University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University of Kentucky Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Kentucky
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Kentucky
- #1 Best Online MBAs Kentucky
- #1 Best Research Universities in Kentucky 2026
- #1 Kentucky's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #1 Kentucky's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Kentucky
- #1 Best Colleges in Kentucky 2026
- #1 Online Master's in Kinesiology
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #2 The Best Online Social Work PhD Degree Programs Ranked in 2026
- #2 Online Master's in Art Education
- #3 Most Influential Colleges in Basketball Today
- #4 Online Master’s in Counseling
- #4 Online Bachelor’s in Social Work
- #4 Most Affordable Online DSW and PhD in Social Work Doctorate Programs 2026
- #4 Online Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Humanities
- #5 Online Master’s in Education
- #6 Most Affordable Online PhD of Education Degree Programs
- #6 Top 20 Best Online Accredited Doctorate Degree Programs (PhDs)
- #6 Online Bachelor’s in Business Administration
- #6 Online Bachelor’s in Communications
- #6 Online Master’s in Green Technologies
- #7 Best Research Universities with Online Doctorate Programs (PhDs) 2026
- #8 Online Doctorate in Education
- #8 Best Online Colleges
- #8 Online Master’s in Finance
- #9 Online Master’s in Special Education
- #9 Online Master’s in Communications
- #11 Most Influential Colleges in Sports Today
- #13 Online Master’s in Social Work-MSW
- #13 Best Online Colleges for Veterans
- #14 Online Master’s in Engineering
- #15 Online MBAs
- #16 The 50 Best No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #23 Online Master’s in Management
- #30 Best Online Master's Programs
- #38 Best Public Colleges
About University of Kentucky
According to Wikipedia, The University of Kentucky is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's two land-grant universities . It is the institution with the highest enrollment in the state, with 32,710 students as of fall 2022.
University of Kentucky's Online Degrees
MS in Applied Environmental & Sustainability Studies
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
MA in Counseling in Counselor Education
Degree Concentrations
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- Rehabilitation Counseling
- Required Credits: 60
- Format: Fully online
MS in Digital Mapping - New Maps Plus
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts in Communication
- Required Credits: 120
- Format: Fully online
BA in Health Science
Degree Concentrations
- Medical Laboratory Science
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 12 or 24 months
- Format: Fully online
PhD in Education Science
Degree Concentrations
- Physical Education
- Educational Leadership
- Required Credits: 48
- Format: Fully online
MS in Kinesiology and Health Promotion
Degree Concentrations
- Health Promotion
- Required Credits: 33
- Format: Fully online
EdD in Educational Leadership Studies
Degree Concentrations
- Teacher Leadership
- Required Credits: 42
- Format: Fully online
MS in Instructional Systems Design
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
BA in Liberal Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 2.5 years
- Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts in Information Communication Technology
- Required Credits: 120
- Format: Fully online
MS in Information Communication Technology
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
MS in Nursing
Degree Concentrations
- Healthcare Systems Leadership
- Required Credits: 38
- Format: Fully online
MS in Research Methods in Education
Degree Concentrations
- Quantitative methods
- Evaluation
- or Research design
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
MS in Public Financial Management
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
MS in Retailing and Tourism Management
- Required Credits: 34
- Format: Fully online
MS in Science Translation & Outreach
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
MS in Library & Information Science
- Required Credits: 36
- Format: Fully online
DSW in Social Work
Degree Concentrations
- Advanced Clinical Practice
- Administrative Leadership
- or Military Behavioral Health
- Format: Fully online
MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering
- Required Credits: 30
- Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts in General Business
- Required Credits: 120
- Format: Fully online
MPH in Public Health
Degree Concentrations
- Health Systems and Policy Analytics
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
- Health Behavior
- Required Credits: 42
- Completion Time: 2 years
- Format: Fully online
University of Kentucky Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28,233 | 93% | 87% | 72% | 1180 | 24 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University of Kentucky Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $13,907 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $12,528 |
| 30K - 48K | $12,460 |
| 48K - 75K | $14,192 |
| 75K - 110K | $20,327 |
| 110K+ | $27,661 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University of Kentucky Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University of Kentucky students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $63,924 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University of Kentucky's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 35,216 | 25,088 | 10,128 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University of Kentucky?
University of Kentucky is located at South Limestone, Lexington, KY 40506-0032.
How Safe is University of Kentucky?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, University of Kentucky publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, University of Kentucky has a violent crime rate of 0.22% and a property crime rate of 0.34%. Lexington has a violent crime rate of 0.27% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.30%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is University of Kentucky Known For?
University of Kentucky is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Mathematics
- History
- Anthropology
- Medical
- Nursing
- Business
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Law
- Education
- Social Work
- Criminal Justice
- Biology
- Political Science
- Economics
- Sociology
- Earth Sciences
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Communications
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Physics
University of Kentucky's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of Kentucky's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of Kentucky ranks #50 in the U.S. and #206 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #51 in the U.S. and #134 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #63 in the U.S. and #162 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #65 in the U.S. and #187 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #74 in the U.S. and #154 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #83 in the U.S. and #211 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #87 in the U.S. and #376 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #88 in the U.S. and #337 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #90 in the U.S. and #263 worldwide for influence in Law.
University of Kentucky ranks #91 in the U.S. and #306 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #95 in the U.S. and #186 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #99 in the U.S. and #143 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #100 in the U.S. and #303 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #101 in the U.S. and #338 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #103 in the U.S. and #403 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #109 in the U.S. and #343 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #110 in the U.S. and #437 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #113 in the U.S. and #290 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #114 in the U.S. and #411 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #120 in the U.S. and #392 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #126 in the U.S. and #287 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #133 in the U.S. and #425 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity of Kentucky ranks #142 in the U.S. and #560 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWho Are University of Kentucky's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Kentucky's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, History, and Nursing. Here are some of University of Kentucky's most famous alumni:
- Thomas Hunt Morgan
- An American biologist .
- Joe Nickell
- An American skeptical investigator.
- Wendell Berry
- An American writer.
- William M. Bass
- An American forensic anthropologist, (1928 – ), Virginia, USA.
- Scott Pruitt
- A 14th Administrator of the EPA. Scott Pruitt is former Attorney General from Oklahoma.
- Story Musgrave
- An American physician and NASA astronaut.
- William Lipscomb
- A Nobel Prize-winning American inorganic and organic chemist.
- James C. Klotter
- A Kentucky historian.
- Pat Riley
- An American basketball player, coach and executive.
- Walter Hooper
- An American writer .
- David Schweickart
- An American mathematician.
- Mitch McConnell
- An American politician and lawyer .
Who Are University of Kentucky's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Kentucky's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, History, and Nursing. Here are some of University of Kentucky's most famous faculty:
- Terence Tao
- An Australian-American mathematician.
- M. Zahid Hasan
- A Bangladeshi American quantum physicist.
- Milena Minkova
- A Bulgarian classical philologist.
- Justin R. Walker
- A U.S. federal judge.
- Ebony Patterson
- A Jamaican artist.
- Florian Idenburg
- An Architect.
- Shaun King
- A Former quarterback.
- Kevin Young
- An American basketball coach.
- Mark Pope
- An American basketball player and coach.
- Wendy Palmer
- An American basketball player.
- Alexis Hornbuckle
- An American basketball player, coach.
- Douglas A. Boyd
- A Historian.
