Kentucky offers potential students with a wide range of colleges and universities to choose from. Known as the bluegrass state, Kentucky is home to a very active public and private college and university scene. On the public side, Kentucky has 8 public universities, with a combined endowment of nearly $2 billion. The largest endowments of all of these go to the state’s top two public institutions: The University of Kentucky, and The University of Louisville. These universities have over $900 million and $700 million in endowments, respectively. Those wishing to attend a public institution in Kentucky will be greeted with a wide range of options and relatively low tuition rates in comparison to other states.
Kentucky also have a very vibrant scene for private colleges and universities. Among college factual’s rankings for colleges in the state, the top 5 consist of 4 private institutions and 1 public universities. In order, these are: Centre College, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, Ballarmine College, and Berea College. While this list is not precise, other rankings may put Bellarmine College closer to the top. These top schools also boast some of the best rankings for schools in the south and in the nation. Berea College, Centre College, and Transylvania University are in the top 100 for liberal arts schools in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report’s regular college rankings. The University of Kentucky comes in at #129 nationally for public universities.
Unfortunately, most colleges and universities in Kentucky for far below the national average for graduate rates. The U.S. Department of Education provides valuable information on every college in the country, and out of 46 schools in Kentucky that they provide information for, only 7 have graduation rates above 60%: Bellarmine College (64%), University of Kentucky (60%), Centre College (85%), Transylvania University (73%), Ashbury University (70%), Spencerian College-Lexington (62%) and Berea College (64%). This does not indicate a lack of quality in the schools however; it points more directly to educational quality and college preparation issues that exist at the primary and secondary levels within the state.
Draughons Junior College
National College
Daymar College
Brown Mackie College
College for Technical Education
Spencerian College
Strayer University
ATA Career Education
Brown Mackie CollegeDaymar College
Keller Graduate School of Management
Louisville Technical Institute
Strayer University
University of Phoenix
Southwestern College
Brown Mackie College
Daymar College
Daymar College
Kentucky is one of the few states that has a very dedicated program for online learning. At the state level, Kentucky operates what they call the Kentucky Virtual Campus (KYVC). This program allows prospective students to take online classes and earn degrees and certificates through various programs offered in the state’s many public universities and community colleges. The Kentucky Virtual Campus lists its goals as follows:
* Enhance and expand educational access and increase educational attainment across Kentucky.
* Upgrade workforce skills and expand professional development through basic and continuing education.
* Increase collaboration and foster efficiency and effectiveness in delivering courses and programs.
* Increase global competitiveness of Kentucky’s educational resources.
Every public institution and many of the private colleges in the state offer courses and degree programs through Kentucky Virtual Campus. Most community colleges in the state allow courses to be taken through this online medium, and several technical and vocational schools also provide students with the online option. Students looking for value will find many of the
colleges and universities in the state, both public and private, offer various online degrees at very reasonable costs. Among these are Morehead College (tuition: $7,866), Kentucky State University (tuition: $8,888), Kentucky Wesleyan College (tuition: $9,000), Murray State University (tuition: $9,312) and Northern Kentucky University (tuition: 9,312). The programs that these colleges offer in their online degree programs are along the same lines as you’ll find in most degree programs: business, education, nursing and technology.
In all, there are over 60 online, degree granting colleges and universities in Kentucky. Many of these are religious-based. Those seeking Master’s or Doctoral degrees in theological studies will be pleased with the many different programs available across the state. Prospective students who have taken online courses before will be happy to know that most of top online schools utilize familiar learning management systems, such as Blackboard and Moodle.