University of Kentucky

Basic Information

Type Public
Geographical Reach Regional
Population 550,000

Weather

Comfortable Days 115 (84%)
Sunshine Hours 2,543 (47%)
Days Without Precipitation 235 (29%)

Honors College

Name Lewis Honors College
Students 2,654 (11%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 23,741
Men / Women 42% / 58%
From State 58%
From Region 24%
Athletes 614 (2.6%)

Racial/Ethnic

White 76%
Hispanic 7%
Black 6%
Mixed 5%
Asian 4%
International 1%
Native American 0%

Schools & Majors

⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 334 34% 77% 4% 6% 6% 1% $64,066 23 +0.05 56 95%
Biotechnology 44 — 25% 70% 11% 7% 11% 0% $79,759 81 +0.74 81 100% — — — —
Agricultural Economics 28 — 82% 89% 0% 4% 4% 0% $68,219 27 -0.53 65 91% — — — —
Agricultural Public Services 38 — 63% 58% 3% 26% 3% 0% $51,004 0 -2.07 21 95% — — — —
Agriculture 10 — 40% 90% 10% 0% 0% 0% $78,630 99 +1.59 80 96% — — — —
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture 2 — 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 0% $56,675 28 -0.44 36 98% — — — —
Animal Sciences 25 — 12% 76% 0% 8% 8% 0% $65,251 93 +1.14 59 93% — — — —
Dietetics 31 — 23% 81% 3% 6% 3% 3% $66,392 60 +0.23 61 — — — — —
Environmental Studies 24 +2 8% 83% 0% 0% 12% 4% $62,347 72 +0.46 52 93% — — — —
Food Science 4 — 25% 75% 0% 25% 0% 0% $64,822 52 +0.08 58 — — — — —
Forest Sciences and Biology 14 — 50% 86% 0% 0% 7% 0% $59,529 44 -0.18 44 91% — — — —
Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management 52 — 12% 77% 2% 2% 8% 0% $56,675 57 +0.21 36 98% — — — —
Horticultural Science 5 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $63,722 60 +0.21 55 — — — — —
Nutrition Sciences 13 — 15% 46% 31% 8% 0% 0% $65,645 57 +0.16 59 — — — — —
Natural Resources/Conservation 44 — 52% 89% 5% 0% 7% 0% $62,347 52 +0.13 52 93% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Arts and Sciences 1,225 41% 71% 8% 6% 7% 2% $68,053 38 -0.23 64 95% 7.6%
Computer Science 136 +1 81% 68% 15% 2% 5% 5% $123,774 60 -0.03 99 94% — — — —
Information Communication Technology 66 — 76% 74% 3% 6% 6% 6% $76,892 11 -1.04 78 100% 6.5% — — —
Chemistry 35 — 37% 63% 17% 9% 9% 0% $70,776 50 -0.08 69 100% — — — —
Financial Mathematics 11 +1 73% 82% 0% 0% 9% 9% $77,553 9 -0.99 79 100% — — — —
Geosciences 7 +1 57% 86% 0% 0% 0% 0% $66,567 60 +0.13 62 — — — — —
Mathematics 30 +20 63% 63% 17% 3% 10% 3% $82,227 56 -0.12 83 94% — — — —
Physics and Astronomy 8 +3 75% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $79,514 39 -0.29 81 — — — — —
Biology 156 +2 36% 71% 13% 3% 7% 2% $69,526 67 +0.36 67 96% — — — —
Neuroscience 78 — 42% 58% 22% 6% 8% 0% $52,090 8 -1.30 24 94% — — — —
African American Studies 3 — 33% 0% 0% 100% 0% 0% $58,870 55 -0.03 42 — — — — —
American Studies 14 — 79% 64% 0% 7% 7% 21% $58,813 54 -0.03 42 — — — — —
English 47 +7 11% 79% 4% 9% 6% 0% $49,533 37 -0.35 18 95% — — — —
Ethnic Studies 1 +2 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $58,867 55 -0.03 42 — — — — —
History 38 +2 58% 76% 3% 0% 8% 0% $55,146 49 -0.17 32 90% — — — —
Interdisciplinary Studies 23 — 22% 52% 4% 26% 13% 0% $74,271 95 +1.62 75 92% — — — —
Interdisciplinary Studies 2 — 50% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $60,213 74 +0.28 46 — — — — —
Linguistics 13 +1 38% 85% 0% 8% 8% 0% $51,638 27 -0.57 23 80% — — — —
Linguistics 4 — 50% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $51,638 27 -0.57 23 80% — — — —
Philosophy 8 +5 62% 88% 12% 0% 0% 0% $61,001 56 -0.03 48 — — — — —
Rhetoric and Composition 6 +1 17% 83% 0% 0% 17% 0% $41,379 4 -1.35 6 100% — — — —
