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University of Kentucky

Students comparing University of Kentucky on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Lexington, Kentucky24,763 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 40Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

University of Kentucky: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #233 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #694 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #258 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #205 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #795 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 24,763 undergraduates, admits 92.9% of applicants, and posts a 71.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,140; aid recipients pay $18,851 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,025.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
92.9%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$18,851

62% below the $50,156 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$59,025

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
71.4%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$22,500

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1070–1290

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Kentucky ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#143of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#233of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#694of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#258of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A-#205of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#795of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Kentucky's position moves 45 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Kentucky

University of Kentucky is a public institution in Lexington, Kentucky. Federal data show 86.8% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $18,851 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $50,156 sticker cost against $18,851 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Kentucky on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$13,502

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$34,140

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$16,016

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $50,156 a year, but the average family pays $18,851 — a 62% difference. 22.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Kentucky's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    86.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    24,763

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Kentucky: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $34,140 and on-campus room and board is $16,016, for a published total of $50,156 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $18,851.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 92.9%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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