Getting Help & FAQs
Have a question about joining the Cardinal family? You're not the only one! Here's a list of our most common inquiries from incoming students.
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Applying to UofL (First-Time Freshmen)
The priority deadline is February 15. Apply now via the UofL Take Flight application or the Common App. The 2025 application is now open!
A complete application to UofL includes:
- Completed application for admission
- High school transcript
- ACT or SAT score (optional)
- $30 application fee (waived if you are on free-reduced lunch)
Students can choose to apply to UofL without ACT/SAT scores. View our Standardize & Optional Test Information page for more on what this process looks like.
Yes! You can always ask your school counselor or ACT/Collegeboard to send scores to adetran@louisville.edu. If an admission decision has already been made on your application, you must contact your admissions counselor to request that your file be reviewed again.
No, we do not, but some programs (such as engineering, business and nursing) look at your highest math score from any test. It is always beneficial to submit all test scores.
There are a few ways first-time freshmen can submit a transcript to UofL. Your high school counselor can send via:
- Exchange websites such as Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse (preferred)
- Email to: adetran@louisville.edu (preferred)
- Postal services to: Office of Admissions, Dept. AO, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292
We cannot accept any transcript directly from students.
You should receive your admissions decision about 5-7 business days after completing your application. Check your application status in the Application Gateway.
Visit apply.louisville.edu/apply/status and then enter the email address and password you used to apply for admission. Don’t remember your password? There is also a link on that page if you need to reset your password. Students who apply via the Common App will receive an email to create an Application Gateway account after submitting the Common App.
Yes! You can apply via the Common App or UofL’s Take Flight Application
Please view our full admission requirements.
If you are applying without test scores, please review our website dedicated to all things test optional / test optional.
The University of Louisville has the most unique partnership in the country with UPS, and is the only school in the U.S. to offer the Metro College partnership. If you are interested in Metro College, you should first visit the Metro College website to ensure that you meet the requirements. We also strongly recommend talking with your admissions counselor about the program, as it works better for some individuals and academic majors than others. The Metro College website has more information about their application process, how they use FAFSA funds, and more specifics about the type of work done at their Worldport at their website.
Scholarships
UofL has a variety of scholarship opportunities, including a mix of automatic, admissions scholarships, competitive and application-based scholarships. You can visit our website for the most up-to-date information about our available scholarships!
The University of Louisville is committed to making scholarship opportunities available to all students. We will consider students with or without ACT/SAT scores. More emphasis will be placed on a student’s grades, high school curriculum and a student-involvement resume. We do strongly encourage students with qualifying test scores to submit those to automatically receive admission awards. As with any year, there are limited scholarship funds; we will do our best to maximize awarding. Contact your admission counselor for assistance and check your email from our office and our website for the most up-to-date information. All admission scholarships are renewable and awarded for 8 semesters. (Speed School of Engineering students in the 5-year program are awarded 9 for semesters.)
For a full list of admissions scholarships, visit our scholarship website.
The University of Louisville Offers a wide variety of competitive and mentored scholarships opportunities. These scholarships range in scope and scale, as well as in scholarship award amount. If you qualify to apply for a mentored scholarship, the application will appear in your New Cards Gateway. Most competitive and mentored scholarship applications are due by December 15. More information about all of these scholarships can be found on our scholarship website.
We do have some departmental and alumni scholarships; you can check out the list and application requirements here.
The Community Foundation of Louisville is also a good place to look for scholarships.
Admitted Students
We’re glad you asked! You can ensure that you have all of your business taken care of with our First-time Freshman Guide and in your New Cards Gateway. If you have questions about any of these steps, or further questions about the admissions process, please call 502-852-6531, email admitme@louisville.edu or contact your admissions counselor directly.
All first-time freshmen are required to accept their offer of admission and pay a $100 enrollment deposit. This deposit is non-refundable and will be applied to your tuition for the semester that you intend to enroll.
You will accept your offer and pay your enrollment deposit through your New Cards Gateway. If your application fee was waived, your enrollment deposit will automatically be adjusted to $25. Please visit the First-time Freshman Guide for more details.
You will register for your classes as part of New Cards Orientation.
If you were initially admitted for fall and plan to attend UofL both this summer and fall, just let us know via email to admitme@louisville.edu and we will update your start term for summer. You will need to be registered for New Cards Orientation before you can register for a summer course. Advising for summer will happen as part of New Cards Orientation; however, if you need to enroll in a class that begins before your orientation session, please reach out to orient@louisville.edu to be connected with your academic advising unit.
If you plan to attend another college/university and were admitted to UofL for fall, you must reapply as a College Visitor. In addition, we encourage you to reach out to the college/university you plan to attend to make sure the course(s) you are taking will meet their degree requirements. Once you reapply and have been admitted as a College Visitor, you will receive an email in 2-3 business days with information on how to register for your classes.
If you have applied to certain competitive programs but do not meet the minimum criteria (GPA, ACT, or SAT) to begin in that program right away, you may start your time at UofL as pre-major. As a pre-program student, you will have the opportunity to take courses that prepare you for your intended major, and then apply to be part of that program later in your time at Louisville. If you are admitted pre-major, you can still submit new test scores and transcripts during the application process to become eligible for admission to the full major.
