More selective than 24% 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 $34,391. College Scorecard.
Higher than 93% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 81% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 88% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 67% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
University of Kentucky acceptance rate & admissions
Of 28,233 applicants, University of Kentucky admitted 26,083 and 6,437 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1070–1290 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
University of Kentucky 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 University of Kentucky costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of University of Kentucky 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 | $12,182 | $51,895 | 2.0 years |
| $30–48k | $12,119 | $51,627 | 2.0 years |
| $48–75k | $16,313 | $69,493 | 2.7 years |
| $75–110k | $21,192 | $90,278 | 3.5 years |
| $110k+ | $26,781 | $114,087 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (54% 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 ($59,025) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $25,509 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.
University of Kentucky majors, earnings & careers
University of Kentucky offers 93 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 19
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Engineering · 12
- Health & Medicine · 11
- Business & Finance · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Arts & Design · 7
- Communications & Media · 4
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at University of Kentucky
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $99,945 | $21,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $99,535 | $22,250 |
| Chemical Engineering | $98,003 | $25,308 |
| Electrical Engineering | $96,913 | $25,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $90,654 | $25,000 |
| Accounting | $85,777 | $23,250 |
| Materials Engineering | $84,796 | — |
| Finance | $84,087 | $22,375 |
Quick list of all 93 majors
- Accounting$85,777
- Agricultural / Animal / Plant / Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other$60,375
- Agricultural Business$65,847
- Agricultural Engineering$68,605
- Agricultural Production Operations$46,843
- Agricultural Public Services$42,612
- Animal Sciences$53,918
- Anthropology—
- Apparel and Textiles$66,255
- Applied Mathematics—
- Architectural Sciences and Technology—
- Architecture$62,383
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management$49,167
- Biology$52,163
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Biotechnology—
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$44,333
- Business$69,451
- Business Administration—
- Business Economics$74,202
- Chemical Engineering$98,003
- Chemistry$73,549
- Civil Engineering$81,031
- Communications$55,653
- Computer and Information Sciences$99,535
- Computer Engineering$99,945
- Dance—
- Dietetics—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$68,532
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$44,352
- Education (Subject Teaching)$51,379
- Electrical Engineering$96,913
- English$44,384
- Environmental Science / Conservation$50,204
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences$47,296
- Finance$84,087
- Food Science and Technology—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$55,633
- Forestry$51,331
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$62,966
- Health Administration$70,942
- Health Sciences$82,533
- History$46,111
- Hospitality Management$52,477
- Information Science / Studies$65,407
- Interdisciplinary Studies$55,937
- International / Global Studies$47,698
- Journalism$52,785
- Landscape Architecture$64,143
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$36,942
- Linguistics$45,148
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$70,776
- Materials Engineering$84,796
- Mathematics$75,222
- Mechanical Engineering$90,654
- Medical Laboratory Science$77,663
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions—
- Mining and Mineral Engineering—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$39,746
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$81,941
- Nutrition Science—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physics and Astronomy—
- Plant Sciences—
- Political Science$57,514
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$46,570
- Public Health$59,163
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising$62,754
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work$51,313
- Sociology$56,266
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$56,234
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$52,815
- Studio Art$41,406
- Theatre$38,475
- Visual and Performing Arts$40,538
- Writing$38,822
- Zoology / Animal Biology—
— 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 →Marketing → Marketing specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Lexington
Overall prices in the Lexington-Fayette, KY area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,416. Housing costs 23% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 15 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Fayette County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Fayette County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare University of Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky | 93% | $18,851 | 71% | $59,025 | This school |
| Western Kentucky University | 94% | $10,990 | 56% | $43,889 | |
| University of Louisville | 79% | $17,988 | 61% | $53,899 | |
| Murray State University | 86% | $9,096 | 61% | $44,737 | |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 78% | $11,040 | 50% | $45,795 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Kentucky would cost you $7,861 more per year than Western Kentucky University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of Kentucky, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$3,199).
- University of Kentucky gives aided families $2,342 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kentucky resident | University of Kentucky | Western Kentucky University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,502 | $11,652 | +$1,850 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,000 | +$200 |
| Housing & meals | $15,242 | $12,043 | +$3,199 |
| Personal & travel | $5,444 | $2,409 | +$3,035 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$997 | −$2,916 | +$1,919 |
| Sticker price | $34,391 | $24,188 | +$10,203 |
| Average grants | −$15,540 | −$13,198 | −$2,342 |
| You pay | $18,851 | $10,990 | +$7,861 |
“+” means University of Kentucky 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 University of Kentucky
What is the University of Kentucky acceptance rate?
University of Kentucky accepts 93% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 26,083 of 28,233 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1070–1290 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.
How much does University of Kentucky cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $34,391 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,851 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $12,182 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,781.
How much do University of Kentucky graduates earn?
Former University of Kentucky students earn a median $59,025 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the University of Kentucky graduation rate?
71% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 87% return for their second year.
How long does a University of Kentucky degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of Kentucky costs about $69,493 after grants ($16,313 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $59,025 ten years after starting, $25,509 more than high school graduates in Kentucky ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 2.7 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is University of Kentucky the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing University of Kentucky with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
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: “University of Kentucky: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-kentucky (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).