Mira Ball hosted a reception for LEADS scholarship winners on March 18, 2019. Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK Photo
UK LEADS is a nationally recognized program designed to identify and support students whose primary barrier to success is financial need, providing them with targeted scholarships and aid to help them complete their education. The program aims to reduce unmet financial need by using data-informed analytics.
Since its launch in 2016, donors have committed almost $34 million to UK LEADS. In that time and across the entirety of the program, including both donor and institutional awards, almost 9,000 students have received UK LEADS funding totaling nearly $81 million. In addition, for the almost 3,000 students receiving the UK LEADS targeted retention grants, those students came back for their second year at a rate 11% points higher than we were predicted without additional funding.