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Student Financial Services Administration Building Room 002 (606) 218-5254 FinAid@upike.edu
UPIKE’s Office of Student Financial Services assists Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) students with securing financial support that helps meet the costs of their education. Every student applying for financial aid must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with the appropriate federal processor to assess aid eligibility. UPIKE complies with the federal requirement that all students who receive financial assistance from Title IV and Title VII funds must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
KYCO tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year is $45,000. The cost of attending a four-year doctor of optometry program varies from school to school. At KYCO, the cost of attending is inclusive of many benefits not provided at other institutions, including:
This standard student budget is a conservative estimate of the cost to attend KYCO and maintain a modest but adequate standard of living.
Note: This budget is typically based on nine months. The first disbursement will be in early September and the second in mid-January. Please budget your personal and household costs in accordance with these payment dates.
The Kentucky College of Optometry Student Advantage program exists to ensure that all of our students enter on a level playing field. This means that students who are admitted with few financial resources have the same educational opportunities as those with greater resources. At no additional cost, entering students are provided an iPad Pro, all required texts, membership dues paid to the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) and the Kentucky Optometric Student Association (KOSA), NBEO preparation program and verified credentials-maintenance of health records and immunizations and more. The KYCO Advantage Program has a value of approximately $15,000.
Tuition is billed by semester for enrolled students. No part of the tuition will be refunded to a student who withdraws for any reason after the fourth week of the beginning of an academic semester. Withdrawal is defined as a student dropping to zero credit hours in a given semester. It is strongly advised that a student receiving financial assistance meet with the Office of Student Financial Services before withdrawing from coursework to discuss the financial consequences.
A tuition refund, if applicable, requires prior written notification of withdrawal from the university. A withdrawal can impact a student’s bill as well as any financial aid the student has received. The tuition refund schedule for KYCO will be prorated as follows:
No course, clerkship or rotation will be credited toward promotion, graduation or subsequent credit if a student has not paid the required tuition and fees, including any additional tuition incurred by repeating any portion of the regular program. UPIKE’s Board of Trustees reserves the right to change the schedule of tuition and fees, without advance notice, and to make such changes applicable to present as well as future students of KYCO, and to establish additional fees or charges for special services whenever, in their opinion, such actions are deemed advisable.