These are the top colleges in Kentucky, report says. See which universities made top 10

College application season is well underway, with many early decision deadlines arriving later this fall. Applying early to your college of choice offers several advantages, including possibly boosting your chance for admission.

If you already have a particular school in mind, this can help give you an edge when applying, and if you’re still weighing your options, starting now gives you more time to carefully consider them.

Niche, a popular website for ranking and reviewing K-12 and postsecondary schools, has released its list of the 2025 best colleges in America. To inform its analysis, Niche draws from a mix of sources , including user reviews and data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education and Census Bureau. Each college is assigned an overall grade , with academics, value and faculty quality being the most heavily weighted.

In its latest analysis of Kentucky’s top colleges and universities , Niche placed the University of Kentucky No. 1 overall. However, many of Kentucky’s other colleges and universities also performed well in the rankings, with one small private college beating UK in terms of affordability and value.

Niche also has a national look at the country’s top schools .

Kentucky’s best colleges and universities, ranked

To aid you in your search for the best-fit, here’s how colleges and universities across Kentucky did, with a look at those that ranked within the top 20 overall.

20. Galen College of Nursing

Location: Louisville

Grades: B- overall, C academics, B+ value, C diversity, B+ campus, unrated for athletics, C- party scene, C professors, B+ location, unrated for dorms, unrated for campus food, B student life and A safety.

A small, for-profit college located in Louisville’s suburbs, Galen College of Nursing is No. 3 among Kentucky’s best value colleges, according to Niche. Galen College has a 100% acceptance rate, has an enrollment of some 1,700 undergraduate students and has a net price of $23,144 a year. That price amounts to the average cost for students after financial aid is factored in, as reported by the college.

19. Kentucky State University

Location: Frankfort

Grades: B- overall, B- academics, B value, B+ diversity, C- campus, B athletics, A- party scene, B+ professors, C location, D+ dorms, B- campus food, C+ student life, B safety.

Kentucky State University is a historically Black college. This small school of roughly 1,200 undergraduate students has an acceptance rate of 92%, according to Niche. Popular majors include business, liberal arts and nursing. The net price of attendance is $11,473 a year with total financial aid.

18. Asbury University

Location: Wilmore (Jessamine County)

Grades: B- overall, B- academics, B- value, B+ diversity, B athletics, C+ campus, C- party scene, B- professors, B- location, B- dorms, C+ campus food, C+ student life, and A- safety.

Asbury University is a private Christian university with an enrollment of about 1,000 undergraduate students, according to Niche. With an acceptance rate of 79%, Asbury University has a net price of $21,506 a year.

17. Union College

Location: Barbourville (Knox County)

Grades: B- overall, B- academics, B value, A diversity, B- campus, B athletics, B- party scene, C+ professors, C+ location, B dorms, B campus food, B- student life and A- safety.

Along with placing among the state’s best overall colleges, Union College also stands out as one of the best value schools, taking the No. 18 spot on that measure, according to Niche. The private Methodist college has an enrollment of about 700 undergraduate students. Admissions are also fairly competitive, with the acceptance rate being 53%. Its net price of attendance is $18,221 a year.

16. Western Kentucky University

Location: Bowling Green

Grades: B- overall, B- academics, B- value, B- diversity, B+ campus, A- athletics, A party scene, B professors, B+ location, C dorms, A campus food, A- student life, and B- for safety.

Home to the Hilltoppers, Western Kentucky University is known for its beautiful campus located in Bowling Green, the state’s third largest city. With roughly 13,500 full-time undergraduate and graduate students, WKU gets top marks for student life in Niche’s analysis while also performing well on the academics front. It has an acceptance rate of 97% and a cost of attendance at $12,625 per year, including financial aid, according to Niche.

15. Bellarmine University

Location: Louisville

Grades: B- overall, C+ academics, B value, B+ diversity, B+ campus, A athletics, B- party scene, B- professors, A+ location, B dorms, B campus food, A- student life and B for safety.

Bellarmine University describes itself as an inclusive, private Catholic university where 98% of graduates are either working full-time or continuing their education six months after graduation. Bellarmine University ranks ninth among Kentucky’s best value colleges, according to Niche. Its net price is $22,813 a year, according to the website. Bellarmine has roughly 2,200 undergraduate students enrolled with an acceptance rate of 88%.

