2025-2026 Border State Scholarship

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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 scholarship. Students will receive a scholarship that ensures final tuition charges do not exceed the in-state tuition rate. This amount can vary.

Eligibility & Application   

To be considered for this award, students must be a resident of one of Kentucky's seven contiguous border states (TN, IN, OH, IL, WV, VA and MO)* and have a complete application package on file by December 31st, 2024. A complete application package includes the following:

• Applied AND admitted to WKU
• Have submitted an official high school transcript**
• Be enrolled full-time (12+ credit hours) at WKU

**NOTE: Students conditionally admitted to WKU based upon a self-reported GPA must submit an official high school transcript and be officially admitted by December 31st. Conditional scholarship offers up to that point will be appropriately adjusted to reflect the award for which the student qualifies based upon the updated transcript and admission date. Scholarships estimated upon a self-reported GPA will not disburse to the student account until an official transcript is received.

 

Award & Notification

Student will be assessed the published TIP tuition rate and will receive the WKU Border State Scholarship yielding a net tuition expense equal to the published in-state tuition rate. 

Students receiving this award may also be eligible for Cherry Presidential, Academic, and TOPDollar awards, up to Cost of Attendance.

Does not apply to students assessed military rate, distance learning rate, or any other already-discounted rates. 

If a student is receiving a Border State Scholarship, they would be ineligible for a Tuition Incentive Program Scholarship or WKU Family Scholarship.

Scholarship offers are limited and will be offered pending timely application and availability of funds.

 

Disbursement

Scholarship awards are applied toward tuition charges that exist on the student’s WKU account. Scholarships often disburse before the semester begins and always show as a credit on the bill, not to exceed the cost of attendance budget. In the event that total awards (grants, loans, scholarships) exceed total charges (tuition, fees, housing, meals, books), a refund will be issued to the student up to the cost of attendance according to the refund preference the student selected at my.wku.edu. For more information about the refund process, please visit the Office of Student Billing & Account Services.

Should a student be determined eligible for any full-tuition waiver mandated by the state and funded by the university, all scholarships offered upon admittance to WKU will be upgraded to meet the requirements of the full-tuition waiver. Students may not receive both a university scholarship and a full-tuition waiver simultaneously. Students may receive other cash scholarships such as third-party, foundation, or other externally-funded scholarships.

 

Renewal

The WKU Border State Scholarship is automatically renewable with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (at the end of the spring semester). 

The WKU Border State Scholarship is renewable for up to eight (8) semesters of full-time undergraduate study or until receipt of a bachelor's degree, whichever occurs first.

 

We encourage all students to explore additional opportunities at https://www.wku.edu/topdollar/

 

More Information About The Border State Scholarship.

View All 2025-2026 Beginning Freshman Scholarships