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Public · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Northern Kentucky University

Students comparing Northern Kentucky University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Highland Heights, Kentucky8,246 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 55Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Northern Kentucky University: U.S. News ranks it #384 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #465 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #409 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #499 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 8,246 undergraduates, admits 67.7% of applicants, and posts a 52.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $21,912; aid recipients pay $8,191 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $50,220.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
67.7%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$8,191

76% below the $34,624 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$50,220

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
52.2%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,000

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
953–1150

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Northern Kentucky ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#384of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#465of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#409of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#499of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Northern Kentucky's position moves 69 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Northern Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University is a public institution in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Federal data show 75.5% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $8,191 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $34,624 sticker cost against $8,191 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Northern Kentucky University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$11,088

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$21,912

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,712

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $34,624 a year, but the average family pays $8,191 — a 76% difference. 25.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Northern Kentucky's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    75.5%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    8,246

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Northern Kentucky: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $21,912 and on-campus room and board is $12,712, for a published total of $34,624 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $8,191.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 67.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Eastern Kentucky University

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Eastern Kentucky University: U.S. News ranks it #329 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #405 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #460 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #747 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 12,318 undergraduates, admits 77.6% of applicants, and posts a 50.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $21,230; aid recipients pay $11,040 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $45,795.

    Acceptance rate
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
    79.3%
    Average net price
    $13,570
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $45,411
    6-yr graduation rate
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    US News · National universities#343 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#351 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#435 of 500+2 more on profile

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Kennesaw State University: U.S. News ranks it #373 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #484 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #189 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #339 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #543 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 41,254 undergraduates, admits 69.2% of applicants, and posts a 52.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,736; aid recipients pay $15,048 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,552.

    Acceptance rate
    69.2%
    Average net price
    $15,048
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,552
    6-yr graduation rate
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    US News · National universities#373 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#484 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#189 of 1,504+2 more on profile

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