Public · University

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky · Large city

#3 graduation rate in Kentucky#5 for grad earnings in Kentucky
92.9%
Admit rate
$18,851
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$59,025
Median earnings

University of Kentucky is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Lexington, Kentucky (large city setting), enrolling 24,763 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 24,763 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Southeastern ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
92.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1070–1290
Avg GPA
3.58

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

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Kentucky'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
Graduate
Nearest big city
Lexington, KY
To Great Lakes shore
249 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)

How University of Kentucky compares

Selectivity92.9%

More selective than 18% · #20 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

SAT average1215

Higher than 62%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 80% · #3 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention87%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,025

Higher than 65% · #5 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$18,851

Cheaper than 55% · #18 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$22,500

Lower than 56%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment24,763

Larger than 96%

Percentiles compare University of Kentucky with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kentucky.

University of Kentucky campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

33,938students
  • Undergraduate24,76373%
  • Graduate9,17527%

Undergraduates by gender

24,763undergrads
  • Women14,08557%
  • Men10,67843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White76%
  • Black6.3%
  • Hispanic6.8%
  • Asian3.7%
  • Other or multiracial7.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
24,763
Graduate enrollment
9,175
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
23%
First-generation students
23%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$61,932
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$107,856
Endowment
$2,038,771,493

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 6,437 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Kentucky58%
  • Other U.S. states40%
  • International1.2%

A regional draw: about 58% of first-years come from Kentucky, the rest from elsewhere.

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
92.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1070–1290
SAT average
1215
SAT reading
540–650
SAT math
530–640
ACT composite
21–28
Average GPA
3.58

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,502
Out-of-state tuition
$34,140
Room & board
$16,016
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$34,391
Average net price
$18,851

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)
55%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,266
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,025
Median debt at graduation
$22,500
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

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
55%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
53%

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
8,300
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
34%
Housing charge (year)
$10,362
Meal plan (year)
$4,880
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Southeastern Conference
Varsity athletes
717 (360 men · 357 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)194
Football122
Soccer83
Swimming and Diving (combined)81
Other Sports64
Baseball42
Basketball28
Softball21
Golf19
Gymnastics19
Tennis17
Volleyball16
Rifle11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
315
Property offenses (2022–2024)
251

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 11 campuses (34,709 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.

189reported offenses a year
105 violent a year84 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
52
Fondling
45
Rape
33
Burglary
30
Aggravated assault
23
Robbery
3.7
Arson
1.0

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
$12,182
$30–48k
$12,119
$48–75k
$16,313
$75–110k
$21,192
$110k+
$26,781

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
$70,730

$16,313/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.

89%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,164
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 89% — get grant money from University of Kentucky itself, averaging $10,164, 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 5,974 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)
$59,025
Typical debt at graduation
$22,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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
$52,700
Men
$65,691

Men out-earn women by $12,991 (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
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 (5.5 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 University of Kentucky

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

Colleges near University of Kentucky

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.