Public · University

Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond, Kentucky · Distant town

77.6%
Admit rate
$11,040
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$45,795
Median earnings

Eastern Kentucky University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Richmond, Kentucky (distant town setting), enrolling 12,318 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 12,318 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Atlantic Sun ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Eastern Kentucky University's admitted students.

Admit rate
77.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
880–1080
Avg GPA (est.)
3.31

Enter a test score to see where you land against Eastern Kentucky University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Eastern Kentucky University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Richmond, Kentucky

Richmond is a city in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. Richmond was founded in 1798 by Colonel John Miller from Richmond, Virginia. A British American, Miller served with the rebels in the Revolutionary War. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
265 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)

How Eastern Kentucky University compares

Selectivity77.6%

More selective than 49% · #12 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

SAT average1149

Higher than 44%

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 40% · #17 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention77%

Higher than 52%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,795

Higher than 26% · #13 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$11,040

Cheaper than 87% · #10 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$22,500

Lower than 56%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment12,318

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare Eastern Kentucky University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kentucky.

Eastern Kentucky University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

14,543students
  • Undergraduate12,31885%
  • Graduate2,22515%

Undergraduates by gender

12,318undergrads
  • Women7,16258%
  • Men5,15642%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black6.9%
  • Hispanic5.6%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial6.8%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
12,318
Graduate enrollment
2,225
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
41%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
100%
Median family income
$39,224
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,434
Endowment
$97,768,500

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,782 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kentucky92%
  • Other U.S. states8.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Eastern Kentucky University draws overwhelmingly from Kentucky.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
77.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
880–1080
SAT average
1149
SAT reading
440–530
SAT math
440–550
ACT composite
19–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.31

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,320
Out-of-state tuition
$21,230
Room & board
$12,268
Books & supplies
$0
Total cost of attendance
$23,735
Average net price
$11,040

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,611
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,795
Median debt at graduation
$22,500
Students with federal loans
41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
41%
Low-income (Pell)
35%
First-generation
36%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
4,688
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$6,695
Meal plan (year)
$5,040
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
Varsity athletes
489 (304 men · 185 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)153
Football122
Baseball48
Soccer32
Basketball31
Tennis23
Softball22
Golf20
Volleyball19
Beach Volleyball19

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
52
Property offenses (2022–2024)
31

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (15,673 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

28reported offenses a year
17 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
11
Burglary
8.7
Fondling
6.3
Arson
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$8,591
$30–48k
$8,005
$48–75k
$10,382
$75–110k
$14,384
$110k+
$17,009

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$44,360

$10,382/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

86%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,161
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 86% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,161. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,532 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$45,795
Typical debt at graduation
$22,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$41,984
Men
$51,442

Men out-earn women by $9,458 (23%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
50.9″
Annual snow
7.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Eastern Kentucky Univ, KY US station (1.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Eastern Kentucky University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Eastern Kentucky University side by side →

Colleges near Eastern Kentucky University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.