Private nonprofit · College
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Owensboro, Kentucky · Small city
- 71.6%
- Admit rate
- $17,131
- Avg net price
- 47%
- Graduation rate
- $46,747
- Median earnings
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Owensboro, Kentucky (small city setting), enrolling 842 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Kentucky Wesleyan College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 71.6%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 890–1130
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.04
Enter a test score to see where you land against Kentucky Wesleyan College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Kentucky Wesleyan College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is a city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Following a series of failed uprisings with British support, however, the last Shawnee were forced to vacate the area before the end of the 18th century. Owensboro was named an All-America City in 2013. Owensboro placed fourth on Area Development's Top 20 Southern Cities, with a 9th-place ranking for its "recession busting factors" among the Top 25 Small Cities. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 29 miles to Evansville, IN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 268 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Owensboro Daviess County (OWB)
How Kentucky Wesleyan College compares
More selective than 61% · #9 most selective of 26 in Kentucky
Higher than 14%
Higher than 33% · #19 of 30 in Kentucky
Higher than 7%
Higher than 29% · #12 of 29 in Kentucky
Cheaper than 63% · #14 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky
Lower than 50%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 33%
Percentiles compare Kentucky Wesleyan College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kentucky.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women38345%
- Men45955%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White57%
- Black16%
- Hispanic3.1%
- Asian2.6%
- Other or multiracial21%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 842
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 50%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 10%
- Median family income
- $47,140
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,177
- Endowment
- $37,590,851
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 234 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kentucky71%
- Other U.S. states29%
Most first-years stay in state — Kentucky Wesleyan College 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
- 71.6%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 890–1130
- SAT average
- 1044
- SAT reading
- 440–560
- SAT math
- 450–570
- ACT composite
- 16–23
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.04
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $34,673
- Room & board
- $11,855
- Books & supplies
- $1,298
- Total cost of attendance
- $46,203
- Average net price
- $17,131
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)
- 47%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 31%
- First-year retention
- 53%
- Transferred to another college
- 30%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,895
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,747
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,250
- Students with federal loans
- 61%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 52%
About 15% 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
- 499
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 59%
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Great Midwest Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 364 (267 men · 97 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
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 6.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 14
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (887 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.
$15,062/year × about 4.5 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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 95% — get grant money from Kentucky Wesleyan College itself, averaging $17,450, which softens the sticker price.
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 222 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)
- $46,747
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 50%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 53%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $9,249 (22%) 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
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 45.6″
- Annual snow
- 4.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Calhoun Lock 2, KY US station (16.8 mi from campus).
What Kentucky Wesleyan College 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 Wesleyan College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Kentucky Wesleyan College side by side →
Huntington University
Huntington, Indiana · Distant town · 22 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 1,082
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
- $47k
Rocky Mountain College
Billings, Montana · Midsize city · 3 mi to Billings
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- 840
- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Tennessee Wesleyan University
Athens, Tennessee · Distant town · 49 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 846
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
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- Earnings
- $46k
Malone University
Canton, Ohio · Small city · 19 mi to Akron
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- 798
- Admission
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- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
- $49k
University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, North Carolina · Distant rural · 51 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 1,796
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
- $47k
La Roche University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 9 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 751
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1055
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Kentucky Wesleyan College
Ross Medical Education Center-Owensboro
Owensboro, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students
Brescia University
Owensboro, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 545 students
Owensboro Community and Technical College
Owensboro, KY · Public · Certificate · 2,648 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Evansville
Evansville, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 91 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Evansville
Evansville, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 162 students
University of Evansville
Evansville, IN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,539 students
Henderson Community College
Henderson, KY · Public · Certificate · 880 students
Rogers Academy of Hair Design
Evansville, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 72 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.