Spanish 10 +3 10% 50% 0% 0% 40% 0% $62,792 68 +0.42 53 96% — — — —
Anthropology 18 +3 33% 89% 0% 6% 0% 0% $50,637 25 -0.57 21 88% — — — —
Geography 7 +2 71% 86% 0% 14% 0% 0% $62,033 56 -0.01 51 — — — — —
Intercultural and International Studies 21 +1 33% 52% 5% 5% 5% 14% $56,789 10 -0.83 37 86% — — — —
Political Science 97 +7 43% 74% 3% 4% 8% 2% $74,958 62 +0.20 76 94% — — — —
Psychology 309 +7 20% 74% 5% 6% 6% 0% $53,924 47 -0.17 29 97% — — — —
Sociology 25 +7 24% 68% 4% 12% 4% 4% $63,058 83 +0.56 53 96% — — — —
General Education 52 — 33% 75% 2% 8% 4% 4% $39,375 2 -1.84 5 94% 8.9% — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Communication and Information 430 40% 79% 1% 9% 7% 1% $65,240 28 +0.02 59 94% 7.3%
Communication 233 +10 50% 77% 1% 9% 6% 2% $65,049 67 +0.30 58 93% 7.3% — — —
Communication Management and Strategic Communications 131 +5 22% 83% 1% 8% 6% 1% $70,874 47 -0.07 69 96% — — — —
Journalism 34 +1 26% 74% 0% 15% 12% 0% $54,349 18 -0.89 30 93% — — — —
Radio and Television 32 — 50% 75% 3% 6% 9% 0% $55,143 26 -0.63 32 89% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Design 141 38% 78% 6% 6% 3% 1% $65,513 30 +0.26 59 97%
Architecture 56 — 55% 70% 9% 7% 5% 4% $71,649 70 +0.41 71 — — — — —
Architecture — — — — — — — — $72,806 78 +0.54 73 100% — — — —
Digital Arts 38 — 39% 79% 8% 5% 3% 0% $43,208 10 -0.84 8 100% — — — —
Industrial and Product Design 8 — 50% 88% 0% 0% 0% 0% $78,101 92 +1.40 79 94% — — — —
Interior Design 30 — 0% 87% 0% 3% 0% 0% $78,101 91 +1.15 79 94% — — — —
Landscape Architecture 9 — 44% 89% 0% 11% 0% 0% $68,367 50 +0.03 65 100% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Education 438 27% 81% 2% 8% 5% 0% $59,090 7 +0.33 43 96%
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies — — — — — — — — $73,452 87 +0.90 74 96% — — — —
Human Nutrition — — — — — — — — $73,452 87 +0.90 74 96% — — — —
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Services 3 — 67% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $76,893 20 -0.79 78 — — — — —
Family and Consumer Sciences 20 — 20% 75% 0% 20% 5% 0% $48,620 19 -0.55 16 93% — — — —
Early Childhood Education 7 — 0% 71% 0% 0% 14% 0% $50,410 38 -0.28 20 97% — — — —
Educational Leadership and Administration 3 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $56,646 61 +0.19 36 — — — — —
Elementary Education 89 — 4% 81% 3% 1% 8% 0% $50,410 38 -0.28 20 97% — — — —
Health Teacher Education 12 +4 33% 50% 0% 42% 8% 0% $61,996 70 +0.53 51 96% — — — —
Middle School Education 14 — 14% 93% 0% 0% 0% 0% $50,410 24 -0.55 20 97% — — — —
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 167 — 39% 75% 3% 10% 5% 1% $61,996 70 +0.53 51 96% — — — —
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods 10 — 20% 90% 0% 0% 10% 0% $50,410 16 -0.70 20 97% — — — —
Social Studies Teacher Education 21 — 67% 95% 0% 0% 5% 0% $61,996 87 +1.07 51 96% — — — —
Special Education 7 — 0% 86% 0% 0% 0% 0% $51,906 30 -0.60 24 90% — — — —
Technical Teacher Education 13 — 15% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $61,996 85 +0.81 51 96% — — — —
Apparel and Textiles 52 +1 12% 85% 2% 10% 2% 0% $70,214 83 +0.85 68 98% — — — —
Art Education 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $61,996 96 +1.62 51 96% — — — —
Music Education 19 — 63% 95% 0% 5% 0% 0% $61,996 98 +1.64 51 96% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Engineering 413 77% 80% 3% 2% 6% 2% $101,316 95 -0.02 95 99%
Aerospace Engineering 11 — 91% 64% 0% 9% 9% 0% $98,859 25 -0.49 94 — — — — —
Agricultural and Biological Engineering 14 — 36% 86% 7% 0% 0% 0% $86,939 20 -0.60 87 100% — — — —
