Public · University
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky · Distant town
- 96.1%
- Admit rate
- $8,040
- Avg net price
- 32%
- Graduation rate
- $36,382
- Median earnings
Kentucky State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Frankfort, Kentucky (distant town setting), enrolling 1,309 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Kentucky State University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 96.1%
- ACT (mid 50%)
- 14–17
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.61
Enter a test score to see where you land against Kentucky State University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Kentucky State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Pioneer Stephen Frank was killed at the Kentucky River and the settlers thereafter called the crossing "Frank's Ford". This name was later elided to Frankfort. Cove Spring Park—240 acres (97 hectares), divided into three sections. The Lower Entrance features nature trails, picnic areas, and waterfalls. The Upper Entrance includes an archery range and the Sky Trail. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 22 miles to Lexington, KY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 245 miles
- Nearest airport
- 18 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)
How Kentucky State University compares
More selective than 11% · #23 most selective of 26 in Kentucky
Higher than 1%
Higher than 13% · #30 of 30 in Kentucky
Higher than 18%
Higher than 9% · #28 of 29 in Kentucky
Cheaper than 95% · #2 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky
Lower than 26%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 46%
Percentiles compare Kentucky State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kentucky.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,30985%
- Graduate22715%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women75558%
- Men55442%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White7.8%
- Black79%
- Hispanic2.4%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,309
- Graduate enrollment
- 227
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 58%
- First-generation students
- 40%
- Students over 25
- 7%
- Median family income
- $27,492
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $63,324
- Endowment
- $22,486,515
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 344 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kentucky36%
- Other U.S. states64%
A national draw — only 36% of first-years come from Kentucky; 64% arrive from other states.
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
- 96.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- 870
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- 14–17
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.61
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $9,387
- Out-of-state tuition
- $13,658
- Room & board
- $8,686
- Books & supplies
- $1,560
- Total cost of attendance
- $21,727
- Average net price
- $8,040
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)
- 32%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 14%
- First-year retention
- 64%
- Transferred to another college
- 20%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,640
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,382
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,938
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 17%
About 18% 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)
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
- 1,171
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 89%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,500
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,686
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 375 (271 men · 104 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 (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 10
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,020 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$5,256/year × about 4.9 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.
Modest institutional aid: 91% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,320. 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 324 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)
- $36,382
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,938
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 71%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 38%
Typical debt would take roughly 7.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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.
Men out-earn women by $653 (2%) 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
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 25°F
- Annual rain
- 47.3″
- Annual snow
- 14.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Frankfort Capital City AP, KY US station (2.8 mi from campus).
What Kentucky State University graduates study — and earn
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 Kentucky State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Kentucky State University side by side →
Mississippi Valley State University
Itta Bena, Mississippi · Distant rural · 84 mi to Jackson
- Students
- 1,439
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 870
- GPA
- 2.6
- Earnings
- $32k
University of the Virgin Islands
Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands · Fringe rural · 75 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 1,518
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $7k
- SAT
- 938
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $39k
West Virginia State University
Institute, West Virginia · Midsize suburb · 7 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 1,321
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 955
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $40k
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia · Fringe rural · 59 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 1,504
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 977
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $43k
University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · Midsize suburb · 68 mi to San Juan
- Students
- 1,883
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 909
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $28k
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Portales, New Mexico · Remote town · 95 mi to Lubbock
- Students
- 3,357
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $5k
- SAT
- 964
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near Kentucky State University
Midway University
Midway, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,262 students
Frontier Nursing University
Versailles, KY · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,097 students
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Lexington, KY · Public · Certificate · 8,244 students
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · Public · Bachelor's · 24,763 students
Transylvania University
Lexington, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,005 students
Lexington Healing Arts Academy
Lexington, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 78 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington
Lexington, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 189 students
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.













