Public · University

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky · Large suburb

#3 best value in Kentucky
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.

PublicMidsize · 8,246 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 68% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold winters

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
To Great Lakes shore
184 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (LUK)

How Northern Kentucky University compares

Selectivity67.7%

More selective than 67% · #8 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

SAT average1087

Higher than 24%

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 45% · #13 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention76%

Higher than 47%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,220

Higher than 39% · #9 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$8,191

Cheaper than 95% · #3 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$23,000

Lower than 53%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment8,246

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

13,430students
  • Undergraduate8,24661%
  • Graduate5,18439%

Undergraduates by gender

8,246undergrads
  • 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)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
39%
First-generation
40%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)198
Other Sports68
Soccer60
Baseball38
Basketball32
Golf22
Softball21
Volleyball16
Swimming14
Tennis13

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.

10reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.0
Fondling
3.3
Burglary
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.0
Statutory rape
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
$2,603
$30–48k
$3,630
$48–75k
$6,761
$75–110k
$12,679
$110k+
$14,522

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
$30,127

$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.

94%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,016
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$46,231
Men
$56,478

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cincinnati Lunken AP, OH US station (5.6 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 Northern Kentucky University

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

Colleges near Northern 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.