Private nonprofit · University

Union Commonwealth University

Barbourville, Kentucky · Remote town

63.1%
Admit rate
$21,311
Avg net price
32%
Graduation rate
$42,002
Median earnings

Union Commonwealth University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Barbourville, Kentucky (remote town setting), enrolling 746 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 746 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 63% admitNAIA Division I · Mid-South ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
63.1%
ACT (mid 50%)
15–22
Avg GPA (est.)
2.89

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

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

About Barbourville, Kentucky

Barbourville is a home rule-class city in Knox County, Kentucky, in the United States. Each year in early October, Barbourville hosts the Daniel Boone Festival, commemorating the pioneer who explored the area in 1775. The festival features open-air concerts, carnival attractions, a beauty pageant, a parade, and other events. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
319 miles
Nearest airport
73 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub

How Union Commonwealth University compares

Selectivity63.1%

More selective than 73% · #6 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

SAT average980

Higher than 6%

Graduation rate32%

Higher than 13% · #29 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention64%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,002

Higher than 17% · #23 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$21,311

Cheaper than 44% · #22 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment746

Larger than 29%

Percentiles compare Union Commonwealth 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

1,295students
  • Undergraduate74658%
  • Graduate54942%

Undergraduates by gender

746undergrads
  • Women34246%
  • Men40454%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White49%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic3.8%
  • Asian0.5%
  • Other or multiracial28%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
746
Graduate enrollment
549
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
53%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$36,523
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$51,183
Endowment
$31,483,619

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

Admissions

Admission rate
63.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
980
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
15–22
Average GPA (estimated)
2.89

Cost

In-state tuition
$30,946
Room & board
$8,261
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$44,322
Average net price
$21,311

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)
32%
Graduated on time (4 years)
22%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,529
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,002
Median debt at graduation
$24,250
Students with federal loans
61%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

About 10% 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
22%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
36%

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
358
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Housing charge (year)
$3,542
Meal plan (year)
$4,719
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Mid-South Conference
Varsity athletes
657 (466 men · 191 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)

Football164
Soccer105
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)92
Baseball73
Basketball46
Softball33
Swimming31
Tennis27
Volleyball25
Archery23
Other Sports19
Bowling13
Golf6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,324 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
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
$12,214
$30–48k
$14,368
$48–75k
$15,774
$75–110k
$44,322
$110k+
$44,322

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
$70,431

$15,774/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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$16,918
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 98% — get grant money from Union Commonwealth University itself, averaging $16,918, 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 198 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)
$42,002
Typical debt at graduation
$24,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
51%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 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
$37,588
Men
$47,124

Men out-earn women by $9,536 (25%) 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
53.8″
Annual snow
11.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Barbourville, KY US station (0.9 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 Union Commonwealth University

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

Colleges near Union Commonwealth 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.