Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Kentucky.
Students who wish to attend traditional and online colleges in Kentucky have plenty of excellent options. Traditional students and distance learners alike have an array of affordable, accessible, and reputable undergraduate and graduate degrees to choose from.
Between community colleges, technical schools, and universities, Kentucky has 24 public schools. The community colleges and technical schools average $4,000 for tuition, and tuition for public universities ranges from $8,000 to $12,000. Online students pay the same in state tuition rates when enrolling in these public options.
Prospective students planning to attend private colleges can choose from 26 schools, of which 21 are religiously affiliated. The cost to attend private schools tends to be higher, reaching $42,000 in Kentucky. There are, however, some affordable private options with tuition rates as low as $9,000.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
The largest and top-rated public university is the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky has over 30,000 students and costs about $12,000. UK offers a wide range of traditional and fully online programs in areas like political science, chemistry, and literature.
Students who attend either the University of Louisville or Western Kentucky University will become part of a friendly basketball rivalry. Both of these universities also offer highly regarded graduate and undergraduate degrees in fields like mathematics, communications, business, and history.
Eastern Kentucky University is also among the top public colleges in Kentucky, with more than 14,000 students enrolled in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.
In addition, Kentucky encourages graduating education students to apply for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. This financial aid program awards $5,000 to $17,500 toward Federal Stafford loans to those remaining in the profession.
There is something for everyone in The Bluegrass State. Kentucky is home to the famous Kentucky Derby, the Daniel Boone National Forest, and the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. Both traditional and online Students wanting to study in a state that Abraham Lincoln and Muhammad Ali called home have 50 higher learning institutions from which to choose.
Kentucky has it all - associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Check out the top brick-and-mortar and online schools the state of Kentucky has to offer.
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.
This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 19 private universities in Kentucky. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Kentucky, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
33%
Graduation
67%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1194/25
Berea College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
74%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/26
Transylvania University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
83%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/29
Centre College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/25
Bellarmine University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
36%
Student body
8K
Campbellsville University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Graduation
32%
Student body
1K
University of Pikeville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
40%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
University of the Cumberlands’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
56%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1161/24
Georgetown College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Graduation
25%
Student body
3K
Sullivan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
64%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1190/24
Asbury University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
58%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1040/19
Spalding University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
28%
Student body
1K
Union College, Kentucky’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Graduation
40%
Student body
3K
Lindsey Wilson College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
51%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1045/21
Midway University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
48%
Graduation
36%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/23
Brescia University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
35%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
960/20
Alice Lloyd College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
38%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1099/23
Kentucky Wesleyan College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
39%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/22
Thomas More University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
28%
Graduation
31%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
916/19
Kentucky Christian University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
