University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · Public · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2
Public institution in Lexington, KY · 23,189 undergraduates · 92% acceptance rate · $59,025 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 4%Undergraduates
- Top 19%Full-time retention
- Top 21%Graduation rate (4-year)
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $17,218842nd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $13,212852nd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $33,4061,378th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $32,2911,013th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $22,500941st lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $59,025589th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $47,266706th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 69.9%428th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 86.7%361st highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 92.4%1,322nd most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1213366th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 26270th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 23,18989th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,598th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 21.5%1,641st highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 178 mi (BNA)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EADec 1
- Rollingopen
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $50
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 88 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,114 | $68,666 |
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,995 | $69,338 |
| Materials EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,101 | — |
| Mining and Mineral EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $64,990 | $71,015 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $64,387 | $66,592 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $61,516 | $67,324 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $57,526 | $59,350 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $56,276 | $52,274 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $55,849 | $57,125 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $52,941 | $52,789 |
| Agricultural EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $52,107 | $46,087 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $49,584 | $51,773 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1865source
- Athletic nickname: "Wildcats"source
- Kroger Field seats about 61,000source
- Competes in Southeastern Conferencesource
- School colors: Blue and Whitesource
- Motto: ""United We Stand, Divided We Fall""source
- Formerly known as "Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky" (1865–1908)source
- Formerly known as "State University, Lexington, Kentucky" (1908–1915)source
- Formerly known as "State University of Kentucky" (1915–1922)source
- Athletic conference: SECsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Football rivalry: Centre–Kentucky (since 1891)source
- Football rivalry: Florida–Kentucky (since 1917)source
- Plays for the "The Bourbon Barrel" (since 1893)source
- Plays for the "Governor's Cup" (since 1912)source
- Football rivalry: Kentucky–Tennessee (since 1893)source
- Football rivalry: Kentucky–Vanderbilt (since 1896)source
- Fight song: ""[[On, On, U of K]]""source
- Notable alum: Thomas Hunt Morgansource
- Notable alum: Mitch McConnellsource
- Notable alum: Ashley Juddsource
- Notable alum: William Lipscombsource
- Notable alum: Harry Dean Stantonsource
Athletics — 13 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $17,151,392 (M $9,552,135 · W $7,404,713 · Coed $194,544)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Other Sports
- Rifle
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Basketball: 2012
- Volleyball: 2020
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websiteuky.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 157085)
- Compare colleges in KYRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in KentuckyEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: University of Kentucky vs University of LouisvilleHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 13 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.