Campus News

Cats Get Vaxed: Incentive Program Encourages Student COVID-19 Vaccines

photo of vaccine going into an arm

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 24, 2021) — The university has launched a vaccine incentive program to encourage students to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 

“Vaccines remain our best defense against this virus,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “We want to reach — and exceed — an 80% vaccination rate among our university community. That’s another crucial component of our promise to make it easy to be safe on the University of Kentucky campus. We hope these incentives help us reach this important goal.”  

To be eligible for the incentives, students must:  

  1. Be enrolled in one or more courses in UK. 
  2. Have received at least their first dose of a Moderna, Pfizer or other World Health Organization-approved two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or another World Health Organization-approved single-dose vaccine.
  3. Self-report their vaccine information if they were vaccinated by a non-UK provider.  

View the full terms and conditions here.

If all of the above criteria are met, to enter, vaccinated students must also submit an entry here. Vaccinated students who do not submit an entry at this link will not be eligible to win a prize. 

“Our students have been committed, since the beginning of this pandemic, to making the right decisions for the good of their peers, loved ones and broader community,” said Kirsten Turner, UK vice president for student success. “We are excited to reward them for doing their civic duty and acting with the compassion that is core to who we are at the University of Kentucky.”  

 

How to Enter 

Step 1: Get vaccinated. 

  • Any student who has already received the COVID-19 vaccine at UK can proceed to the next step. 
  • Any student who has received the COVID-19 vaccine through a non-UK provider should submit documentation and proceed to the next step. 
  • Any student who hasn’t been vaccinated but who would like to enter the drawing should request a vaccine appointment. Vaccines are provided on campus at no cost.  

Step 2: Submit an entry. 

  • Once a student has been vaccinated (received at least their first dose of a Moderna, Pfizer or other World Health Organization-approved two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or another World Health Organization-approved single-dose vaccine), they must complete this form to be entered for a chance to win

Prizes 

Students can win a variety of prizes, including a tuition scholarship, Education Abroad scholarship, season passes to UK football and basketball home games, Railbird Festival tickets, Keeneland tickets and much more. A full list of prizes is available here.

Once a student has been selected for an incentive, they will not be eligible for additional incentives this academic year.  

Winners will be notified by phone call or email. 

More Information 

For more information, or to find answers to frequently asked questions, visit this webpage. Members of the community can also email coronavirus@uky.edu for questions about the vaccine incentive program. 

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.