University of Kentucky — College Profile

About

As Kentucky’s flagship public research institution, the University of Kentucky is widely recognized for top-tier programs in pharmacy, nursing, engineering, business, and world-leading equine studies rooted in the Bluegrass region. A major distinction is that UK is one of only a few universities nationwide to house all six major healthcare disciplines alongside agriculture, law, and engineering on a single contiguous campus. Student life is deeply immersed in the passionate school spirit of "Big Blue Nation," marked by legendary SEC basketball traditions and an active, welcoming community in the vibrant college town of Lexington.

Wikipedia:The University of Kentucky is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's two land-grant universities. It is the institution with the highest enrollment in the state, with 35,952 students in the fall of 2024.

Location

Lexington, KY, 40506-0032 · City campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

CVG · Cincinnati

70 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

These figures are federal data and may be out of date.

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition & fees$13,502$34,140

Housing & food (on campus)$16,016$16,016

Books & supplies$1,200$1,200

Cost of attendance$34,391$55,029 est.

Average net price$18,851Not published

Out-of-state prices

Tuition & fees$34,140

In-state: $13,502

Housing & food (on campus)$16,016

Books & supplies$1,200

Cost of attendance$55,029 est.

In-state: $34,391

Average net priceNot published

In-state: $18,851

est. = the in-state cost of attendance with out-of-state tuition swapped in; no out-of-state figure is published.

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24

$0–30k

$12,182

$30–48k

$12,119

$48–75k

$16,313

$75–110k

$21,192

$110k+

$26,781

Your family's actual price → University of Kentucky net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2025-26

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$8,450

First-years who got one2,436

Source: University of Kentucky's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

71%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

55%

Back for yr 2

87%

Transferred

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

69% graduated · 22% transferred · 9% left or unknown · none still enrolled

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$47,266

10 yrs after entry$59,025

Debt

Median at graduation$22,500

Monthly payment$239

Middle 50% owe$5.9k–$26.9k

90th percentile$32,400

Green marks a figure above the typical Doctoral University: 70% graduate within 6 yrs.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

93%

Test policy

Test optional

Checked Sep 2026

SAT average

1215

R 540–650 · M 530–640

ACT midpoint

Comp 21–28 · E 21–30 · M 20–27

SAT middle 50%: 1070–1290

40080012001600

Application deadlines · first-year, fall 2027 entry

Early Action

Dec 1 2026

in 60 days

Not binding: apply early, hear early, and you can still apply elsewhere.

Regular Decision

Feb 15 2027

in 136 days

Not binding: the standard deadline.

Checked Sep 2026 · admission.uky.edu · Confirm on the school's site before you apply.

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Essay prompts

If University of Kentucky asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the Common App.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body

Gender

Men 42%Women 58%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

18 : 1

Pell grant

23%

First-gen

23%

Family income

$61,931

Independent

11%

Veterans

Age at entry

20.0

Part-time

Race & ethnicity

White

76%

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Two or more

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division I-FBS · EADA 2024-25

Baseball
Men's
Basketball
Men's · Women's
Football
Men's
Golf
Men's · Women's
Gymnastics
Women's
Other Sports
Women's
Rifle
Co-ed
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Softball
Women's
Swimming and Diving (combined)
Men's · Women's
Tennis
Men's · Women's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Women's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$47,266

After 10 yrs

$59,025

Business/Commerce, General392

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing387

Marketing385

Finance and Financial Management Services327

Psychology, General276

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas274

Biology, General205

Communication and Media Studies190

Computer and Information Sciences, General156

Mechanical Engineering156

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication134

Accounting and Related Services121

Political Science and Government112

Neurobiology and Neurosciences108

Civil Engineering98

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General93

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$2.0B

Full-time faculty

82%

Faculty salary

$11,984/mo

Teaching spend

$13,191

per student

Federal loans

34%

Classification

Carnegie type

Doctoral University

Research activity

R1 — very high research

$528M research spending · 321 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile

Four-year, selective admissions