Higher Education Outcome Report · South

💰 Low-Cost / High Value

Kentucky Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 39 degree-granting institutions graded

Kentucky's higher education system is a below-average mobility and lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $46,109, -11% vs the national median.

automotive & logistics
healthcare
manufacturing

85
INSTITUTIONS: $46,109
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -11% vs natl; $17,515
AVG NET PRICE: 24 / 28
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

C+

36/100 · #45 of 50

Kentucky At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

39

122,119 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~17,387

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
28th pct

$44,492

36th of 50 states
Mobility Score
28th pct

1.3%

33rd of 46 states
Talent Retention
56th pct

73%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
20th pct

2.4x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Healthcare
Social Sciences

Executive Summary

Kentucky graduates earn a median of $44,492 a decade after entry, 9% below the national state average, ranking 36th of 50 states.
Upward mobility sits mid-pack: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.3% rate, in the 28th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Business and Healthcare, which together account for 44% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 13.6% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Kentucky returns 2.4x earnings per dollar of net price, below average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is University of the Cumberlands, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 2.3% rate, the highest in Kentucky.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-13.1%

Median graduate earnings in Kentucky are below the national average by 13%.
Cost vs National

-14.2%

Net price in Kentucky is lower than the national average by 14%.
Mobility Rate

-0.44pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.4 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

-3.6pp

Kentucky's graduation rate is 3.6 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

10.1x

Top value school: Hazard Community and Technical College ($29,868 earnings vs $2,955 net price).

Education Output Profile

Business (22% of graduates) and Healthcare (22% of graduates) dominate Kentucky's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $46,971.

Business

22%

$46,971 avg
Healthcare

22%

$45,670 avg
Social Sciences

12%

$50,478 avg
Humanities

8%

$46,352 avg
Education

8%

$47,170 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 13

Outcome Performance

Kentucky's highest-ROI degree cluster is Engineering (Engineering), where graduates average $49,035 against a net cost of $13,065, a 3.8x return. That's -4.9% vs the national median.

Engineering
3.8x

$49,035 earnings $13,065 net -4.9% vs natl
Legal Studies
3.5x

$49,162 earnings $13,992 net -4.7% vs natl
Physical Sciences
3.2x

$49,079 earnings $15,448 net -4.8% vs natl
Visual & Performing Arts
3.1x

$49,408 earnings $16,021 net -4.2% vs natl
Humanities
3.1x

$48,627 earnings $15,776 net -5.7% vs natl
Social Sciences
3.1x

$48,660 earnings $15,787 net -5.7% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Kentucky's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 22%
Health Professions 22%
Education 8%
Psychology 8%
Humanities 7%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $53,423
Social Sciences $53,334
Visual & Performing Arts $50,267
Biology & Biomedical $49,357
Psychology $49,005

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Kentucky's graduate supply.

Engineering $53,423 4% of grads
Social Sciences $53,334 4% of grads
Visual & Performing Arts $50,267 3% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $49,357 5% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Kentucky's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.3%, which puts the state in the 28th percentile nationally. 10% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.49, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.3%

▼ -0.36pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

10%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

16%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

40%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

73%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.49

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Humanities graduates, however, earn 13.6% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Business
22% of enrollment

$47,111 -8.7% vs natl

30 schools
Healthcare
22% of enrollment

$46,703 -9.4% vs natl

25 schools
Social Sciences
12% of enrollment

$48,852 -5.3% vs natl

22 schools
Humanities
8% of enrollment

$44,571 -13.6% vs natl

15 schools
Education
8% of enrollment

$46,405 -10% vs natl

19 schools
Sciences
7% of enrollment

$49,650 -3.7% vs natl

15 schools

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -13.6% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Education: -10% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -9.4% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Kentucky's higher education system includes 2 research-oriented, 7 specialized, 8 access-oriented, 22 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

2

Research Universities
22

Regional Universities
8

Access-Oriented Institutions
7

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

34% of Kentucky's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $42,738 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

12

34% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,738
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

18

51% of schools
Avg earnings: $50,087
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

5

14% of schools
Avg earnings: $40,677

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Kentucky

Kentucky is home to 85 colleges and universities, from 24 public institutions to 28 private nonprofits. University of Kentucky anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $38,107 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Humanities. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Kentucky

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $15,518 a year across Kentucky. Northern Kentucky University stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Kentucky's economy leans on automotive & logistics, healthcare and manufacturing, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Humanities feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Kentucky level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Kentucky earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$38,107

▼ $-5,730 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$15,518

▲ $-2,558 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.5x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Kentucky

Is Kentucky Right for You?

Kentucky is a strong fit if you want to build a career in automotive & logistics and healthcare, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Centre College · KY Bellarmine University · KY Galen College of Nursing-Louisville · KY Galen College of Nursing-ARH · KY Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville · KY Thomas More University · KY

FAQ

How many colleges are in Kentucky?

There are 85 colleges and universities in Kentucky in our dataset — 24 public, 28 private nonprofit, including 2 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Kentucky?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Centre College leads, followed by schools like Bellarmine University and Galen College of Nursing-Louisville.

How much does college cost in Kentucky?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $15,518 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Kentucky?

Kentucky's economy is anchored by automotive & logistics, healthcare and manufacturing, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Kentucky?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Northern Kentucky University, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 85 schools in Kentucky

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

85 institutions in Kentucky

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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