When you think of the University of Kansas (KU), you likely picture basketball and the “Rock Chalk Chant” echoing through the stands. But beyond the legendary athletics and famed Jayhawk mascot, KU is perched atop Mount Oread, providing sweeping views. KU also boasts a top-notch honors program. With a flexible and supportive academic environment KU offers strong majors in journalism, architecture, design, education, social work and engineering to name a few. Whether you’re interested in the “creator economy” through their unique professional performance major or looking for a tight-knit community in Lawrence, KU has a place for everyone.
Read on to learm more about the famed Jayhawks from our chat with Mason Rettele an Admissions Representative for KU.
The Nest: Tell us a fun fact or about a tradition that is unique to your university.
Mason: When people think about KU, aside from its academics, typically the first thing their brain goes to is KU athletics and, more specifically, KU basketball. Its legacy is undeniable; in fact, the inventor of the game, James Naismith, was our first coach. Accordingly, many of our most beloved traditions are rooted in KU athletics, including Waving the Wheat, the Confetti Toss, and the Rock Chalk Chant, which Teddy Roosevelt called “the greatest college cheer ever devised.”
What visitors often don’t think about when they picture Kansas is the hills! Students are always surprised by the beauty of campus, aided in part by it being perched atop Mount Oread, which offers sweeping views of the city of Lawrence and its surroundings. All together, KU’s spirit, scenery, and sense of community make it a place where there is something for everyone to appreciate.
The Nest: What is the most unique major you offer?
Mason: We offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Professional Performance designed to help student artists, athletes, musicians, entrepreneurs, and influencers in building a profession around their personal talents and interests. The program blends coursework in content creation, web design, brand development, and monetization, and personal/business finance with hands-on experience creating and promoting a personal or professional brand. In addition to equipping graduates to thrive in the creator economy as content creators, brand ambassadors, and media personalities, graduates are well-positioned for careers in areas such as digital marketing, brand management, and entrepreneurship.
The Nest: Who is the best-fit student for your university?
Mason: KU’s unique strength lies in its community. It’s the people in the city of Lawrence, the global alumni network, and, of course, the students. The best-fit student is someone eager to put themself out there to tap into these communities and take advantage of everything KU has to offer. It goes beyond gaining a world-class education; students who thrive at the University of Kansas are those who build and maintain community through study abroad experiences, research opportunities, the more than 500 student organizations, athletic events, and so much more. The relationships built and the memories made through these activities are what turn new KU students into lifelong Jayhawks.
The Nest: What application plans do you offer, and how should students determine which plan is best for them?
Mason: KU uses rolling admissions and does not offer early action, early decision, or other binding application options. While there are occasionally small incentives for students who apply earlier in the fall (think t-shirts, pennants, etc.), the main deadline for students to keep in mind is December 1st. Students who apply by this date are automatically eligible for KU’s merit-based scholarships.
The Nest: What is your best application advice for prospective students?
Mason: KU has pretty straightforward assured admission criteria. The very first thing we look at when we receive a student’s application is their GPA. With that, the main piece of advice I offer to students: keep your grades up! Doing so keeps your options open, not only regarding the colleges and universities that will admit you, but also regarding the amount of scholarship money those institutions will award you.
At KU, our merit-based scholarships are automatically awarded to students with a 3.25 GPA (weighted or unweighted), and higher GPAs mean greater scholarships. Students can be awarded up to $16,000/year in merit aid, just for applying before December 1!
For students who do not meet KU’s assured admission criteria, we conduct a holistic review of their application, where we look at additional information such as extracurricular activities, short answer/essay responses, etc., before making an admissions decision.
Application/College insights from The Nest:
- KU is on the Common Application
- Rolling Admissions
- December 1st: Freshman Scholarship Deadline (automatic merit scholarship with 3.25 GPA or higher)
- February 1st: FAFSA Priority Deadline
- Test-optional
- iPEDS 25th/75th percentiles:
- ACT: 20 – 28
- SAT: 1070 – 1300
- 87% Retention Rate!
Helping you soar sooner,
Carrie
