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Western Kentucky University

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

CompareOfficial site
Bowling Green, Kentucky12,155 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 61Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Western Kentucky University: U.S. News ranks it #363 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #486 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #482 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #886 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 12,155 undergraduates, admits 93.9% of applicants, and posts a 55.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $27,000; aid recipients pay $10,990 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,889.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
93.9%

Above the dataset median of 76%

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

Average net price
$10,990

72% below the $39,582 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
$43,889

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
55.6%

About the dataset median

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

Median debt at graduation
$22,095

About the dataset median

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

SAT middle 50%
840–1050

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 Western 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#363of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#486of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#482of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#886of 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: Western Kentucky's position moves 64 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 Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky University is a public institution in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Federal data show 78.3% 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 $10,990 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 $39,582 sticker cost against $10,990 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 Western 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
$11,652

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

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$27,000

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

Room & board
$12,582

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $39,582 a year, but the average family pays $10,990 — a 72% difference. 30.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Western 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
    78.3%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    12,155

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

    Western Kentucky: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $27,000 and on-campus room and board is $12,582, for a published total of $39,582 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $10,990.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 93.9%. 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.

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    Jackson, MSPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Jackson State University: U.S. News ranks it #363 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #290 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #496 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #945 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,600 undergraduates, admits 93.2% of applicants, and posts a 50.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $11,965; aid recipients pay $23,836 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $39,060.

    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
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $8,172
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $37,981
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    US News · Regional univ. (South)#112 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#688 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#488 of 500+1 more on profile

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
    87.9%
    Average net price
    $15,267
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $53,236
    6-yr graduation rate
    54.9%
    US News · National universities#343 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#448 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#409 of 1,504+2 more on profile

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