University of Louisville
Louisville, KY · Public · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2
Public institution in Louisville, KY · 14,187 undergraduates · 81% acceptance rate · $53,899 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 8%Undergraduates
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
- $17,634867th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $12,828823rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $29,1741,216th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $30,843967th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $20,500679th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,899854th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,571759th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 60.7%746th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 80.6%635th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 80.5%914th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1147537th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 24420th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 14,187177th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 14.0:11,158th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 28.8%1,267th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 153 mi (BNA)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $30
- Personal essay
- Optional / not 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 47 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $71,575 | $77,715 |
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,002 | $68,499 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,995 | $68,778 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $65,956 | $62,632 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $65,797 | — |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,749 | $60,523 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $62,260 | $63,005 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $59,485 | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $56,854 | $58,264 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $50,439 | $50,952 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $47,846 | $50,760 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $47,620 | $45,500 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1798source
- Athletic nickname: "Cardinals"source
- Mascot: Cardinal Birdsource
- L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium seats about 55,000source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Blacksource
- Campus size: about 640 acressource
- Formerly known as "Jefferson Seminary"source
- Formerly known as "(1798–1829)"source
- Formerly known as "Louisville Medical Institute"source
- Formerly known as "(1837–1846)"source
- Formerly known as "Louisville College"source
- Formerly known as "(1840–1846)"source
- Athletic conference: ACCsource
- A Space-grant institutionsource
- Plays for the "The Keg of Nails" (since 1929)source
- Plays for the "Governor's Cup" (since 1912)source
- Football rivalry: Louisville–Memphis (since 1948)source
- Plays for the "Schnellenberger Trophy" (since 1933)source
- Fight song: ""Fight, U of L""source
- Notable alum: Mitch McConnellsource
- Notable alum: Sue Graftonsource
- Notable alum: Chris Doddsource
- Notable alum: Gina Haspelsource
- Notable alum: Johnny Unitassource
Athletics — 13 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $15,896,536 (M $8,893,178 · W $7,003,358)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to University of Louisville’s 14,187 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In KY
- Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY · 12,267 undergrads
- Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY · 11,674 undergrads
- Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · 8,065 undergrads
- Murray State UniversityMurray, KY · 6,646 undergrads
- University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburg, KY · 5,468 undergrads
- University of KentuckyLexington, KY · 23,189 undergrads
Elsewhere
- University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington, NC · 14,176 undergrads
- California State University-San MarcosSan Marcos, CA · 14,174 undergrads
- DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · 14,283 undergrads
- University of Hawaii at ManoaHonolulu, HI · 14,306 undergrads
- West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester, PA · 14,067 undergrads
- Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · 14,401 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitelouisville.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 157289)
- 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
- Compare with Western Kentucky UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: University of Louisville vs Western Kentucky UniversityHigher-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.