Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Alabama. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | KentuckyLexington, KY | North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC | AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 92.9% | 79.6% | 76.6% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1070–1290 | 1140–1330 | 1170–1400 |
| Average net price | $18,85122.5% on Pell grants | $15,43533.9% on Pell grants | $22,42018.4% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $13,502 in-state · $34,140 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $7,239 in-state · $22,492 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $12,180 in-state · $34,172 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 71.4% | 69.0% | 73.4% |
| First-year retention | 86.8% | 85.0% | 89.5% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 22.5% | 33.9% | 18.4% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $59,025 | $57,289 | $59,221 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $22,500 | $21,500 | $22,750 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 17:1 | 21:1 | 19:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 24,763 | 24,453 | 33,227 |
| Consensus percentile | 40Lower is better | 40Lower is better | 43Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 45 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 66 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 56 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Kentucky | North Carolina at Charlotte | Alabama |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #143 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #143 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #169 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #233 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #236 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #270 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #694 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #191 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #608 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #258 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #298 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #276 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #205 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #297 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #149 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #795 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #1170 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #933 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing University of Kentucky on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
Full profileStudents comparing University of North Carolina at Charlotte on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Alabama on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
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