BaccalaureatePublicHBCULand-grant

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, Kentucky·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·kysu.edu
6-yr Graduation
32%
-5.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
2,020
peer median 2,013
Avg net price
$8,900
-$1.9k vs Baccalaureate
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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
1,453
1,453 candidates competed
Admitted
1,396
96.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
377
27.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
32%-5.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
14%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
35%
Full-time retention
64%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
30%
Non-Pell
35%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-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 49 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 43 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
49
Passing
6
12.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

49programs
  • Passing6 · 12.2%
  • No Data43 · 87.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
3
No data
43

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.

6
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+1.4%
$34,522 vs $34,058
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+24.4%
$42,363 vs $34,058
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+24.5%
$42,392 vs $34,058
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+25.5%
$42,743 vs $34,058
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+37.3%
$46,767 vs $34,058
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+161.1%
$88,912 vs $34,058

Near the line (±5%)

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

1
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+1.4%
+$464

Debt vs earnings

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

6
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
77%
$26,589 debt · $34,522 earn
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
76%
$32,099 debt · $42,363 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
75%
$35,000 debt · $46,767 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
72%
$30,450 debt · $42,392 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
69%
$29,500 debt · $42,743 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
18%
$15,892 debt · $88,912 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 1939Next review Dec 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 33

  1. Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Dec 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    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$6,809
$30–48k$5,703
$48–75k$9,471
$75–110k$15,362
$110k+$17,285

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

Avg net price
$8,900
-$1,889vs Baccalaureate median $10,789
Federal loans
55.0%
In-state tuition
$9,214
Out-of-state
$13,260

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,119 students received $6.6M in Pell grants, alongside $11.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,119
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.6M
$6,589,534 total
Direct Loans
$11.3M
2,272 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.8M
1,013 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.3M
972 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.0M
62 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.0M
216 loan awards
Grad PLUS$146K
9 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 522 borrowers who entered repayment, 26 (4.9%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.9%
+2.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
522
Defaulted
26
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
14.8%
2017
11.9%
2018
9.2%
2019
4.9%
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 Kentucky State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs51
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

275 total completions
01Business
5118.5%
02Psychology
4315.6%
03Liberal Arts
3211.6%
04Health Professions
279.8%
05Public Admin
238.4%
06Computer Sciences
238.4%
07Parks/Recreation
228.0%
08Security/Protective
207.3%
09Agriculture
186.5%
10Communication
165.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,020
12-mo unduplicated
2,115
Undergraduate
1,920
Graduate
195

Gender split

Men
43%902
Women
57%1,213

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
81.4%
White
8.1%
Two or more
4.0%
Unknown
3.1%
Hispanic
1.8%
Non-resident
0.8%
Asian
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
331
240 M · 91 W
Women athletes
27.5%
Athletic aid
$1.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$5.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$680K
$436K
Recruiting expense
$500
$373
Head-coach salaries
$55K
$45K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Football
127 M ·
$2.0M
Track and Field (Indoor)
26 M · 22 W
$197K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
26 M · 22 W
$197K
Baseball
39 M ·
$381K
Volleyball
12 M · 22 W
$217K
Basketball
15 M · 15 W
$1.5M

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
1.74
3 offenses · 1,726 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago3.071 yr ago1.74Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
10
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
2
Rape
1

By location

3total
  • On campus3

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

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
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
91

Kentucky State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Kentucky State 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
SubjectKentucky State University
32%2,020$8,900Baccalaureate
Glenville State University
35%69.5%1,765$16,358Baccalaureate
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
40%41.2%2,005$11,679Baccalaureate
Elizabeth City State University
44%64.2%2,258$7,237Baccalaureate
Florida Polytechnic University
55%57.5%1,769$9,899Baccalaureate
University of South Carolina Beaufort
34%72.5%2,208$15,309Baccalaureate
Peer group median38%64.2%2,013$10,789

Frequently asked questions about Kentucky State University

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

What is the graduation rate at Kentucky State University?

Kentucky State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 32% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Kentucky State University?

Kentucky State University reports a total enrollment of 2,020 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Kentucky State University?

The average net price at Kentucky State University is $8,900 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Kentucky State University?

Kentucky State University's yield rate is 27.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Kentucky State University located?

Kentucky State University is located in Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-2355.

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