Public · University
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky · Large suburb
- 67.7%
- Admit rate
- $8,191
- Avg net price
- 52%
- Graduation rate
- $50,220
- Median earnings
Northern Kentucky University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Highland Heights, Kentucky (large suburb setting), enrolling 8,246 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Northern Kentucky University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 67.7%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 953–1150
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.16
Enter a test score to see where you land against Northern Kentucky University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Northern Kentucky University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Highland Heights, Kentucky
Highland Heights is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The District of the Highlands was incorporated in 1867; Fort Thomas was separately incorporated from its northern reaches in 1914. The local post office was established in 1927, and the community of Highland Heights incorporated itself separately the same year. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 6 miles to Cincinnati, OH
- To Great Lakes shore
- 184 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (LUK)
How Northern Kentucky University compares
More selective than 67% · #8 most selective of 26 in Kentucky
Higher than 24%
Higher than 45% · #13 of 30 in Kentucky
Higher than 47%
Higher than 39% · #9 of 29 in Kentucky
Cheaper than 95% · #3 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky
Lower than 53%
Lower than 14%
Larger than 86%
Percentiles compare Northern Kentucky 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
- Undergraduate8,24661%
- Graduate5,18439%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,82959%
- Men3,41741%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White75%
- Black8.1%
- Hispanic5.1%
- Asian1.9%
- Other or multiracial10%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 8,246
- Graduate enrollment
- 5,184
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 25%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 16%
- Median family income
- $48,195
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $78,237
- Endowment
- $138,582,000
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 1,295 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kentucky71%
- Other U.S. states28%
- International0.9%
Most first-years stay in state — Northern Kentucky University draws overwhelmingly from Kentucky.
1% 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 67.7%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 953–1150
- SAT average
- 1087
- SAT reading
- 473–590
- SAT math
- 480–560
- ACT composite
- 18–25
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.16
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,088
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,912
- Room & board
- $12,712
- Books & supplies
- $800
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,725
- Average net price
- $8,191
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)
- 52%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,105
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $50,220
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,000
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 49%
About 16% 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
- 1,820
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 22%
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 482 (220 men · 262 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 26
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (15,347 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.
$6,761/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 — 94% — get grant money from Northern Kentucky University itself, averaging $8,016, 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 1,579 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)
- $50,220
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 46%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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 $10,247 (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
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 43.4″
- Annual snow
- 23.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cincinnati Lunken AP, OH US station (5.6 mi from campus).
What Northern Kentucky 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 Northern Kentucky University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northern Kentucky University side by side →
University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, Georgia · Distant town · 59 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 16,146
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 1106
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $50k
University of Michigan-Flint
Flint, Michigan · Small city · 48 mi to Lansing
- Students
- 4,411
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $7k
- SAT
- 1102
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $53k
Saginaw Valley State University
University Center, Michigan · Midsize suburb · 62 mi to Lansing
- Students
- 5,989
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 1052
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
SUNY Buffalo State University
Buffalo, New York · Large city · 3 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 5,097
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
University of West Florida
Pensacola, Florida · Fringe rural · 9 mi to Pensacola
- Students
- 9,330
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $49k
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee · Large city · 7 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 12,701
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $48k
Colleges near Northern Kentucky University
Interactive College of Technology-Newport
Newport, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 101 students
Brighton Center's Center for Employment Training
Newport, KY · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 53 students
Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,293 students
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 205 students
Athenaeum of Ohio
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 36 students
Gods Bible School and College
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · Associate · 281 students
The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 713 students
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH · Public · Bachelor's · 29,882 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.










