Supporting Our Students
Supporting Our Students
At WKU, we prepare students of all backgrounds to be productive, engaged and socially responsible citizen-leaders of a global society. The University provides research, service and lifelong learning opportunities for its students, faculty, and other constituents. Through our mission, we strive to enrich the quality of life for those within our reach.
Charting an Affordable Path
At WKU, we offer many academic paths with one hundred one academic majors that lead to the baccalaureate degree. We understand the importance of affordability in starting the path. Our commitment to charting an affordable path consists of expanded scholarships and an advanced tuition incentive program. To further support our students, WKU guarantees 100% tuition coverage for any first-time, first-year freshman from Kentucky who receives Pell Grant assistance and has at least a 3.0 cumulative unweighted high school GPA. Plus, first-time freshmen students who are residents of any state that borders Kentucky can attend WKU for the in-state tuition rate by means of a WKU Border State Scholarship. Students will receive a scholarship that ensures final tuition charges do not exceed the in-state tuition rate. This amount can vary.
View the full list of scholarships for first-time freshmen, current students, and transfer students by vising the WKU Office of Student Financial Assistance.
Climbing Confidently
At WKU, our small classroom size - averaging 24 students to 1 faculty member - helps create a foundation for good faculty/student relationships.
Visit the Academic & Career Development Center for support with course plans and questions about your academic programs. Hilltoppers can take advantage of The Writing Center staff for assistance with fine-tuning writing assignments. Plus, the Center for Literacy provides students with additional academic support helping to further prepare them for success in the classroom.
Climbing Confidently also includes support with your success outside of the classroom. The Academic & Career Development Center works with students on finding internships, employment, building a resume, and more. The Center for Financial Success can help Hilltoppers build a budget and create a plan for managing finances during and after college. The Office of Research and Creative Activity can guide students through incorporating research into an experience that supports their future careers.
“I met great peers and advisors who cared about my growth and believed in me. As they continued to believe in me, I went abroad and had numerous experiences that made me more confident as a person, a person with individual thoughts and ideas about the future.” - Reuben Tang of Glasgow, WKU Alumnus
The residence halls provide a space for students from different backgrounds to form communities and make meaningful connections on the Hill. This happens through Living-Learning Programs, resident hall associations, and hall events. In Living Learning Programs (LLPs), students with similar academic or social interests live together on a residence hall floor and participate in activities tailored to their specific majors or interests.
WKU offers more than 300 organizations as options for students to get involved. There are several organizations where students from different affinity groups connect with those of similar interests and backgrounds. Some of these include the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), Amazing Tones of Joy gospel choir, Best Buddies, Black Student Alliance, Black Women of Western, BLAQ Art Nouveau, Building Men of Worth, Caribbean Student Union, Council of International Student Organization, Hilltopper Organization for Latin American Students, KAOIS Dance Team, Major Redz Dance Team, Sister Act Mentoring, and Queer Student Union.
Greek Life refers to the fraternities and sororities on the Hill, and they all fall into three different councils - The Interfraternity Council (IFC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and the Panhellenic Council. The organizations are open to students of all backgrounds, selected from those who meet membership requirements.
Accessibility on the Hill
Austin Bonebreak is just one student who continues to pursue his degree and reach his full potential at WKU.
Driving himself to campus once a week, Austin Bonebrake, a WKU junior, is just a year or so away from getting his degree in environmental sustainability. He calls his sledding accident a total life changer but instead of dwelling on it, he counts his blessings. Hear his story in this View from the Hill.
The Student Accessibility Resource Center (SARC) coordinates services and accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Their most common activities include: reviewing disability documentation, meeting with students to determine appropriate accommodations, and partnering with other areas on campus to implement these accommodations. They strive to help students assume responsibility of their own educational experience. They assist students along the way by providing access and opportunity in order for them to reach their full potential.
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KAP Circle of Support, a program within the Kelly Autism Program at WKU, offers six areas of assistance
to address the challenges faced by students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and increase
their success on campus.
The major areas of assistance provided by KAP Circle of Support include: private residence
hall rooms, study tables, mentoring, socials, mental health counseling and weekly
advisor meetings.
KAP Circle of Support uses Social Information Processing Theory and Executive Functioning Skill Development as its theoretical framework. All participants in the program are degree seeking students at Western Kentucky University. The Kelly Autism Program is the only provider of these types of services in the region.