# Western Kentucky University

Public college in Bowling Green, KY. IPEDS ID 157951.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-kentucky-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/western-kentucky-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 94% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $10,990 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 56%; beats 71% of KY colleges and 53% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $43,889; beats 38% of KY colleges and 22% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $14,702

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $7,087 |
| 30-48k | $6,871 |
| 48-75k | $9,765 |
| 75-110k | $14,049 |
| 110k+ | $17,653 |

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 4.28 years on average (42% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $43,889 (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 | $7,087 | $30,332 | 2.9 years |
| 30-48k | $6,871 | $29,408 | 2.8 years |
| 48-75k | $9,765 | $41,794 | 4.0 years |
| 75-110k | $14,049 | $60,130 | 5.8 years |
| 110k+ | $17,653 | $75,555 | 7.3 years |

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

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $24,188 in-state; about $39,536 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $11,652 in-state, $27,000 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $12,043; books: $1,000

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 420–530; SAT math: 420–520; ACT: 16–21 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 7,720 applicants, 7,492 admitted, 2,822 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 94%, ACT 16–21 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 97%, ACT 16–20 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (80 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | $70,722 | $86,624 | $27,000 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $60,675 | $86,033 | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | $74,205 | $85,772 | not reported |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $63,013 | $84,057 | $29,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $60,086 | $75,732 | $22,100 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $49,823 | $74,452 | $21,500 |
| Nursing | $68,294 | $73,496 | $26,330 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $48,863 | $73,300 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $50,104 | $71,274 | $25,000 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $46,919 | $71,240 | $26,823 |
| Finance | $44,355 | $70,313 | $19,500 |
| Management Information Systems | $64,252 | $68,333 | not reported |
| Economics | $53,857 | $68,051 | $19,500 |
| International Relations | not reported | $64,710 | not reported |
| Marketing | $42,478 | $60,222 | $23,250 |
| Health Administration | $44,516 | $60,103 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $44,498 | $59,362 | $25,320 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $47,974 | $57,958 | $23,199 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | not reported | $57,844 | $19,500 |
| Health Sciences | $42,045 | $57,271 | $25,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $25,858 | $54,396 | $24,593 |
| Political Science | $23,294 | $54,333 | $20,500 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $24,967 | $53,921 | not reported |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $35,534 | $53,839 | $25,000 |
| Biology | $29,945 | $52,487 | $22,500 |
| Agriculture | $38,804 | $51,065 | $23,656 |
| Hospitality Management | $29,492 | $50,712 | $24,883 |
| Communications | $33,955 | $50,392 | $23,500 |
| Social Work | $34,748 | $48,771 | $26,000 |
| Journalism | $35,050 | $47,661 | $25,500 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $35,746 | $46,583 | $28,892 |
| Studio Art | $28,291 | $45,957 | $27,000 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $36,635 | $45,420 | $27,000 |
| Criminology | $32,370 | $45,124 | $26,000 |
| Psychology | $25,936 | $44,848 | $24,846 |
| Public Health | not reported | $43,605 | $23,543 |
| Sociology | $32,762 | $43,520 | $26,529 |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | $43,210 | not reported |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | $32,267 | $42,600 | $26,000 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $21,377 | $41,791 | $28,794 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $36,830 | $40,838 | $30,375 |
| Special Education | $38,807 | $40,705 | $27,000 |
| English | $27,950 | $40,616 | $23,232 |
| Anthropology | $19,495 | $40,415 | not reported |
| History | $27,177 | $38,836 | $22,965 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $37,288 | $38,656 | $25,000 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $38,434 | not reported |
| Music | $34,766 | $38,377 | $24,317 |
| Theatre | $22,884 | $34,987 | $21,821 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Support Services | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English Language and Literature / Letters, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Genetics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Army ROTC, Military Science and Operations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cultural Studies / Critical Theory and Analysis | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences | $38,659 | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Film and Photography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Construction Management | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $95,610 (Bowling Green, KY), $95,630 (KY), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $79,120 (Bowling Green, KY), $81,040 (KY), $97,550 (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).