The Most Selective Colleges in Kentucky
Every eligible Kentucky four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 24 of 38 Kentucky institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
- 1Berea CollegeBerea, KY · Private32.7%Compare nearby
- 2Brescia UniversityOwensboro, KY · Private34.6%Compare nearby
- 3Centre CollegeDanville, KY · Private54.3%Compare nearby
- 4Union CollegeBarbourville, KY · Private55.0%Compare nearby
- 5Asbury UniversityWilmore, KY · Private64.1%Compare nearby
- 6Kentucky Wesleyan CollegeOwensboro, KY · Private67.0%Compare nearby
- 7University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburg, KY · Private71.4%Compare nearby
- 8Georgetown CollegeGeorgetown, KY · Private73.9%Compare nearby
- 9Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY · Public78.1%Compare nearby
- 10University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY · Public80.5%Compare nearby
- 11Morehead State UniversityMorehead, KY · Public82.1%Compare nearby
- 12Transylvania UniversityLexington, KY · Private85.0%Compare nearby
- 13Alice Lloyd CollegePippa Passes, KY · Private85.6%Compare nearby
- 14Murray State UniversityMurray, KY · Public86.2%Compare nearby
- 15University of KentuckyLexington, KY · Public92.4%Compare nearby
- 16Kentucky State UniversityFrankfort, KY · Public92.5%Compare nearby
- 17Bellarmine UniversityLouisville, KY · Private93.6%Compare nearby
- 18Midway UniversityMidway, KY · Private95.2%Compare nearby
- 19Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · Public96.0%Compare nearby
- 20The Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryLouisville, KY · Private96.9%Compare nearby
- 21Thomas More UniversityCrestview Hills, KY · Private97.0%Compare nearby
- 22Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY · Public97.0%Compare nearby
- 23Campbellsville UniversityCampbellsville, KY · Private98.3%Compare nearby
- 24Spalding UniversityLouisville, KY · Private98.6%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Kentucky institutions in this universe (38 schools).
- Kentucky four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 24 of 38 Kentucky institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to KY
- Showdown: Berea College vs Brescia UniversityHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Berea CollegeEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.