Biomedical Engineering 33 — 42% 70% 3% 3% 9% 3% $92,571 33 -0.53 90 — — — — —
Chemical Engineering 56 — 57% 86% 9% 4% 0% 0% $98,999 21 -0.67 94 96% — — — —
Civil Engineering 54 — 72% 83% 2% 4% 6% 2% $92,896 50 +0.08 91 100% — — — —
Computer Engineering 29 — 93% 83% 10% 0% 3% 3% $121,889 71 +0.23 99 98% — — — —
Electrical Engineering 56 — 91% 80% 2% 2% 7% 4% $107,339 30 -0.46 97 99% — — — —
Materials Science and Engineering 10 — 80% 60% 0% 0% 10% 20% $90,381 25 -0.46 89 100% — — — —
Mechanical Engineering 133 — 88% 80% 1% 2% 8% 2% $104,667 80 +0.69 96 100% — — — —
Mining Engineering 11 — 91% 91% 0% 0% 0% 0% $93,218 20 -0.97 91 100% — — — —
Computer Engineering Technology 3 — 67% 33% 0% 33% 0% 0% $88,071 43 -0.05 88 — — — — —
Engineering Technology 3 — 33% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $87,959 42 -0.06 88 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Fine Arts 89 25% 70% 2% 11% 2% 3% $48,329 1 +0.16 16 95%
Art History 5 +2 40% 80% 0% 20% 0% 0% $46,942 35 -0.38 13 91% — — — —
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management 15 +1 7% 80% 7% 7% 0% 0% $49,537 50 -0.18 18 95% — — — —
Dance 9 +1 11% 89% 0% 0% 0% 0% $42,976 50 -0.01 8 — — — — —
Music History, Literature, and Theory 7 — 29% 71% 0% 0% 0% 14% $55,995 88 +0.99 34 100% — — — —
Music Performance 13 — 62% 54% 0% 15% 0% 15% $55,995 88 +0.99 34 100% — — — —
Studio Art 26 +1 19% 62% 4% 15% 8% 0% $46,942 53 +0.01 13 91% — — — —
Theatre 14 +2 21% 71% 0% 14% 0% 0% $42,597 46 -0.06 7 96% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Health Sciences 246 13% 81% 3% 6% 4% 0% $82,509 78 +1.04 83 100% 3.4%
Clinical Laboratory Science 34 — 15% 76% 9% 3% 9% 3% $80,829 71 +0.28 82 100% 3.4% — — —
Communication Sciences and Disorders 44 — 2% 86% 0% 5% 5% 0% $69,256 86 +0.93 67 100% — — — —
Human Health Sciences 129 — 18% 79% 4% 6% 4% 0% $89,280 95 +1.43 89 100% — — — —
Mental and Social Health Services 6 — 0% 67% 0% 17% 0% 0% $75,683 75 +0.49 76 — — — — —
Health Administration 33 — 12% 88% 0% 6% 0% 0% $76,684 83 +0.53 78 97% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Nursing 364 9% 85% 2% 4% 5% 0% $86,982 84 -0.52 87 98% 4.5%
Nursing 364 — 9% 85% 2% 4% 5% 0% $86,982 31 -0.52 87 98% 4.5% — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Public Health 64 9% 62% 9% 12% 9% 0% $69,579 42 +0.41 67 97%
Public Health 64 — 9% 62% 9% 12% 9% 0% $69,579 74 +0.41 67 97% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Social Work 81 6% 80% 0% 12% 6% 0% $56,589 4 +0.35 36 90% 7.9%
Social Work 76 — 7% 79% 0% 13% 7% 0% $56,124 68 +0.34 35 90% 7.9% — — —
Criminal Justice 4 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $63,585 74 +0.51 55 — — — — —
Legal Studies 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $64,015 75 +0.57 56 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
Gatton College of Business and Economics 1,129 58% 80% 4% 3% 6% 3% $87,889 86 +0.18 88 98%
Accounting 168 +38 65% 82% 3% 3% 4% 1% $95,498 71 +0.55 92 97% — — — —
Economics 28 +3 75% 57% 0% 4% 29% 11% $79,967 27 -0.68 81 97% — — — —
Economics 43 +9 56% 72% 9% 0% 7% 5% $87,672 42 -0.27 87 99% — — — —
Finance 299 +44 77% 79% 6% 2% 4% 5% $96,813 53 -0.08 93 100% — — — —
General Business 269 +92 61% 83% 3% 4% 5% 2% $84,599 76 +0.36 85 97% — — — —
Hospitality Management 24 — 21% 83% 0% 0% 4% 4% $63,220 65 +0.24 54 96% — — — —
Management 26 — 50% 73% 12% 0% 12% 0% $82,030 71 +0.23 83 — — — — —
Marketing 272 +98 34% 82% 2% 3% 7% 1% $80,222 62 +0.21 81 97% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration 12 33% 83% 0% 0% 8% 0% $68,143 38 -0.30 65
Public Policy 12 — 33% 83% 0% 0% 8% 0% $68,143 40 -0.30 65 — — — — —

