The Kentucky Branch is a vibrant, active organization with a devoted focus on enabling student and teacher scholars to study in the United Kingdom and promoting scholarship with students from our state.
The ESU-KY will award a limited number of scholarships to qualified Kentucky college students, and Kentucky middle and high school teachers, for courses offered at institutions in the United Kingdom each summer.
Each award will include tuition, lodging and two meals daily for one session of summer courses at the scholar’s chosen institution—the award is valued at approximately $6000 per scholar. Scholarships also include a stipend to help defray (though not necessarily cover) the costs of travel and incidentals. Each student’s home institution contributes $2000 toward this travel stipend.
Scholars are selected by the Kentucky Branch’s Scholarship Committee following an application and interview process.
STUDENT SCHOLARS:
Applications are currently OPEN. Please read through requirements.
Eligibility: At the time of application, students must be college juniors with one year remaining to complete their undergraduate program.
Eligible Programs: Student scholarships will be awarded for studies in English Literature, Creative Writing, History, and Political Science at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh. Information on eligible summer programs can be found below. The institutions will not have updated their websites for the next summer courses, but they often offer similar courses each year. For application purposes, your study choices and preliminary essays can be based upon what is currently available on the web.
Submission and Selection: College students must submit their applications through their college representatives. If you’re unsure who this is, or you’re from a school that hasn’t previously sent an applicant, reach out to your Scholarship Office. Each participating university selects one student to send to the state-level competition. Every campus sets its own internal deadline, but the applications for the state-level competition must be received by the deadline set by ESU, KY branch, which is November 1, 2025. Students will be notified later in November if they are invited for an in-person interview.
Please note, the ESU TLab Scholarship is a 2-Tier Application process. If awarded an ESU Branch TLab Scholarship, you will then be instructed to complete the application of the UK program you wish to attend and email to ESU National Headquarters by the deadline. All UK applications are reviewed by the ESU and forwarded to the UK by April 1st. The UK institution will email you directly of their admission decision.
TEACHER SCHOLARS:
Applications are currently OPEN. Please read through requirements.
Eligible Programs: Teacher scholarships will be awarded for studies in English Literature, History, and Political Science at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh, and at Shakespeare’s New Globe Theatre in London. The UK institutions will not have updated their websites for the next summer, but they often offer similar courses each year. For application purposes, your study choices and preliminary essays can be based upon what is currently available on the web.
Eligibility: All teachers applying for this scholarship must have a minimum of 3 years teaching experience.
Submission and Selection: Teacher applicants must mail their applications to the ESU, KY Scholarship Committee and must be postmarked no later than November 1, 2025. The ESU-KY Branch Scholarship Committee will contact selected applicants for interview times later in November.
Please note, the ESU TLab Scholarship is a 2-Tier Application process. If awarded an ESU Branch TLab Scholarship, you will then be instructed to complete the application of the UK program you wish to attend and email to ESU National Headquarters by the deadline. All UK applications are reviewed by the ESU and forwarded to the UK by April 1st. The UK institution will email you directly of their admission decision.
Browse some of the available programs and courses:
Shakespeare’s Globe—London:
University of Oxford:
University of Edinburgh:
