Best Value Colleges in Kentucky
We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical Kentucky high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 22 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 1.4 years at the fastest to 8.3 years at the slowest.
The median college needs 3.0 years to repay its net price, 0.2 years faster than the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (7) have a median payback of 2.4 years against 3.6 years for the 15 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.
Northern Kentucky University ranks first at 1.4 years, ahead of University of Louisville (2.2 years) and Brescia University (2.2 years). Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
- Ranked by payback, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Kentucky
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- Graduation rate of 40% or higher
- A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Kentucky has 22
- Data period
- Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 22 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY Public · 4-year | 1.4 years | $8,191 | $58,429 | $23,000 | 50% |
| 2 | University of Louisville Louisville, KY Public · 4-year | 2.2 years | $17,988 | $67,853 | $20,500 | 61% |
| 3 | Brescia University Owensboro, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.2 years | $8,709 | $51,492 | $29,430 | 51% |
| 4 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY Public · 4-year | 2.3 years | $11,040 | $54,691 | $22,500 | 50% |
| 5 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY Public · 4-year | 2.4 years | $10,990 | $53,602 | $22,095 | 55% |
| 6 | Murray State University Murray, KY Public · 4-year | 2.4 years | $9,096 | $50,487 | $20,500 | 60% |
| 7 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 4-year | 2.5 years | $18,851 | $65,922 | $22,500 | 71% |
| 8 | Thomas More University Crestview Hills, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.5 years | $21,835 | $70,208 | $26,236 | 40% |
| 9 | Morehead State University Morehead, KY Public · 4-year | 2.6 years | $9,793 | $50,224 | $22,250 | 50% |
| 10 | Centre College Danville, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.8 years | $20,781 | $64,933 | $27,000 | 83% |
| 11 | Bellarmine University Louisville, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.0 years | $21,499 | $64,564 | $25,000 | 66% |
| 12 | Georgetown College Georgetown, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.0 years | $14,095 | $54,370 | $25,200 | 48% |
| 13 | Berea College Berea, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.3 years | $6,106 | $42,924 | $3,591 | 60% |
| 14 | University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.4 years | $14,107 | $51,882 | $14,911 | 48% |
| 15 | Spalding University Louisville, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.6 years | $25,491 | $64,136 | $25,250 | 54% |
| 16 | University of Pikeville Pikeville, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.1 years | $20,311 | $55,132 | $20,679 | 40% |
| 17 | Transylvania University Lexington, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.7 years | $21,913 | $50,923 | $27,000 | 71% |
| 18 | Midway University Midway, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.2 years | $29,579 | $54,588 | $21,301 | 43% |
| 19 | Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.3 years | $19,341 | $47,650 | $17,156 | 44% |
| 20 | Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.7 years | $17,131 | $45,592 | $23,250 | 49% |
| 21 | Lindsey Wilson University Columbia, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 7.2 years | $15,070 | $43,852 | $16,784 | 41% |
| 22 | Asbury University Wilmore, KY Private nonprofit · 4-year | 8.3 years | $21,401 | $45,728 | $24,028 | 65% |
How to compare these colleges
Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Kentucky
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Highest graduate earnings in Kentucky
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Most affordable private colleges in Kentucky
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Same list in nearby states
Best value colleges in Ohio
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Best value colleges in Illinois
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Best value colleges in Indiana
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All 35 colleges in Kentucky See the national version of this ranking