# University of Kentucky

Public college in Lexington, KY. IPEDS ID 157085.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-kentucky · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-kentucky.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 93% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $18,851 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 71%; beats 93% of KY colleges and 81% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $59,025; beats 88% of KY colleges and 67% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,750

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,182 |
| 30-48k | $12,119 |
| 48-75k | $16,313 |
| 75-110k | $21,192 |
| 110k+ | $26,781 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.26 years on average (54% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $59,025 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KY (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $34,391 in-state; about $55,029 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $13,502 in-state, $34,140 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $15,242; books: $1,200

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 540–650; SAT math: 530–640; ACT: 21–28 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 28,233 applicants, 26,083 admitted, 6,437 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 93%, ACT 21–28 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 92%, ACT 21–28 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (93 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $79,620 | $99,945 | $21,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $71,293 | $99,535 | $22,250 |
| Chemical Engineering | $65,389 | $98,003 | $25,308 |
| Electrical Engineering | $78,006 | $96,913 | $25,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $68,448 | $90,654 | $25,000 |
| Accounting | $59,474 | $85,777 | $23,250 |
| Materials Engineering | not reported | $84,796 | not reported |
| Finance | $58,422 | $84,087 | $22,375 |
| Health Sciences | $19,370 | $82,533 | $23,000 |
| Nursing | $71,461 | $81,941 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $67,044 | $81,031 | $23,625 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $59,282 | $77,663 | $23,250 |
| Mathematics | $39,211 | $75,222 | $22,500 |
| Business Economics | $51,081 | $74,202 | $20,500 |
| Chemistry | not reported | $73,549 | $22,500 |
| Health Administration | $46,477 | $70,942 | $23,375 |
| Marketing | $48,100 | $70,776 | $24,225 |
| Business | $49,431 | $69,451 | $23,055 |
| Agricultural Engineering | $51,864 | $68,605 | $19,500 |
| Economics | $41,713 | $68,532 | $26,942 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $34,315 | $66,255 | $23,000 |
| Agricultural Business | $41,508 | $65,847 | $23,250 |
| Information Science / Studies | $49,165 | $65,407 | $26,026 |
| Landscape Architecture | $52,841 | $64,143 | not reported |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $42,168 | $62,966 | $27,000 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $45,275 | $62,754 | $24,625 |
| Architecture | $37,078 | $62,383 | $24,125 |
| Agricultural / Animal / Plant / Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other | $39,657 | $60,375 | $23,088 |
| Public Health | $36,957 | $59,163 | $23,250 |
| Political Science | $34,745 | $57,514 | $21,667 |
| Sociology | $34,922 | $56,266 | $26,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | $56,234 | not reported |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | $29,529 | $55,937 | $26,000 |
| Communications | $39,311 | $55,653 | $23,875 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | $27,447 | $55,633 | $24,270 |
| Animal Sciences | $27,144 | $53,918 | $23,250 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | not reported | $52,815 | $26,000 |
| Journalism | $36,926 | $52,785 | $26,000 |
| Hospitality Management | $27,809 | $52,477 | $21,610 |
| Biology | $31,360 | $52,163 | $23,250 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $35,282 | $51,379 | $24,002 |
| Forestry | $32,573 | $51,331 | not reported |
| Social Work | $36,312 | $51,313 | $26,875 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $36,117 | $50,204 | $25,000 |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $27,323 | $49,167 | $27,000 |
| International / Global Studies | $26,104 | $47,698 | $25,368 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences | $31,464 | $47,296 | $27,250 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | $35,167 | $46,843 | $21,250 |
| Psychology | $28,551 | $46,570 | $25,000 |
| History | $28,432 | $46,111 | $20,500 |
| Linguistics | $27,449 | $45,148 | $26,530 |
| English | $21,404 | $44,384 | $21,250 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $41,312 | $44,352 | $23,250 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $28,215 | $44,333 | $24,897 |
| Agricultural Public Services | $34,495 | $42,612 | $22,000 |
| Studio Art | not reported | $41,406 | $23,614 |
| Visual and Performing Arts | $26,343 | $40,538 | $23,522 |
| Music | $17,040 | $39,746 | $23,000 |
| Writing | not reported | $38,822 | not reported |
| Theatre | $20,937 | $38,475 | $27,000 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $33,700 | $36,942 | $30,690 |
| Food Science and Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Plant Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Special Education | $41,217 | not reported | $26,500 |
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Botany / Plant Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Zoology / Animal Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biotechnology | $43,030 | not reported | $23,180 |
| Neuroscience | $33,030 | not reported | $25,021 |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Nutrition Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics and Astronomy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | $25,668 | not reported | $22,494 |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dietetics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Marketing → Marketing specialist: median wage $65,280 (Lexington-Fayette, KY), $61,480 (KY), $78,760 (U.S.)
- Business → Management analyst: median wage $99,190 (Lexington-Fayette, KY), $95,630 (KY), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).