Our scholarships are awarded based on the student’s GPA, leadership potential, community or academic involvement and essay answer.
All undergraduate scholarships are applied for through the ScholarshipUniverse platform. Although only one application is required for most College of Communication and Information scholarships, there are many potential awards depending on your major. The College of Communication and Information scholarship application typically opens in early January and closes in March.
If you have general questions regarding ScholarshipUniverse, please click here.
For more information on using ScholarshipUniverse, please click the button below.
Click the button below to view a recording of the 2026 CI Undergraduate Scholarships Information Session.
Undergraduate Scholarships
Please note: You will not see the individual scholarships listed below in ScholarshipUniverse. You will only see a general scholarship associated with your major (Ex. JAM General Scholarship). Your application will be matched to any and all qualifying scholarships after submission.
This scholarship honors the memory of Adam Altman, a former student in the College and son of ISC professor Dennis Altman. The scholarship is awarded to an ISC major who exhibits creativity in the discipline.
The scholarship(s) shall be awarded to student(s) who are enrolled in the College of Communication and Information, are print or broadcast journalism majors and will be either a junior or senior during the academic year the scholarship is awarded. Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and plan to pursue a career in journalism. Preference in the award of this scholarship be given to a student from the metropolitan areas of Louisville, Kentucky, and Detroit, Michigan.
This endowment was established in 2006 to provide scholarships for students enrolled at the university with a declared major in Media Arts and Studies.
This fund was established in 2005 to honor Bernie Vonderheide. Bernie Vonderheide spent 23 years of his public relations career speaking on behalf of the University of Kentucky. This scholarship is open to undergraduate students with a major in integrated strategic communication, who demonstrate interest in public relations as a career and have journalistic writing experience on or off campus.
Established in 2024 in memory of Betty Frances Compton, UK Class of 1951 and a Muses Mill native, who served as a picture editor for the Kentucky Kernel. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and spent her early career in journalism at the Thoroughbred Record and Lafayette Journal and Courier. An intellectual, she studied linguistics and taught English as a second language. Her warm, generous and gracious spirit brought joy to all who knew and loved her. The award was established to provide scholarships to students studying from Kentucky with financial need.
This endowment was established to award a scholarship to students who demonstrate an interest in public relations as a career and have reporting experience either on or off-campus.
This scholarship is awarded to students with strong writing skills, high academic standards, interest in a journalism career through work on campus and is a declared journalism major. The scholarship honors the memory of Carol Sutton, the first woman to head a major American newspaper when she became managing editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal in 1974. Sutton is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame (1985).
The endowment was established to provide scholarships for students who are graduates of a high school located in Pike, Letcher, Harlan or Floyd counties in Kentucky.
Upper Division students only. Established in 1990, these scholarships are awarded to two juniors and two seniors that demonstrate the potential for academic success and show need for financial assistance.
Each year, the Department of Communication offers an Outstanding Senior Award and an Outstanding Junior Award. These awards are based entirely on academic merit. Eligible students will be contacted by the unit to apply for this award. Winners are selected by a faculty committee.
Application Overview
To be eligible for a College of Communication and Information scholarship, applicants must:
- Be admitted to University of Kentucky with a primary or secondary major in the College of Communication and Information.
- Complete the College of Communication and Information application in ScholarshipUniverse.
- Write a thoughtful essay of approximately 500 words or less that answers the application questions (details below).
- Write a thank you letter to the donor that has funded your scholarship.
- Attend the CI Student Awards ceremony in the spring of their award year.
Applicants will be asked to upload a current resume that includes: work experience/internships; community service; involvement/extracurriculars and awards and recognition.
Applicants will be asked to complete an essay of 500 words or less detailing their goals for their professional life, how those goals impact society and how their CI major will help them realize their achievements.
CI scholarships are awarded for one academic year, in two equal amounts, for the fall and spring semesters. Students must re-apply for continuing student scholarships in the spring semester of each year for the following year.
The CI scholarship application for Fall 2026 will open on Monday, January 19, 2026, and close on Monday, March 2, 2026 To apply please visit ScholarshipUniverse.