Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky · Also known as K-State · Website
$36,382
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$36,382
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Kentucky State University is a public 4-year college in Frankfort, Kentucky with 1,309 undergraduates and 227 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $8,040 a year (tuition and fees $9,387 in-state, $13,658 out-of-state). It admits 96% of applicants and 32% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $36,382 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,938 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$8,040
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$9,387
Out-of-state $13,658
Admission rate
96%
US median 78%
Completion rate
32%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,938
About $275 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$36,382
Rank 3,283 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $8,040
- Tuition in-state
- $9,387
- Tuition out-of-state
- $13,658
- Cost of attendance
- $21,727
- Students with a need-based grant
- 58%
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,225
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,739
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $5,256
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $1,958
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,754 in 2015-16 to $9,387 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 96%
- Average SAT
- 870
- Undergraduates
- 1,309
- Graduate students
- 227
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 58%
- Students per teacher
- 10
- Completion rate
- 32%
- Retention rate
- 64%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 45
- Endowment
- $22.5M
- Other
- Historically Black college
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,283 of 5,094 US colleges and 33 of 70 in Kentucky (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | KY median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $8,040 | $16,512 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,387 | $11,652 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 96% | 81% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 32% | 53% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 64% | 69% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,938 | $13,521 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $29,640 | $31,816 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $36,382 | $36,235 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 24% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 49% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
45 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $29,265 | Withheld | $42,743 | $50,706 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,072 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $88,910 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $42,363 | $56,278 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | $27,000 | $33,099 | $46,767 | $55,378 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,790 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | $88,912 | $80,813 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,374 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,397 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | $18,000 | $25,378 | $34,522 | $51,389 |
| Public AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $81,408 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $74,607 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineProfessional | Professional | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $124,201 |
| Agricultural Production OperationsMaster's | Master's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Agriculture, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,676 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,366 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationCertificate | Certificate | 2 | - | - | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Frankfort and Kentucky on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Kentucky
- Homes: Homes for sale in Kentucky
Questions and answers
How much does Kentucky State University cost?
$8,040 a year is the average net price at Kentucky State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,387 for in-state students and $13,658 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $21,727. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,225 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Kentucky State University?
96% of applicants are admitted to Kentucky State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 870. The median admission rate of colleges in Kentucky is 81%.
How much do Kentucky State University graduates earn?
$36,382 a year is the median pay of former Kentucky State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($29,640 after 6 years). That ranks 3,283 of 5,094 US colleges and 33 of 70 in Kentucky. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's) at $33,099.
How much student debt do Kentucky State University graduates have?
$25,938 is the median federal student loan debt of Kentucky State University graduates, about $275 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 56% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Kentucky State University?
32% of first-time, full-time students at Kentucky State University finish within 6 years. 64% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Kentucky State University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (20 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (18 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (17 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 45 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.