2025-2026 Hilltopper Guarantee Scholarship

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WKU remains committed to making higher education a viable path for all students across the state who desire a college degree, regardless of their economic conditions.

WKU guarantees 100% tuition coverage for any first-time freshman student from Kentucky who receives Pell Grant and College Access Program assistance and has at least a 3.0 high school unweighted/cumulative GPA. 

Eligibility & Application   

To be considered for this Supplemental Scholarship, students must 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*
• Have a minimum 3.0 high school unweighted/cumulative GPA
• Be a PELL grant and KY College Access Program Grant recipient
• Be a KY Resident
• 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. For best chance at CAP grant eligibility, students must complete their FAFSA by April 1st, which will increase their chances at being considered for CAP grant. 

**Awards will be offered until funds have been exhausted.

 

Award & Notification

This award will be calculated and applied automatically if a student is not receiving sufficient gift aid* to cover published cost of WKU tuition only. This award does not cover any fees associated with tuition (i.e., course fees, program fees), housing, meals, and books.   

The final award amount will vary per student.

The student’s tuition is covered at a 100% based on gift aid and scholarships. 

The Hilltopper Guarantee award requires full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours each semester at WKU).

This award applies only to Fall/Spring tuition charges. 

*Gift aid that is considered in calculating needed discount includes federal, state, institutional, and foundation awards such as: Pell, SEOG, CAP, KEES, Tuition Waivers, Vocational Rehabilitation, VA/Military Education Benefits, Institutional Scholarships, WKU Foundation, College Heights Foundation, etc. Gift aid does not include student loans which may still be used to pay for a student's housing, books or other expenses. 

 

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 Hilltopper Guarantee is automatically renewable with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (at the end of the spring semester), and continued Pell and CAP Grant eligibility. 

The Hilltopper Guarantee 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 Hilltopper Guarantee  

View All 2025-2026 Beginning Freshman Scholarships