Private nonprofit · University
Lindsey Wilson University
Columbia, Kentucky · Remote town
- —
- Admit rate
- $15,070
- Avg net price
- 44%
- Graduation rate
- $41,129
- Median earnings
Lindsey Wilson University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Columbia, Kentucky (remote town setting), enrolling 1,585 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.
About Columbia, Kentucky
Columbia is a home rule-class city just above Russell Creek in Adair County, Kentucky, United States. The post office was opened on April 1, 1806, by John Field, who also ran the local store. Downtown Days, two-day festival on the streets of downtown Columbia. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 78 miles to Lexington, KY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 324 miles
- Nearest airport
- 75 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)
How Lindsey Wilson University compares
Higher than 29% · #20 of 30 in Kentucky
Higher than 17%
Higher than 16% · #26 of 29 in Kentucky
Cheaper than 73% · #13 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky
Lower than 87%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare Lindsey Wilson 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
- Undergraduate1,58539%
- Graduate2,47161%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women99363%
- Men59237%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White65%
- Black12%
- Other or multiracial22%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,585
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,471
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 52%
- First-generation students
- 46%
- Students over 25
- 16%
- Median family income
- $25,540
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $58,608
- Endowment
- $42,800,724
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 435 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kentucky73%
- Other U.S. states15%
- International12%
Most first-years stay in state — Lindsey Wilson University draws overwhelmingly from Kentucky.
12% came from outside the U.S. 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.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $27,808
- Room & board
- $10,178
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $40,879
- Average net price
- $15,070
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)
- 44%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 30%
- First-year retention
- 63%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $34,861
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,129
- Median debt at graduation
- $16,784
- Students with federal loans
- 50%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 36%
About 14% 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
- 1,167
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 74%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,626
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,352
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NAIA Division I
- Football conference
- Mid-South Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 864 (556 men · 308 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 (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 13 campuses (4,193 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.
$16,066/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 — 97% — get grant money from Lindsey Wilson University itself, averaging $17,943, 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 411 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)
- $41,129
- Typical debt at graduation
- $16,784
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 41%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 41%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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 $5,637 (15%) 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
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 57″
- Annual snow
- 4.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamestown Wwtp, KY US station (14.7 mi from campus).
What Lindsey Wilson 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 Lindsey Wilson University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lindsey Wilson University side by side →
Claflin University
Orangeburg, South Carolina · Distant town · 36 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,706
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $40k
William Carey University
Hattiesburg, Mississippi · Small city · 85 mi to Mobile
- Students
- 2,201
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1122
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $43k
Columbia College
Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city · 3 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,343
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $41k
Missouri Valley College
Marshall, Missouri · Remote town · 47 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,443
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 974
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $43k
Bob Jones University
Greenville, South Carolina · Small city · 2 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 2,005
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $44k
Virginia Union University
Richmond, Virginia · Midsize city · 2 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 1,203
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 850
- GPA
- 2.6
- Earnings
- $38k
Colleges near Lindsey Wilson University
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,840 students
PJ's College of Cosmetology-Glasgow
Glasgow, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 44 students
Somerset Community College
Somerset, KY · Public · Certificate · 4,166 students
Centre College
Danville, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,400 students
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston
Livingston, TN · Public · Certificate · 340 students
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown, KY · Public · Certificate · 4,088 students
Empire Beauty School-Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 171 students
Lindsey Institute of Cosmetology
Bowling Green, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 56 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.













