Graduate students provide intellect, industry and inspiration for the cutting-edge research that’s at the heart of the University of Kansas. They are teachers and mentors for undergraduates. They serve our university in leadership roles and are members of our local communities. They are also people with lives that sometimes have bumps in the road.
Immediate, unanticipated expenses can make it difficult for graduate students to continue in their program of study. High costs related to an emergency, an unplanned expense or a sudden change in a recurring expense can all significantly impact individuals who are living on a student budget.
Recognizing this fact, KU’s Office of Graduate Studies established the Vice Provost’s Graduate Retention Fund to provide one-time, need-based financial relief awards to graduate students who are facing unexpected financial strain. Funding is limited so that awards are capped at no more than $1,400 per student. Awards are distributed in the form of a scholarship that is applied directly toward a student’s KU tuition. Awards are not loans, and do not require repayment.
In the past year alone, the Vice Provost’s Graduate Retention Fund distributed funding to more than 160 KU students experiencing financial hardship. In many instances, this aid was a critical factor in allowing a student to continue their studies when confronted with otherwise insurmountable expenses.
Of urgent note is that student need is currently outpacing the availability of funds, and deserving students are currently having their needs go unmet due to the exhaustion of the Vice Provost’s Graduate Retention Fund. Every penny raised for Graduate Studies during the One Day. One KU. campaign will be applied to this fund and distributed back to KU graduate students in need. Every donation received helps our reach go that much further.
Life happens, but no KU student should have to choose between covering an unanticipated expense or continuing in their program of study. Relief aid distributed through the Vice Provost’s Graduate Retention Fund helps ensure that unforeseen financial strain doesn’t unravel an academic career. Help us support KU students in need by giving today, in any amount. The Vice Provost’s Graduate Retention Fund will be capable of meeting students' needs only with the thoughtful generosity of donors such as yourself. Thank you!
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Examples of Unexpected Expenses
- Medical bills due to an emergency
- Unanticipated expenses (e.g., the loss of housing and the need to secure new housing; the need to travel due to the death of an immediate family member)
- Expenses that are much higher than anticipated (e.g., a sudden increase in rent or other bills)
- Replacement of belongings lost in a natural disaster
- Safety-related needs (e.g., short-term emergency shelter)
