So far, the plan is working. In the past few years, Cardinals have graduated with the second-lowest student debt among all Kentucky four-year public universities.

In 2024, the university is supporting students with an infusion of need-based aid. “We’re dramatically increasing aid, going to a 20% increase in need-based aid,” said Jim Begany, vice president for enrollment management.

By expanding the Cardinal Commitment Grant, including additional states eligible for the Border Benefit award and investing in merit-based scholarships, UofL continues to remove financial barriers to college for students who go on to strengthen the community and state.

Cardinal Commitment Grant

UofL is investing $2.4 million toward the Cardinal Commitment Grant in 2024. The grant helps to close the gap between eligible Kentucky students’ financial aid and the cost of attendance, which includes tuition, dining, transportation, books and other expenses.

Previously available only to Pell Grant students, the Cardinal Commitment award expanded to include students with financial need who do not qualify for Pell Grants. All first-time freshman Kentucky residents who have been accepted to UofL and have a demonstrated financial need based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are eligible for the automatic Cardinal Commitment Grant.

“Part of our mission is to move the needle on social mobility and really attract first-generation, low-income students and others by which a college education could transform the lives of not just them but also their generations of family and family members,” said Jenny Sawyer, executive director of admissions. “This grant allows students to really maximize the opportunities at UofL and puts them in a position to not just be able to afford to go to school, but also afford to have a deep, impactful experience while they’re here.”

Border Benefit Award

Students from outside Kentucky can also access an affordable education at UofL through the Border Benefit program, which gives residents of select bordering states and metropolitan areas the chance to attend UofL at in-state tuition rates.

Beginning in fall 2024, the Border Benefit award will expand to include transfer and first-time college students in all counties in Ohio and West Virginia. The award is already available to students from all Illinois and Indiana counties, select Ohio counties and some counties surrounding the Nashville and St. Louis metropolitan areas.

Students residing in regional areas can receive an estimated $16,000 per year award, which reduces their tuition to the equivalent of Kentucky in-state tuition. In fall 2023, Border Benefit students made up over 13% of the incoming freshman class. 

Merit-based scholarships

UofL’s efforts to make college affordable also include high-achieving students through expanded investments in merit-based, competitive scholarships such as the Grawemeyer Scholarship, McConnell Scholars, Martin Luther King Scholars, Woodford R. Porter Scholarship and Henry Vogt Scholarship programs.

These niche scholarship programs encourage research, innovation and intellectual curiosity at the university and attract students who took rigorous high school curricula and are committed to creating positive change in the commonwealth and beyond.

Benji Kostic, a Vogt Scholarship recipient, is a first-generation American whose parents moved to Louisville as refugees from Bosnia. The biology major, who will graduate in May, works in clinical research at the Norton Leatherman Spine Center and as a chemistry tutor at UofL and hopes to one day become an orthopedic surgeon.

“The Vogt Scholarship allowed me to explore various opportunities at UofL because I didn’t have a financial burden,” Kostic said. “I was able to join clubs and get involved without also getting a job to pay for my schooling. It made me feel very free.”

“We’re always looking for ways to help our local and state-wide community,” said President Kim Schatzel. “This expanded grant will give more Kentucky residents access to a college degree without the stress of a heavy financial burden and provide an opportunity for them to make an impact on their communities after graduating.”

The grant will help close the gap between eligible students’ financial aid and the cost of attendance, which includes tuition, dining, transportation, books and other expenses.

Freshman biology major and first-generation student Elienai Moreno Ramirez is one of the students who received the grant this year.

“Right off the bat, it was covering so much of my tuition and I thought, ‘This is so great, and it’s renewable, so I don’t even have to worry about applying for it each year. It’s just automatically there.’ Getting this grant was a sign telling me that I could do this, I could afford college and achieve my dreams,” said Ramirez, a Cuba native who hopes to go to medical school at UofL after graduating. “This scholarship is just another stepping stone that’s there to push me forward and aid me as I accomplish my goals for the future.”

All first-time freshmen Kentucky residents who have been accepted to UofL and have a demonstrated financial need based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are eligible for the automatic award, which could be either full tuition coverage or range from $2,000-$9,000. Award amounts are calculated after considering the federal and state need-based grants, KEES, university and institutional aid given to each student.

The grant is renewable for students who continue to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, but is locked based on the award amount offered in the students’ first year at UofL regardless of changes to a student’s state or federal aid.

Eligible students should  by May 1 to be considered for the Cardinal Commitment Grant.

For more details on the Cardinal Commitment Grant, visit .

Beginning with the fall 2024 semester, the Border Benefit award will expand to include transfer and first-time college students in all counties in Ohio and West Virginia. The Border Benefit is already available to accepted first-time freshmen and transfer students from all counties in Illinois and Indiana as well as select Ohio counties and some counties surrounding the Nashville and St. Louis metropolitan areas.

Students residing in regional areas can receive an estimated $16,000 per year award, which reduces their tuition to the equivalent of Kentucky in-state tuition. Since the award’s inception in 2022, 465 students have received the Border Benefit award. In fall 2023, Border Benefit students made up over 13% of the incoming freshman class. 

“The Border Benefit expansion is just one example of UofL’s dedication to increasing access to and affordability of education,” said Jim Begany, vice president of enrollment management. “We’re eager to help more students find success and earn their college degree without an overwhelming financial burden.”

Incoming students automatically receive the renewable award upon admission to UofL. No additional application is required. Students must submit a to apply before May 1. UofL guarantees the Border Benefit award until May 1 for students entering UofL in the fall.

For more information on the Border Benefit award, visit