Two students outside looking at their smartphones

UK Alert

Active UK Alerts

Stay Informed

The University of Kentucky remains committed to the safety of our campus community. One of the most important tools we use to keep our campus informed during emergencies is the UK Alert system, which provides timely information when it matters most.

UK Alert is initiated when immediate action is required in response to an active threat or incident (active aggressor, tornado warning, etc.) on campus.

Ensuring you receive UK Alert is just one of many steps you can take to be Wildcat Ready.

What’s Changing for Faculty and Staff

Starting Nov. 1, 2025, opting in to receive UK Alerts via phone call and text message will now be done through the SafeZone app for UK faculty and staff.

Here’s what you need to know:

To receive phone call and text alerts: Employees must download the SafeZone app and register with a valid cell phone number.

In addition to these alert types, SafeZone users can also choose to receive push notifications through the app.

If you do not download SafeZone, you will continue receiving UK Alerts by email only.

All employees remain automatically enrolled in email alerts, regardless of app use.

All students will be automatically enrolled in all alert types, regardless of app use.

SafeZone flyer with feature details like "emergency assistance" "medical assistance" and "virtual police escort"

Families and Community Members

Parents, families, media, visitors, and other interested parties may register for UK Alert on a voluntary self-subscription basis via text message.

To register for UK Alert:

Parents and families can text UKY-FAMILY to 59713
Media and other community members can text UKY-COMMUNITY to 59713

Frequently Asked Questions

UK Alert uses the following methods to send immediate notifications

Text Message and Phone Call

Text messages and phone calls are sent to all current students who have entered their cell phone information in myUK, and sent to faculty and staff who have registered with a valid cell phone number in the SafeZone app.

Email

UK Alerts are automatically sent to all uky.edu email addresses.

Digital signage

UK Alerts are sent to the hundreds of digital signs that display information throughout campus.

Blue Emergency Towers

Blue Emergency Notification Towers are strategically placed at over 50 locations across campus to provide outdoor alert tones and broadcast emergency messages with 360° loudspeakers.

Desk Phones

University of Kentucky has approximately 9,000 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones throughout campus that announce UK Alerts out loud.

Social Media

Messages posted directly to the University of Kentucky institutional accounts, the UKPD Facebook (University of Kentucky Police Department) and the UKPD X account (@UKPolice).

Push Notifications

Those who have registered with SafeZone can also receive UK Alerts via push notifications by enabling them on your device.

UK Website

UK Alerts will automatically publish in the form of a red banner on uky.edu.

Fire Panels

In some campus buildings, UK Alerts will announce themselves over speakers through the fire panels.