University of Kentucky student life

The University of Kentucky offers a variety of choices to students. The choices range from a number of dining options, residence halls, and athletic facilities to student organizations, religious groups, Greek-letter organizations, and intramural competitions/campus recreation.

Greek-letter organizations

Social organizations

There are 14 sororities and 25 fraternities that serve the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Sororities

Name	Chapter Founding Year	Notes
Alpha Chi Omega	1966	Closed since 1976, recolonization for 2015 to 2016 school year
Alpha Delta Pi	1941
Alpha Gamma Delta	1908
Alpha Kappa Alpha	1975
Alpha Omicron Pi	1982	Closed since 2018
Alpha Phi	2009
Alpha Xi Delta	1908	Closed since 2004
Ceres	1997
Chi Omega	1914
Delta Delta Delta	1923
Delta Gamma	1962
Delta Phi Mu	2008
Delta Sigma Theta	1975
Delta Zeta	1923
Gamma Phi Beta	1966	Closed since 1982, recolonization for the 2019 to 2020 school year
Kappa Alpha Theta	1945
Kappa Delta	1910
Kappa Kappa Gamma	1910
Phi Sigma Rho	1999
Phi Sigma Sigma	1952	Closed since 1957
Pi Beta Phi	1962
Phi Mu	2011
Sigma Alpha Iota	1967
Sigma Gamma Rho	1992
Sigma Kappa	1989	Closed since 2010
Tau Beta Sigma	1984
Zeta Phi Beta	1983
Zeta Tau Alpha	1924	Closed since 1992

Fraternities

Name	Founding year	Notes
Alpha Epsilon Pi	1972	Inactive
Alpha Gamma Rho	1920
Alpha Phi Alpha	1965
Alpha Phi Omega	1933
Alpha Sigma Phi	1917	Recolonized Spring 2015
Alpha Tau Omega	1909	Closed in 2018
Beta Theta Pi	1990	Recolonized Fall 2010
Beta Upsilon Chi	2014	Recolonized Spring 2022
Chi Psi	2016
Delta Chi	1914	Inactive
Delta Sigma Phi	1994
Delta Tau Delta	1924
Delta Upsilon	2013
FarmHouse	1951
Kappa Alpha Order	1893
Kappa Alpha Psi	1981
Kappa Kappa Psi	1984
Kappa Sigma	1901
Kappa Upsilon Chi	2007
Lambda Chi Alpha	1930	Inactive since 2010
Omega Psi Phi	1980
Phi Beta Sigma	1990
Phi Delta Theta	1901	Recolonized fall 2016
Phi Gamma Delta	1958
Phi Kappa Psi	1988	Closed since 2016
Phi Kappa Tau	1920
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia	1922
Phi Sigma Kappa	1926
Pi Kappa Alpha	1901	Recolonized spring 2017
Pi Kappa Phi	1996
Pi Lambda Phi	1949	Inactive
Sigma Alpha Epsilon	1900	Closed in 2021
Sigma Alpha Mu	1915	Inactive
Sigma Chi	1893
Sigma Nu	1902	Recolonized Spring 2013
Sigma Phi Epsilon	1933
Sigma Pi	1973
Tau Kappa Epsilon	1951	Inactive
Theta Chi	1968	Reinstalled 2010
Triangle	1920
Zeta Beta Tau	1942	Recolonized Fall 2021

Honor societies

• Omicron Delta Kappa
• Alpha Psi Omega

Campus dining

Name	Location	Notes
Blazer Cafe	Blazer Dining	Dining Hall
The 90	Across from William T. Young Library	Features Papa John's Pizza, Zen Sushi, Chick-fil-A, Wildcat Pantry and a dining hall.
Intermezzo	Intermezzo at the Patterson Office Tower.	Features sandwiches and drinks.
K-Lair	Central campus near Haggin Hall.	A fast-food establishment.
Lemon Tree	Second floor of Erikson Hall.	Features upscale salad and entree options.
Student Center	Reopened in 2018 after a major expansion and renovation project which saw almost all of the previous Student Center demolished, with only the original 1938 Student Center remaining from the pre-renovation complex. During this project, the temporary "Bowman's Den", located next to the Singletary Center for the Arts, served as the student center.	Features Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Subway, Sbarro, and Panda Express.

There are also two convenience stores, located at Blazer Dining and at The 90.

The meal plans for on-campus students no longer utilize a declining-balance system, similar to a debit card. In 2005, a new "all care to eat" plan was initiated to the disfavor of 84.9% of the student body. The cheapest meal plan for on-campus students is $949 per semester, extending upward to $2,013 per semester. These plans also include $300 in "flex dollars" which can be used at all on-campus dining locations, convenience stores, and also Starbucks.

Students can also use their Plus Account to eat at a few select off-campus restaurants, such as McDonald's or Fazoli's.

The construction of The 90 was completed in 2015 by a design team which included Aramark, RossTarrant Architects (Architect of Record & Lead Project Manager) and Tipton Associates (dining services designer). The 82,000-square-foot facility features seating for 1,000, including bar, family, traditional, active, indoor and outdoor seating, as well as student support spaces such as meeting spaces and technology-rich collaborative learning classrooms.

Religion & Life-philosophy

Religious organizations

Listed below are some of the most popular, active, and/or relevant groups on the University of Kentucky's campus. For a more complete list of registered religious student groups, refer to the University of Kentucky's Official Organization Database.

