forms are available in the EKU Office of Veterans Affairs. For information concerning tutorial assistance or refresher courses, contact the Office of Veterans Affairs at Eastern Kentucky University in the Whitlock Building, Room 442. The telephone number is (859) 622-7838.

Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)

EKU supports the efforts of OVR to serve eligible individuals with disabilities. The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation provides vocational rehabilitation services to eligible individuals with disabilities. Individuals receiving OVR services may also contact the EKU Center For Student Accessibility for academic accommodation. For more information about eligibility criteria call the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation toll free at 1-800-372-7172 or (502) 564-7172, or visit the website at https://kcc.ky.gov/.

Fellowships

African-American students who have been accepted to the graduate school and are

1. eligible for in-state resident fee status and
2. registered as part-time students may apply for a $500.00 African American Graduate Fellowship through the graduate office.

Awards are available for the fall and spring semesters and can be applied toward tuition, books/material and incidentals.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are positions given to the most outstanding students. Duties may include laboratory supervision, teaching, and research related tasks. Stipends are competitive and assistantships supported through the Graduate School include a partial tuition waiver of six graduate hours per semester for a full-time appointment. Additional assistantships are available through the Office of Student Housing and other academic and administrative units and many of these also provide a partial tuition waiver.

Graduate Assistants (GAs) are appointed by the individual departments of each college and subject to the approval of the Graduate School. Questions regarding application for appointment should be directed to the graduate coordinators of that department.

Graduate Assistants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program and must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 hours of graduate coursework applicable to their degree. Students in their final semester of graduate study who have applied for graduation may hold an assistantship with less than full-time enrollment. Students admitted to the Graduate School on Probationary Admission are typically not eligible for Graduate Assistantships.

Graduate assistants on part-time appointments are permitted to work up to 10 hours per week in other on-campus employment subject to approval by the Graduate School. Appointments are limited to no more than four academic terms (summers excluded). Exceptions to this may be considered for students enrolled in graduate program that exceed 36 hours.

Dr. Rodney Gross Diversity Scholarship

The Dr. Rodney Gross Diversity Scholarship provides financial assistance to high achieving students from all segments of society: Alaskan, Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or Latino. Applications may be obtained by contacting the Scholarship Office by phone (859) 622-8032 or via the web at www.scholarships.eku.edu.

Student Loans

The Federal Perkins Loan is a 5 percent simple interest loan awarded to exceptionally needy students. This loan is made to degree seeking postbaccalaureate and graduate students. Rank I students are not eligible. Repayment begins nine months after the student ceases to be enrolled on at least a half time basis. There are certain occupations which allow a student to cancel a percentage of the money they borrow from this program. Contact the Loan Accounts Office in the Whitlock Building, Room 216, for more information regarding the cancellation and deferment options. All first time Federal Perkins Loan borrowers must be enrolled for thirty (30) days before their first Perkins disbursement can be released.

The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program is a program available to students who are enrolled at least half time. For Graduate students, half time is considered 4.5 credit hours or greater per semester. This loan is for degree seeking graduate students. Rank 1 students are not eligible. Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 per academic year. Keep in mind that the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan cannot exceed the student’s cost of attendance minus all other student financial assistance. ¹Each annual loan limit is for one award year (12 month period; i.e. fall, spring, summer). To apply for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, all students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid available at www.fafsa.gov. The Office of Student Financial Assistance will process the loan and electronically submit the information to the U.S. Department of Education. In order to receive a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, all students must complete both entrance counseling and sign the master promissory note at www.studentloans.gov.

¹

Each annual loan limit is for one award year (12 month period; i.e., fall, spring, and summer).

The Student Aid Society (Emergency Loan) program is designed to provide emergency short-term loans to students. It must be repaid. Students may borrow a small amount of money on a personal note at a legal rate of interest for a one month period. Money is made available through contributions of the University, alumni, private organizations and many individual friends of the University.

You must be enrolled as a full time student, have a 2.0 (“C”) overall grade point average, a means of repayment, and must not have a past due balance. All students are eligible to apply for these short-term loans regardless if they are receiving other forms of financial aid. An application form obtained from the Loan Accounts Office in the Whitlock Building, room 210 must be completed. Allow at least two days for processing.

The loan must be repaid within four weeks, and the student is charged an interest rate of 2 percent. Students who have delinquent loans will have their grades sealed in the Registrar and will not be allowed to register for the next semester. Delinquent loans will be collected through a collection agency. Any additional expenses incurred in the collection of the note will be added to the student’s repayment.

Student Employment

Eastern Kentucky University offers its students two employment programs. One is the federal work study program which provides part-time jobs to students who have financial need as determined by the Application for Federal Student Aid. This program is federally funded. The other is the EKU institutional work program. Eastern Kentucky University provides funds to employ students who want to work on-campus, but do not qualify for the federal work study.

Both of these programs employ students on a part-time basis, and students are paid every two weeks for the hours they have worked. Their job schedule is built around their class schedule. A variety of jobs are available including typing, filing, farm work, food service, resident hall assistants, tutorial work, as well as community service jobs. Contact Human Resources for more information at the Jones Building, Room 2013, between 8:00 am – 4:30 pm (M-F) or by phone at 859-622-5094, option 1.