Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students in the College of Engineering benefit from more than $800,000 annually in scholarship support. Scholarships are awarded based on merit and financial need and are available to incoming freshmen, transferring students and current students. While some scholarships are competitive and may or may not be renewable, others are granted automatically based on grade point average and ACT score. Beyond scholarships, students may apply for traditional forms of financial aid through the UK Financial Aid Office, or they may opt to join the Cooperative Education Program in which students can earn money while working in engineering.
Students do not need to fill out an application for each scholarship. For more information about this process visit the Financial Aid page on the Main College of Engineering site.
Graduate Students
Financial aid for international graduate students is provided primarily by the department. This aid is provided as Research Assistantships (RAs) and Teaching Assistantships (TAs).
Research assistants are chosen by individual professors who have openings in their research programs. RAs are expected to contribute to the research effort in accordance with the student’s experience level, the specific responsibilities defined by the funding professor. In addition to being a source of financial aid, a research assistantship is an opportunity to gain hands-on research experience that can form the basis of a graduate thesis. There is no formal application process for research assistantships, but all mechanical engineering professors have access to the files of graduate school applicants, and may chose to contact you about a RA position. Alternately, you may directly contact any professor whose research interests you. Short biographical sketches of faculty members, including their research interests and contact information, are available here.
Teaching assistants are chosen by the department based on the needs of the course schedule for a given semester and the input of concerned faculty members. TAs are expected to grade assignments, be available to answer questions from students in the class, and otherwise assist the professor in class preparations. Teaching assistantships are typically given on a semester-by-semester basis, and students may be both a TA and a RA over the course of a given academic year. Like research assistantships, there is no formal application process for a teaching assistantship. However, if you are a new Ph.D. student and are interested in a teaching assistantship, please contact Dr. McDonough, Director of Graduate Studies.
There is no set timetable for the awarding of RAs and TAs; these decisions are made on a continuous basis. If you are offered an assistantship, you will be notified immediately.
At the university level, there is no institutional financial aid designated for international students. For further assistance, you might want to contact the Office of International Students and Scholars at (859) 257-2755, or 112 Bradley Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0058. You might also contact the International Affairs Office at (859) 257-4067, or 311 Bradley Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0058. The International Affairs Office also has a website here.
Other possible sources of financial support are fellowships granted from outside the university. The eligibility of international students for these awards is determined by the granting organization. A regularly updated (but not exhaustive) list of outside fellowship opportunities is located on the prospective graduate student website under the Fellowships, Assistantships, and Support Funding topic.