Financial

In-State Tuition & Fees $14,185
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees $36,320
Est. In-State Cost $18,350
Est. Out-of-State Cost $46,984
ROI Percentile 76th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 87%
4-Year Graduation Rate 55%
6-Year Graduation Rate 71%
Transfer-Out Rate 0%

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅ % Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn
Business & Economics 23.5% 1,165 57% 80% 4% 3% 5% 3% $87,544 66 +0.19 87 98% —
Social Sciences 21.3% 1,059 32% 77% 3% 8% 6% 1% $61,285 61 -0.02 49 94% 7.4%
Health Sciences 12.9% 641 11% 81% 3% 5% 5% 0% $84,058 75 +0.11 85 98% 4.4%
Engineering 8.2% 407 77% 80% 3% 2% 6% 2% $101,512 50 -0.02 95 99% —
Education 8.0% 395 28% 79% 2% 7% 5% 1% $55,279 64 -0.03 32 96% 8.9%
Arts 6.1% 302 31% 78% 4% 8% 2% 2% $61,026 86 +0.43 48 97% —
Life & Natural Sciences 5.6% 278 36% 67% 15% 4% 8% 1% $66,253 42 -0.05 61 96% —
Agriculture & Food Science 5.0% 246 33% 76% 3% 7% 5% 1% $61,567 58 -0.08 49 95% —
Computer Science 4.1% 202 79% 70% 11% 3% 5% 5% $108,456 47 -0.36 97 96% 6.5%
Humanities 3.4% 169 35% 72% 3% 9% 9% 2% $56,528 59 +0.00 36 92% —
Physical Sciences & Math 1.8% 91 55% 70% 12% 4% 8% 2% $75,815 42 -0.20 77 98% —
Professional 0.2% 11 27% 82% 0% 9% 0% 0% $76,950 72 +0.20 78 — —

