Private nonprofit · University

Transylvania University

Lexington, Kentucky · Large city

#2 graduation rate in Kentucky
86.6%
Admit rate
$21,913
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$54,705
Median earnings

Transylvania University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lexington, Kentucky (large city setting), enrolling 1,005 undergraduates. It has a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,005 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Transylvania University's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
1120–1380
Avg GPA (est.)
3.58

Enter a test score to see where you land against Transylvania University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Transylvania University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is a consolidated city coterminous with Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Lexington was named in June 1775, in what was then considered Fincastle County, Virginia, 17 years before Kentucky became a state. The Festival of the Bluegrass, Kentucky's oldest bluegrass music festival, is in early June; it includes three stages for music and a "bluegrass music camp" for school children. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
1 mile to Lexington, KY
To Great Lakes shore
247 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)

How Transylvania University compares

Selectivity86.6%

More selective than 32% · #17 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

SAT average1287

Higher than 77%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 81% · #2 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention87%

Higher than 81%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,705

Higher than 52% · #6 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$21,913

Cheaper than 41% · #26 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,005

Larger than 37%

Percentiles compare Transylvania 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

Undergraduates by gender

1,005undergrads
  • Women59960%
  • Men40640%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black5.1%
  • Hispanic5.1%
  • Asian2.2%
  • Other or multiracial7.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,005
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
16%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$84,264
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$91,305
Endowment
$273,547,275

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1120–1380
SAT average
1287
SAT reading
580–690
SAT math
540–690
ACT composite
24–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.58

Cost

In-state tuition
$46,870
Room & board
$14,697
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$60,993
Average net price
$21,913

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)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
56%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,447
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,705
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
68%

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
56%
Low-income (Pell)
73%
First-generation
71%

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
653
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
65%
Housing charge (year)
$7,940
Meal plan (year)
$5,330
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
464 (229 men · 235 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 (13)

Soccer64
Lacrosse59
Baseball51
Swimming and Diving (combined)44
Basketball40
Track and Field (Indoor)39
Track and Field (Outdoor)36
Volleyball27
Tennis26
Field Hockey22
Softball20
Cross Country20
Golf16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
13.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
36
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,006 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.

13reported offenses a year
12 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.7
Fondling
5.0
Burglary
1.3
Aggravated assault
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
$14,551
$30–48k
$14,555
$48–75k
$19,272
$75–110k
$22,155
$110k+
$29,312

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
$83,470

$19,272/year × about 4.3 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,645
average award, among those who get one

Transylvania University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,645. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 279 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)
$54,705
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$49,685
Men
$64,230

Men out-earn women by $14,545 (29%) 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
25°F
Annual rain
49.8″
Annual snow
14.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lexington Bluegrass AP, KY US station (6.2 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 Transylvania University

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

Colleges near Transylvania 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.