Funding Your Education
The University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Science offers a wide variety of options for students who are in need of financial assistance. In addition to Federal aid, SLIS offers opportunities for fellowships, scholarships, internships, graduate assistantships and more. Some are offered by the University or library associations. See below for details and how to apply.
Federal Financial Aid
All applicants and students are encouraged to apply for Federal financial aid by submitting their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Interested applicants should also review the information available at the UK Financial Aid web site.
Fellowships, Scholarships, Assistantships, and Internships
Multi-Year Fellowships require no service. Their purpose is to attract outstanding first-year graduate students, and thus they are not available to those already enrolled in the graduate program. They are open only to individuals nominated by their UK graduate programs who meet GPA and GRE requirements established by the Graduate School; they are not open to off-campus students. Because of the schedule the Graduate School sets for these awards, it is essential that an application for admission be received by January 15. The School will nominate only those who, in the School’s judgment and experience, are strong candidates.
Graduate Assistantships & Internships require the student to provide service, generally 15-20 hours per week. Most Assistantships and Internships are awarded to begin the fall semester. The application deadline is March 1. For information about other fellowships and scholarships, visit the Graduate School web site at http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/StudentFunding/funding.html
Apply for a Graduate Assistantship online.
SLIS Scholarships
Hallie Day Blackburn Scholarship Fund supports Kentucky residents who seek careers in public libraries. The award honors the late Hallie Day Blackburn who worked for many years for the Kentucky State Library.
Williena Burdine Broyles Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in 2004 by Marvin Burdine to honor his sister Williena, a librarian in the Somerset, Kentucky school system for 25 years. To be eligible for the award students must be from one of Kentucky's Appalachian counties (as defined by the ARC), demonstrate financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Need and be a major in Library Science.
John Thomas Durham Graduate Student Fund was established by Henry Durham to honor his son Thomas, a graduate (’97) of the School of Library and Information Science. Income from the fund is used to support and enrich the experiences of SLIS graduate student(s) working in the UK Libraries. Graduate student expenses may be partially or totally supported with the income from the Fund. Recipients of the Fund are selected by the Director of School in consultation with the UK Dean of Libraries.
Helen E. Fry Memorial Scholarship Award supports student scholarships. The scholarship honors the memory of Helen Fry a (’34) School of Library and Information Science graduate.
Vivian J. MacQuown Endowment Scholarship supports graduate students seeking Library Science degrees. The award honors the memory of MacQuown a retired UK faculty member.
SLIS Alumni Endowed Fund provides one or more scholarships to graduate students who are enrolled in the School and show a need for financial assistance.
SLIS Endowed Graduate Fellowship Fund supports graduate fellowships based on qualifications.
To apply for any of the above scholarships, please submit our online scholarship application.
Other Funding Sources
Ezra Gillis Graduate Tuition Scholarship is available for non Kentucky residents. This scholarship provides $2,500 per semester for a maxiumum of four semesters. The student must remain in good standing in order for the scholarship to be renewed on a semester basis. More information can be found at http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/StudentFunding/ezra_gillis.html
Lyman T. Johnson Academic Year Fellowship is available as a matching award for those applicants holding the equivalent of a half-time teaching or research assistantship in one of UK’s graduate programs. LTJ Fellowships, in combination with an assistantship, provide up to $15,000 a year for the student plus tuition and health insurance. Open to all qualified individuals, the Graduate School will match department contributions up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for stipends. More information about this award can be found at http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/StudentFunding/LTJ.html
Professional Organizations
Other fellowship opportunities can be found at http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/StudentFunding/fellowship_opportunities.html.
The Kentucky Library Association has offered the Kentucky Library Association Scholarship for Minority Students the past several years. More information about that scholarship can be found at http://www.kylibasn.org/docs/klascholarship.pdf
Each year Women Leading Kentucky awards $1000 - $1500 to several female students around Kentucky. Students from SLIS have received these awards in the past, and all are encouraged to apply online at http://www.womenleadingky.com.
Other groups that may offer funding for library students include the American Library Association, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association.