Jewish faith

• Chabad at UK/Chabad on Campus
• Jewish Student Organization/Hillel Foundation

Christian Student Fellowship Building

Christian faith

• Baptist Campus Ministries
• Christian Student Fellowship (Christian churches and churches of Christ)
• Catholic Newman Center
• Fellowship of Catholic University Students
• Wesley Foundation

Islamic faith

• Muslim Student Association

Bahá'í faith

• Baha'i Association

Buddhism

• Buddhist Studies Group
• SGI Buddhist Student Association

Non-religious philosophy groups

• Secular Student Alliance

Campus Recreation

The university provides several facilities for unwinding from the daily campus grind. The Johnson Center, a 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m²) two-story structure located at South Campus, features basketball, volleyball, badminton, racketball, and wallyball courts, along with weight-lifting facilities, and rock climbing walls. It is also the home for some group fitness classes utilizing a large aerobics studio.

The Lancaster Aquatic Center, located next to the Johnson Center, opened in 1989 and features 10 lanes for lap swimming and has shallow space for other water activities.

The Seaton Center, now part of the Johnson Center, features facilities for basketball, volleyball, badminton, jogging, squash, table tennis, and racquetball.

In 2018, the north campus' first recreational facility in decades, Alumni Gym Fitness Center, opened as part of the Student Center expansion and renovation project. The facility is a major renovation of the historic Alumni Gymnasium, which had been home to UK men's basketball from 1924 to 1950.

Residence Halls

The North Campus residence halls, with downtown Lexington in the background.

The Kirwan-Blanding residence halls complex.

Name	Location	Notes
Dale E. Baldwin Hall	South Campus	Constructed in 2005. Co-ed.
Ball Hall	South Campus	Opened in the fall of 2014; known as Woodland Glen II before the 2020–21 school year.
Blanding I, II, III, IV, Tower	South Campus	This, along with the mirror-image Kirwan complex, was home to nearly 5,000 students, most of them freshmen. Blanding Tower was 23 stories tall. The tower was decommissioned as student housing after the 2015–16 school year, with the four low-rises decommissioned a year later; the entire complex was demolished in 2020.
Blazer Hall	North Campus	Female-only dorm. Decommissioned as housing in 2013; since partially renovated into classroom space, with the existing dining facility expanded and renovated. The building is now known as Blazer Dining.
Georgia M. Blazer Hall	North Campus	Opened in Fall 2014.
Boyd Hall	North Campus	Demolished in 2014.
Cloona Belle Matthews Boyd Hall	North Campus	Opened in fall 2016 on the site of the former Keeneland Hall.
Chellgren Hall	South Campus	Opened in the fall of 2014; known as Woodland Glen I until 2017.
Donovan Hall	Central Campus	Female-only dorm, closed in 2014. The Jacobs Science Building currently stands on the site.
Herman Lee Donovan Hall	Central Campus	Opened in fall 2013. Part of the UK Honors Quad.
Greg Page Apartments	South of Kroger Field.
Haggin Hall (1960)	Central Campus	Male-only dorm. Demolished 2013.
Haggin Hall (2014)	Central Campus	Opened in the fall of 2014 at the site of the original Haggin Hall. Part of the UK Honors Quad.
Holmes Hall	North Campus	Ended its service as a coed dorm, though it was female-only and male-only at different times in the past. Demolished in 2014; its site is now occupied by most of Sarah Bennett Holmes Hall.
Sarah Bennett Holmes Hall	North Campus	Opened in 2016. Occupies the site of the former Holmes and Jewell Halls.
Margaret Ingels Hall	South Campus	Constructed in 2005. Co-ed.
Jewell Hall	North Campus	Demolished in 2014. The site is now occupied by part of Sarah Bennett Holmes Hall.
Frances Jewell Hall	North Campus	Opened in Fall 2014.
Lyman T. Johnson Hall	Central Campus	Opened in fall 2013. Part of the UK Honors Quad.
Keeneland Hall	North Campus	Co-ed dorm. Organized into two-room suites, with a bathroom in between. Demolished in 2014 and is now the site of Cloona Belle Matthews Boyd Hall.
Kirwan I, II, III, IV, Tower	South Campus	This, along with the Blanding complex, was home to nearly 5,000 students, most of them freshmen. Kirwan Tower was 23 stories tall. The tower was decommissioned as student housing after the 2015–16 school year, with the four low-rises decommissioned a year later; the entire complex was demolished in 2020.
Lewis Hall	South Campus	Opened in fall 2017; serves as both a residence hall and office space for UK's Lewis Honors College. Part of the UK Honors Quad.
Pigman Hall	South Campus	Opened in Fall 2015; known as Woodland Glen III before the 2023–24 school year
David P. Roselle Hall	North Campus	Constructed in 2005.
Patterson Hall	North Campus	Co-ed dorm. Originally constructed as the UK's first women's dormitory in 1904.
John T. Smith Hall	South Campus	Constructed in 2005. Co-ed.
University Flats	South Campus	Opened in fall 2017 as graduate/professional student housing.
Woodland Glen IV, V	South Campus	Opened in Fall 2015; to be renamed. The first two Woodland Glen dorms opened in 2014, while the third Woodland Glen dorm also opened in Fall 2015; one was renamed in 2017, the second was renamed in 2020, and the third was renamed in 2023.

Campus Safety

The university has had issues with safety on campus. In a survey of 1000 female university students, conducted in the spring of 2004, 36.5% reported having been victims of rape, stalking, or physical assault while at campus. While campus law enforcement statistics do not match the survey results, campus officials have taken steps to increase safety.

In response to the survey, University President Lee T. Todd, Jr. launched an initiative in September 2005 titled the Campus Safety Imperative, which included a quadrupling of annual expenditures on safety. Todd specifically linked campus safety to the goal of becoming a top-20 public research institution, stating that "We will never make gains toward becoming a top-20 public research institution if our students are unsafe or if they lack a sense of physical security. It is part of our fundamental mission, then, to create a campus that provides a safe place to live, to work, and to learn."