After February 20 of your senior year, when you register for orientation you will be asked to verify your major. At this point you can let us know if you want to change your major. If you would like to change your major prior to February 20, please call our office at 502.852.6531 or email us at admitme@louisville.edu and we will assist you.
Yes, When you meet with your academic advisor at New Cards Orientation to discuss your academic goals and your class schedule, you can let them know you would like to double major, or consider a major and a minor.
We anticipate sending out award letters beginning in February 2025.
Congratulations on receiving an outside scholarship! Please go here to let our financial aid office know.
Once your plans are finalized, and you know when you'd like to begin at the University of Louisville, email admitme@louisville.edu. Please include the following information:
- Name, Address, Phone, and Email address
- Semester you would like to begin. (i.e. Fall 2025)
- Major
- Statement confirming you have not attended school anywhere in the past year
*If you do earn college credit during your gap year, you will need to reapply as a Transfer student and, if applicable, your scholarship is forfeited. However, you may apply for a Transfer Scholarship. In addition, please note if you have submitted your enrollment deposit for the upcoming school year, you will be required to pay the deposit again. If you have applied for Housing, please notify Housing of your plans by May 1 to avoid additional charges at 502-852-6636 or housing@louisville.edu.
Residence and Campus Life
The city of Louisville was named the third safest city in America for families, and the University prides itself on being one of the safest institutions around. With a variety of safety measures including a fully-accredited campus police system, a smartphone app (Rave Guardian) specifically designed for UofL, the fully lit, 24/7 “L-Trail” that runs through campus, and the Cardinal Cab that allows students to be picked up and dropped off free of charge by campus police, UofL is a “safe” bet! Find out more about our campus safety measures.
Absolutely! All students are able to bring cars if they would like, and parking pass costs are minimal. No car? No problem! The TARC Bus System is free for all students, and takes you everywhere you need to go across campus, downtown, and around Metro Louisville.
Campus Housing has a 2-year live on requirement for students who are not going to live at home with a parent or guardian. If you are from the Greater Louisville area you have the option to live on-campus or remain at home. You can find out more about on campus housing, or apply to live on campus here. If you do plan to live at home you will need to complete the Housing Exemption request, located in your New Cards Gateway.
No. Per Kentucky law, students who begin as out-of-state students will almost always stay out-of-state for tuition purposes during the length of their time at UofL. For more information about residency policies you can visit our website.
The housing application will open on November 1 to all admitted new students. The priority deadline for Housing is April 1. After you have submitted your housing application they will reach out to you about the selection of your room. Remember, campus housing is guaranteed for all first-time freshmen.
While there is currently no University-sponsored way to find a roommate, many students join unofficial social media groups or use admissions events, like Admitted Student Day and Hometown Admitted Student Nights, to find their future roommates! You are not required to have a roommate preference, and many Cardinals have randomly-assigned roommates that become their best friends for life!
UofL will automatically assign your meal plan based on your housing accommodation. You can find out more information about our meal plans online.
The Student Recreation Center fee is included as part of your bill, so you will have access to it by showing your Cardinal Card (Student ID) during the school year. You must pay the Student Recreation Center fee, regardless of use.
With the Ville’ns student ticket plan, you can get access to every home sporting event for all 23 Division 1 athletic teams for just $12.50 per month over the course of the academic year!
The University of Louisville has 33 Greek organizations, including all Divine 9. In any given year, about 15-20% of UofL students participate in Greek organizations. Learn more about about Greek Life.
Adult & Transfer Students
Thanks for your interest in UofL! Application instructions, requirements, and deadlines can be found here, http://louisville.edu/admissions/apply/transfer/admissions.
There are a few ways to submit transcripts to UofL:
- Send via exchange websites such as Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse
- Email it to adetran@louisville.edu
- Mail it to Office of Admissions, Dept. AO, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292
If you need to check your application file status and view any missing items, you must login to your New Cards Gateway.
Once we have received all of your credentials, the admissions process normally takes 5-7 business days. You will receive notification of your admission status via email in the New Cards Gateway. Admit packets will be mailed within 7-10 business days.
UofL has partnered with CollegeSource to provide students with an up-to-date library of all of our established equivalencies from institutions that we have previously received transfer credit. To view the comprehensive list of established transfer equivalencies, visit UofL's personalized TES® site. Please note that if courses are not listed within your search that does not mean that they do not transfer, it means that we have not reviewed the course previously. UofL's official transfer policy can be accessed here, http://louisville.edu/admissions/apply/transfer/services/course-credit.
We're glad you asked! You can ensure that you have all of your business taken care of with our Transfer & Adult Guide. If you have questions about any of these steps, or further questions about the admissions process, please call 502-852-0166, email transfer@louisville.edu or contact your admissions counselor directly.
After you are admitted, schedule an appointment with your academic advisor by logging into CardSmart with your ULink username and password and clicking "make an appointment." View step-by-step instructions (opens PDF). (If you experience an error, please allow 2-3 business days for the assignment of your academic advisor).
UofL is pleased to offer transfer scholarships to students in varying transfer situations. For information about our scholarship programs please visit http://louisville.edu/admissions/apply/transfer/cost-of-attendance/schp.
For issues logging in to your ULink, Blackboard or your UofL email accounts, please call the IT Help Desk at 502-852-7997.
Visiting and Exploring Campus
Check out our visit page for all in-person and virtual visit questions.