14. Morehead State University

Location: Morehead (Rowan County)

Grades: B- overall, B- academics, B value, B diversity, B- campus, B+ athletics, B+ party scene, B+ professors, B- location, B- dorms, B+ campus food, B student life and B+ for safety.

A small public university located in rural northeastern Kentucky, Morehead State University has an enrollment of about 4,500 undergraduate students. Its acceptance rate is 84%. The net cost for attendance is $10,991 a year, according to Niche.

13. Thomas More University

Location: Crestview Hills (Kenton County)

Grades: B- overall, C+ academics, B+ value, A diversity, B campus, C+ athletics, C party scene, B- professors, A- location, B dorms, B- campus food, B student life and A+ for safety.

Thomas More University is a small, private Catholic university, and according to Niche, is the sixth best value college in Kentucky. Located about 20 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, the university also advertises itself as offering “the small-town experience while being a short drive away from professional and entertainment opportunities found in the city.”

With about 1,400 full-time undergraduate and graduate students, Thomas More University has a 94% acceptance rate. Its net price is $21,962 a year.

12. Brescia University

Location: Owensboro

Grades: B overall, B- academics, B+ value, A- diversity, A- campus, B- athletics, C+ party scene, C+ professors, B location, A- dorms, B+campus food, B student life and A- safety.

With an enrollment of some 500 undergraduate students, Brescia is a small, private Catholic university. Admissions are competitive with a 51% acceptance rate. It has a net price of $16,127 a year, representing the average cost after financial aid. According to Niche, it is the fifth best value college in Kentucky.

11. University of Pikeville

Location: Pikeville (Pike County)

Grades: B overall, B- academics, B value, B+ diversity, B campus, B athletics, C+ party scene, B professors, B- location, A- dorms, B- campus food, B- student life and A+ for safety.

The University of Pikeville is a private, Presbyterian university with an enrollment of about 1,000 undergraduate students. With a 100% acceptance rate, the net price of attendance at the university is $17,098 a year.

10. Spalding University

Location: Louisville

Grades: B overall, B- academics, B value, B+ diversity, B campus, C+ athletics, B+ party scene, B professors, A- location, B- dorms, B campus food, B student life and B+ for safety.

Spalding University is a private, Catholic university where popular majors include nursing and business. The university’s acceptance rate is 98% but it has a small enrollment of 578 undergraduate students, according to Niche. The net cost of attendance is $26,539 a year with financial aid factored in.

9. Transylvania University

Location: Lexington

Grades: B overall, B- academics, B value, B diversity, B campus, B athletics, A- party scene, B professors, A- location, B- dorms, C+ campus food, B+ student life and C- for safety.

A private liberal arts school with about 1,000 full-time undergraduate students, Transylvania University was established in 1780 and is the oldest university west of the Allegheny Mountains. With an acceptance rate of 91%, Transylvania is considered the third best liberal arts college in Kentucky, according to Niche. The net price for attendance is $25,767 a year.

8. Eastern Kentucky University

Location: Richmond

Grades: B overall, B academics, B value, B diversity, B campus, B+ athletics, B+ party scene, B professors, B location, B dorms, B+ campus food, B+ student life and B- for safety.

Eastern Kentucky University is a public university with about 12,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students. With an acceptance rate of 64%, EKU is somewhat selective in its admissions process. Overall, the net price for attending comes in at $10,806 a year with financial aid.

7. University of the Cumberlands

Location: Williamsburg (Whitley County)

Grades: B overall, B- academics, B value, A- diversity, A- campus, B athletics, C party scene, B professors, C+ location, A- dorms, A- campus food, B student life and A+ for safety.

A private Christian school, the University of the Cumberlands makes “financially affordable” its top selling point. With financial aid factored in, the net price of attendance there is $14,337 a year. The school is somewhat selective with an acceptance rate of 83%, and in all it has about 2,500 full-time undergraduate students, according to Niche. The most popular majors are in liberal arts, business, psychology and nursing.

