Doctoral/ProfessionalPublic

Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond, Kentucky·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·eku.edu
6-yr Graduation
50%
-5.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
15,673
peer median 15,510
Avg net price
$9,962
-$656 vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
17,024
17,024 candidates competed
Admitted
13,212
77.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,635
19.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
50%-5.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
41%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
55%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

8.0pp gap
Pell recipients
41%
Non-Pell
49%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 171 Title IV programs, 53 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 118 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
171
Passing
53
31.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

171programs
  • Passing53 · 31.0%
  • No Data118 · 69.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
5
Watch
12
Safe
36
No data
118

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

53
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+3.4%
$35,203 vs $34,058
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+3.8%
$35,365 vs $34,058
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+7.3%
$54,123 vs $50,451
American Sign Language
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+7.9%
$36,755 vs $34,058
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+9.5%
$45,142 vs $41,236
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.6%
$37,673 vs $34,058
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+11.9%
$46,153 vs $41,236
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+14.4%
$38,951 vs $34,058

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+3.4%
+$1,145
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+3.8%
+$1,307

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

45
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
84%
$45,701 debt · $54,288 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
76%
$27,000 debt · $35,365 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
76%
$41,000 debt · $54,123 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Bachelor Degree · Education
72%
$28,131 debt · $38,991 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
72%
$32,332 debt · $45,142 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$25,741 debt · $37,673 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
64%
$24,812 debt · $38,951 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
62%
$28,697 debt · $46,153 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1928Next review Dec 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 16

Action history · 20

  1. Apr 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  2. Oct 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  3. Jul 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,107
$30–48k$7,006
$48–75k$9,326
$75–110k$14,213
$110k+$15,362

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$9,962
-$655vs Doctoral/Professional median $10,618
Federal loans
42.8%
In-state tuition
$10,130
Out-of-state
$20,820

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 7,101 students received $38.7M in Pell grants, alongside $67.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
7,101
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$38.7M
$38,650,645 total
Direct Loans
$67.3M
11,871 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

5k
20
5k
21
5k
22
6k
23
7k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$17.8M
4,760 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$21.8M
5,168 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$20.5M
1,339 loan awards
Parent PLUS$6.0M
479 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.2M
125 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 4,112 borrowers who entered repayment, 121 (2.9%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.9%
+0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,112
Defaulted
121
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.2%
2017
10.4%
2018
7.5%
2019
2.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Eastern Kentucky

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs121
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,595 total completions
01Health Professions
52020.0%
02Security/Protective
40515.6%
03Business
38815.0%
04Psychology
32412.5%
05Education
32312.4%
06Liberal Arts
1847.1%
07Parks/Recreation
1385.3%
08Engineering Tech
1295.0%
09Public Admin
1144.4%
10Physical Sciences
702.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
15,673
12-mo unduplicated
17,607
Undergraduate
14,609
Graduate
2,998

Gender split

Men
39%6,818
Women
61%10,789

Race / ethnicity composition

White
79.8%
Black
6.8%
Hispanic
5.5%
Two or more
4.8%
Asian
1.3%
Unknown
0.9%
Non-resident
0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
381
238 M · 143 W
Women athletes
37.5%
Athletic aid
$6.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$25.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.3M
$2.6M
Recruiting expense
$206K
$96K
Head-coach salaries
$150K
$74K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
86 M · 53 W
$2.0M
Football
117 M ·
$6.0M
Baseball
46 M ·
$1.5M
Soccer
· 33 W
$891K
Basketball
16 M · 13 W
$3.7M
Tennis
12 M · 11 W
$717K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.02
29 offenses · 14,324 students

3-year trend

2.212 yrs ago2.221 yr ago2.02Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
92
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
61
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
8

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
16
Rape
7
Fondling
4
Arson
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

29total
  • On campus24
  • Non-campus5

Includes 16 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
6
Dating violence
6
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs103
Liquor279

Residence-hall fires

  • Telford Hall1 fire
    An individual burned scraps of paper in a metal container.Damage $0-$99
  • Kit Carson Commons Building C1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
491

Eastern Kentucky vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Eastern Kentucky selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectEastern Kentucky University
50%15,673$9,962Doctoral/Professional
Northern Kentucky University
54%67.6%15,347$7,168Doctoral/Professional
Western Kentucky University
58%93.9%16,291$10,916Doctoral/Professional
Florida Gulf Coast University
57%63.4%16,612$10,319Doctoral/Professional
University of West Georgia
43%51.6%14,337$15,450Doctoral/Professional
Western Carolina University
60%81.8%11,686$12,579Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median55%67.6%15,510$10,618

Frequently asked questions about Eastern Kentucky University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Eastern Kentucky.

What is the graduation rate at Eastern Kentucky University?

Eastern Kentucky University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 50% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Eastern Kentucky University?

Eastern Kentucky University reports a total enrollment of 15,673 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Eastern Kentucky University?

The average net price at Eastern Kentucky University is $9,962 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Eastern Kentucky University?

Eastern Kentucky University's yield rate is 19.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Eastern Kentucky University located?

Eastern Kentucky University is located in Richmond, Kentucky 40475-3102.

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