Best Private Colleges in Kentucky 2024

Badge for BEST IN KENTUCKY PRIVATE COLLEGES

Published: Mar 25, 2021
Updated: Oct 16, 2023

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.

Transylvania University
Berea College
Centre College
Georgetown College
Bellarmine University
Asbury University
University of Pikeville
Spalding University
Campbellsville University
University of the Cumberlands

Alice Lloyd College 98%
Spalding University 98%
Thomas More University 94%
Midway University 94%
Transylvania University 91%
Bellarmine University 88%
University of the Cumberlands 83%
Asbury University 79%
Georgetown College 72%
Kentucky Wesleyan College 69%

Campbellsville University 23 to 1
University of the Cumberlands 18 to 1
Lindsey Wilson College 17 to 1
Alice Lloyd College 16 to 1
Midway University 15 to 1
University of Pikeville 15 to 1
Thomas More University 14 to 1
Georgetown College 14 to 1
Kentucky Christian University 13 to 1
Sullivan University 13 to 1

Centre College $48,070
Bellarmine University $46,030
Berea College $45,026
Transylvania University $43,670
Georgetown College $41,600
Thomas More University $35,810
Asbury University $33,146
Kentucky Wesleyan College $31,300
Union College, Kentucky $30,946
Brescia University $27,950

Sullivan University $15,840
Brescia University $15,500
Bellarmine University $13,785
Spalding University $13,075
Georgetown College $11,070
Thomas More University $11,050
Union College, Kentucky $11,040
Lindsey Wilson College $9,635
Campbellsville University $8,904
Asbury University $8,550

Kentucky Christian University
Thomas More University
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Alice Lloyd College
Brescia University
Midway University
Lindsey Wilson College
Union College, Kentucky
Spalding University
Asbury University

Lindsey Wilson College
Midway University
Thomas More University
Alice Lloyd College
Union College, Kentucky
Kentucky Christian University
Brescia University
Sullivan University
Kentucky Wesleyan College
University of the Cumberlands

Berea College 25%
Kentucky Christian University 44%
Brescia University 50%
Union College, Kentucky 53%
Centre College 63%
Kentucky Wesleyan College 69%
Georgetown College 72%
Asbury University 79%
University of the Cumberlands 83%
Bellarmine University 88%

Berea College 8 to 1
Spalding University 9 to 1
Union College, Kentucky 9 to 1
Brescia University 9 to 1
Centre College 10 to 1
Transylvania University 10 to 1
Asbury University 11 to 1
Kentucky Wesleyan College 12 to 1
Bellarmine University 12 to 1
Kentucky Christian University 13 to 1

University of the Cumberlands $9,875
Sullivan University $14,220
Alice Lloyd College $14,250
University of Pikeville $23,150
Kentucky Christian University $23,700
Midway University $25,050
Campbellsville University $26,100
Lindsey Wilson College $26,228
Spalding University $27,300
Brescia University $27,950

University of the Cumberlands $4,282
Kentucky Christian University $4,950
Midway University $7,200
Asbury University $8,550
University of Pikeville $8,550
Campbellsville University $8,904
Lindsey Wilson College $9,635
Union College, Kentucky $11,040
Thomas More University $11,050
Georgetown College $11,070

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities 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.

What are Kentucky’s Colleges & Universities?

Kentucky’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

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.

How do we determine Kentucky's best private colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

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.