Research R1

⇅ Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Life & Natural Sciences $233M #21 53% $8.5M 51 #51 234 133
Health Sciences $98.3M #63 68% $0.1M 29 #68 149 21
Engineering $67.6M #77 61% $2.3M 36 #95 237 16
Agriculture & Food Science $62.5M #32 21% $0.4M 18 #34 73 36
Humanities & Social Sciences $17.8M #116 61% $0 88 #50 238 3
Physical Sciences & Math $12.9M #162 72% $0.1M 51 #64 252 14
Business & Economics $7.3M #82 29% $0 6 #168 25 —
Computer Science $5.6M #123 52% $0.0M 6 #124 63 —
Education $2.2M #169 62% $0 34 #117 — —
Total $507M #61 53% $11.5M 319 #70 1,271 223

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Sports NCAA D1

⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Football 122 $43.3M $43.3M $0
Track & Field (combined) 85 $3.3M $3.3M $0
Swimming & Diving 44 $2.1M $2.1M $0
Baseball 42 $5.2M $5.2M $0
Soccer 27 $2.3M $2.3M $0
Basketball 15 $21.4M $21.4M $0
Golf 11 $951K $951K $0
Tennis 9 $1.5M $1.5M $0
Rifle 5 $443K $443K $0
Total 315 $80.5M $80.5M $0
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 109 $4.0M $4.0M $0
Other Sports 64 $1.7M $1.7M $0
Soccer 56 $2.6M $2.6M $0
Swimming & Diving 37 $2.3M $2.3M $0
Softball 21 $3.2M $3.2M $0
Gymnastics 19 $2.7M $2.7M $0
Volleyball 16 $3.4M $3.4M $0
Basketball 13 $7.7M $7.7M $0
Golf 8 $1.1M $1.1M $0
Tennis 8 $1.3M $1.3M $0
Rifle 6 $532K $532K $0
Total 299 $30.5M $30.5M $0
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 194 $7.4M $7.4M $0
Football 122 $43.3M $43.3M $0
Soccer 83 $4.9M $4.9M $0
Swimming & Diving 81 $4.4M $4.4M $0
Other Sports 64 $1.7M $1.7M $0
Baseball 42 $5.2M $5.2M $0
Basketball 28 $29.0M $29.0M $0
Softball 21 $3.2M $3.2M $0
Golf 19 $2.0M $2.0M $0
Gymnastics 19 $2.7M $2.7M $0
Tennis 17 $2.8M $2.8M $0
Volleyball 16 $3.4M $3.4M $0
Rifle 11 $976K $976K $0
Total 614 $186.6M $186.6M $0

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. Each team's revenue and expenses are what the college attributes to it. The Total view's totals row is the department's grand total, which also includes money not attributed to any team; the Male and Female totals rows only add up their teams.

Admissions

Uses Common App Yes
Acceptance Rate 94%
Yield (non-ED) 22%
Early Action Nov 1
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 95% 93% 90%

Early Action and Restrictive Early Action applicants are reported at the regular-decision rate.

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional
Submitted Test Scores 57%
SAT Range 1050 – 1270
SAT Math Range 510 – 630
SAT RW Range 540 – 650