Every student who graduates from the Lewis Honors College earns the distinction of the Lewis Honors College degree on their UK transcript. At our biennial Honors Medal Ceremonies, our graduates receive the Honors Medallion, a tangible symbol of their academic achievement during college. The Lewis Honors College presents annual graduation awards for excellence in research, leadership, and service. In addition, enrollment in Lewis Honors College offers students access to funding and awards that are available exclusively to them: we award need- and merit-based scholarship funding and grants to support student research, travel, Education Abroad, and summer study.
Scholarships, Grants, and Awards
Discover the recognition possibilities
Singletary Scholarship for Prospective Students
All students who are selected to be Otis A. Singletary Scholars receive free tuition for four years plus some support for on-campus housing for two. Singletary Scholars enroll in the Lewis Honors College, where they receive mentorship and benefits from programming to help them develop their leadership potential to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the world.
Grants for Current Students
The Lewis Honors College has limited grant opportunities for students interested in education abroad, presenting at professional conferences, engaging in meaningful research, and other significant summer programs. These funds are intended to support students as they gain experience in their field of study outside of the classroom
Completed application forms should be submitted to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Pearl James.
Education Abroad Grants
Deadline: Same as the EA Scholarship deadlines
The Lewis Honors College partners with the Education Abroad Office to offer additional funding to Honors students that have submitted an UK Education Abroad & Exchanges Scholarship. The Associate Dean will consider the merit of the proposal submitted to the EA Scholarship when making award decisions. Students only need to submit the application to the EA office to be considered and all students that do so will be considered.
Undergraduate Research, Travel, and Summer Grants
Lewis Honors College has funds of its own and from the Office of Undergraduate Research to support undergraduate research, travel, and conference presentations. For more information about undergraduate research funding guidelines, refer to this document from the UK Office of Undergraduate Research. Honors students are encouraged to apply for research funds from their home colleges and departments. In cases where students earn support from multiple sources, they can collect up to but not over 100% of the cost of their program.
Apply anytime; decisions are made on a rolling basis. Priority is given to students whose proposals align with their major or career goals, who have unmet need, and who have not already received funding. For questions, please contact the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Pearl James.
*Instructions for applying and the application form can be found HERE.
For additional scholarship opportunities, please visit ScholarshipUniverse at https://www.uky.edu/financialaid/ScholarshipUniverse.
Graduation Awards
The following graduation awards are presented at the Honors Medallion Ceremony. Students expecting to graduate in December are eligible to be nominated for the graduation awards presented in the Spring semester before they graduate. Nominations for May should be submitted via Qualtrics no later than March 1 for the Raymond Betts Crystal, Diachun, and Leadership awards.
The Raymond Betts Crystal Award
The Raymond Betts Crystal Award is given to an Honors student for outstanding service to the Lewis Honors College and the University of Kentucky community at large.
Diachun Research Award
The Diachun Award is given to a graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding research talent in the form of his/her Independent Project and who holds high promise for further professional development in graduate school. This monetary award is to be used for expenses in graduate or professional school.
Leadership Award
The Leadership Award is given to a graduating senior who has excelled at leadership positions at the university, college, or major level.
Diachun Scholar*
The Diachun Scholar recognition is bestowed on the graduating senior, majoring in science or a related field, who has the highest academic achievement in their graduating class.
Evans Scholar*
The Evans Scholar recognition is bestowed on the graduating senior, majoring in humanities or a related field, who has the highest academic achievement in their graduating class.
The Diachun Scholar and Evans Scholar were created to remember the earliest leaders of the Honors Program at UK, Dr. Stephen Diachun and Dr. Robert Evans. This endowment provides a monetary award for both recipients, which can be used at their discretion.
*Selection for the Diachun and Evans Scholar Awards awards is based on cumulative GPA and course rigor at the end of December before the graduating year. Other academic accomplishments may be given consideration in order to make a selection: academic achievements such as election to Phi Beta Kappa or Sigma Xi; scholarships such as the Rhodes Scholarship or the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship; and breadth of intellectual interest. Students cannot be nominated by students, faculty, or staff. Nominees will be identified by the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and notified by March 15. Notified students who wish to be considered for these awards are required to submit a resume and personal statement by April 1.