6. Centre College

Location: Danville (Boyle County)

Grades: B+ overall, B+ academics, A- diversity, C+ campus, C+ athletics, B+ party scene, B+ professors, B- location, B dorms, C+ campus food, B student life and B+ for safety.

In addition to being one of Kentucky’s best overall colleges, Centre College is the second best liberal arts college in the state, according to Niche. As for admissions, it is fairly selective, with an acceptance rate of 63%. All told, Centre has about 1,300 full-time undergraduate students. Its most popular majors include economics, psychology, biology and international studies.

Niche lists Centre College’s net price at $23,584 a year.

5. Northern Kentucky University

Location: Highland Heights (Campbell County)

Grades: B+ overall, B academics, B+ value, A- diversity, B campus, A athletics, B- party scene, B+ professors, B+ location, C+ dorms, A- campus food, B+ student life and B+ for safety.

Northern Kentucky University is the second best value college in Kentucky, along with ranking among the top overall colleges in the state for 2025. Somewhat selective with 86% acceptance rate, the net price per year at NKU is $7,259, according to Niche.

4. Murray State University

Location: Murray (Calloway County)

Grades: B+ overall, B academics, B+ value, B+ diversity, B+ campus, B+ athletics, A- party scene, B+ professors, B location, B dorms, B+ campus food, A- student life, B+ safety.

With close to 6,000 undergraduate students, Murray State is a mid-size university where majors in the liberal arts, business and agriculture are common. Its acceptance rate is 84%, and the net price for attendance is $11,042 a year, according to Niche.

3. Berea College

Location: Berea (Madison County)

Grades: A- overall, A- academics, A value, A diversity, C campus, C athletics, C- party scene, B professors, C location, B+ dorms, C- campus food, C- student life and B- safety.

Many things make Berea College a special place that stands apart from other private, four-year universities. It was the first coeducational college in the South to be integrated, which it did in the 1950s, and before that Berea tried to resist segregation up until the early 20th century, when Kentucky outlawed racially integrated private schools in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

Berea College is also notable in that it has not charged students tuition since 1892. Instead, earnings from the college’s $1 billion endowment fund nearly three quarters of its budget. The college relies on state and federal aid, along with support from donors to cover the rest of its spending. In fact, the college reports that up to 77% of its fall 2024 class will attend the institution at zero cost.

Admissions at Berea are very selective with an acceptance rate of 25%. Students who get in have an average SAT score between 1080 and 1280 or an average ACT score of 23 to 27. It enrolls about 1,400 undergraduate students.

Along with rating it the third best overall college in the state, Niche names Berea as the No. 1 best value college in Kentucky.

2. University of Louisville

Grades: A- overall, A- academics, B value, A- diversity, A- campus, A+ athletics, A party scene, A- professors, A location, C+ dorms, A campus food, A+ student life and B for safety.

The University of Louisville prides itself on excellence. As one of the country’s top research institutions, faculty have been involved in groundbreaking medical research, like the world’s first successful implantation of an artificial heart and the first successful hand transplant in the U.S.

The university’s acceptance rate of 82% is indicative of its selectiveness. Along with being one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Scholars, the university reports its average student ACT score is well above the state and national average.

The University of Louisville counts about 17,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students among its student body. The average price for undergraduates after financial aid is factored in is $19,327 a year, according to Niche.

1. University of Kentucky

Location: Lexington

Grades: A- overall, A- academics, B+ value, A- diversity, A campus, A+ athletics, A+ party scene, A professors, A- location, A- dorms, B+ campus food, A+ student life and B- for safety.

The University of Kentucky is perhaps best known for its powerhouse athletics program, which includes 23 varsity sports and a historic men’s basketball program. However, Kentucky’s flagship university is also notable for its academic excellence. Faculty support more than 200 academic programs across 16 degree-granting colleges, its Lewis Honors College, Graduate School and library system.

The university has spent more than $6 billion to transform its facilities on campus, which is itself steps away from Lexington’s thriving downtown and all the varied dining and entertainment options it offers. According to Niche, these factors make UK the best college experience the state has to offer.

The university’s acceptance rate is 95%, with the typical student’s ACT score ranging between 21 and 28. When financial aid offerings are factored in, the net price for attendance is $18,693 a year for undergraduate students.

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