More selective than 56% of Kentucky colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $23,735. College Scorecard.
Higher than 50% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 42% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 58% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 28% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Eastern Kentucky University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 17,082 applicants, Eastern Kentucky University admitted 13,340 and 2,782 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 880–1080 on the SAT or 19–25 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Eastern Kentucky University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Kentucky residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Eastern Kentucky University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Eastern Kentucky University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Kentucky. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $8,591 | $37,199 | 3.0 years |
| $30–48k | $8,005 | $34,662 | 2.8 years |
| $48–75k | $10,382 | $44,954 | 3.7 years |
| $75–110k | $14,384 | $62,283 | 5.1 years |
| $110k+ | $17,009 | $73,649 | 6.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (40% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($45,795) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $12,279 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Eastern Kentucky University majors, earnings & careers
Eastern Kentucky University offers 66 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 13
- Business & Finance · 10
- Science & Math · 10
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Communications & Media · 5
- Education · 4
- Engineering · 3
- Arts & Design · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at Eastern Kentucky University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians | $92,289 | $34,786 |
| Construction Management | $88,120 | $25,500 |
| Nursing | $83,920 | $27,370 |
| Fire Protection | $80,497 | $27,000 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $77,992 | $28,999 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $68,774 | $25,145 |
| Business Administration | $68,249 | $26,500 |
| Homeland Security | $67,096 | $28,343 |
Quick list of all 66 majors
- Accounting$59,609
- Agricultural Production Operations$53,450
- Air Transportation$66,943
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$77,992
- American Sign Language$36,755
- Anthropology—
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services—
- Biology$48,327
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$41,368
- Business$57,724
- Business Administration$68,249
- Chemistry$52,216
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences$68,774
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Construction Management$88,120
- Criminal Justice$47,882
- Curriculum and Instruction—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$38,951
- Education (Subject Teaching)$41,893
- Engineering-Related Fields—
- English$35,203
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$63,685
- Fire Protection$80,497
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$59,838
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic Communications—
- Health Administration$55,570
- History—
- Homeland Security$67,096
- Human Development and Family Studies$39,921
- Insurance—
- International / Global Studies—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$51,386
- Legal Support Services—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$43,352
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$53,559
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science$63,533
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$37,673
- Nursing$83,920
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$41,877
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$43,786
- Psychology$41,384
- Public Health$51,086
- Public Relations and Advertising$49,272
- Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians$92,289
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$66,530
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Work$46,705
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$38,991
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$50,818
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$35,365
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management$40,149
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Richmond
2 bedrooms $993.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 48 inches of rain a year, 1 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Madison County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Madison County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Eastern Kentucky University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Kentucky by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Kentucky University | 78% | $11,040 | 50% | $45,795 | This school |
| University of Louisville | 79% | $17,988 | 61% | $53,899 | |
| Western Kentucky University | 94% | $10,990 | 56% | $43,889 | |
| Northern Kentucky University | 68% | $8,191 | 52% | $50,220 | |
| Morehead State University | 77% | $9,793 | 52% | $43,197 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Eastern Kentucky University would cost you $6,948 less per year than University of Louisville, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Eastern Kentucky University, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$5,114).
- University of Louisville gives aided families $2,258 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kentucky resident | Eastern Kentucky University | University of Louisville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $10,320 | $13,136 | −$2,816 |
| Books & supplies | $0 | $1,274 | −$1,274 |
| Housing & meals | $11,735 | $11,690 | +$45 |
| Personal & travel | $2,800 | $7,914 | −$5,114 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,120 | −$1,073 | −$47 |
| Sticker price | $23,735 | $32,941 | −$9,206 |
| Average grants | −$12,695 | −$14,953 | +$2,258 |
| You pay | $11,040 | $17,988 | −$6,948 |
“+” means Eastern Kentucky University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Eastern Kentucky University
What is the Eastern Kentucky University acceptance rate?
Eastern Kentucky University accepts 78% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 13,340 of 17,082 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 880–1080 on the SAT or 19–25 on the ACT.
How much does Eastern Kentucky University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,735 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $11,040 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $8,591 and families earning $110k+ pay $17,009.
How much do Eastern Kentucky University graduates earn?
Former Eastern Kentucky University students earn a median $45,795 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Eastern Kentucky University graduation rate?
50% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 77% return for their second year.
How long does a Eastern Kentucky University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Eastern Kentucky University costs about $44,954 after grants ($10,382 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $45,795 ten years after starting, $12,279 more than high school graduates in Kentucky ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 3.7 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Eastern Kentucky University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/eastern-kentucky-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).