Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky
- Public
- Suburb
- 8,246 undergrads
- Admit rate
- 68%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $8,976per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 53%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $55,02410 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
Domestic high school seniors with an unweighted GPA of 2.75 or higher qualify for direct admission to Northern Kentucky University for full-time post-graduation attendance.
Source: NKU Direct Admissions
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 68%About 7 in 10 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 953–1150Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 18–25Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among Northern Kentucky University's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: College Scorecard. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $8,976full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,772sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition, in-state
- $11,496Source: College Scorecard
- Tuition, out-of-state
- $22,752Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 53%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 76%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $55,02410 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,750federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 8,246Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 31%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- 38%parents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- Murray State University Murray, KY — admits 86%
- Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY — admits 94%
- California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA — admits 98%
- Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA — admits 88%
Also worth a look
- Morehead State University Morehead, KY — admits 77%
- Murray State University Murray, KY — admits 86%
- Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY — admits 78%
- University of West Florida Pensacola, FL — admits 58%
- Idaho State University Pocatello, ID
- Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA — admits 72%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for Northern Kentucky University, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
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