University of Kentucky College Portrait
University of KentuckyLexington, KY 40506
859-257-9000
University of Kentucky
Kentucky's Flagship University
Nestled in the heart of the scenic Bluegrass region, the University of Kentucky was founded in 1865 as a land-grant university. UK is a public, research-extensive university dedicated to improving people's lives through excellence in teaching, research, health care, cultural enrichment, and economic development. Students from over 100 countries, every state in the nation and every Kentucky county provide a diverse learning and cultural environment that enriches the educational experience at UK. Our students enjoy an enormous array of choices, with some 200 majors and degree programs available in 17 academic and professional colleges. UK is one of only a handful of universities with both a full-service academic medical center as well as a College of Agriculture on a single campus.
Living in the Wildcats Community
A Cat's Life
Academic support at the University of Kentucky is offered in many ways, such as peer tutoring, academic consultations, and guided study groups through our Academic Enhancement program. Students can also find assistance with academic performance, psychological needs, career counseling, and specialized services through various departments and programs. UK offers a variety of opportunities outside the classroom with over 350 student organizations including academic clubs, social groups, Greek organizations, student media, cultural events, and leadership activities. UK students are also actively involved in making Lexington a better place through the Center for Community Outreach and events like UK FUSION (For Unity and Service In Our Neighborhoods) where over one-thousand students participate with faculty and staff in a one-day service event throughout Lexington. UK also offers over 50 varsity, club, and intramural sports and a state-of-the-art recreational facility.
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2010?
More Information
| Total Students | 27,108 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 19,927 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 9,844 | 49% |
| Men | 10,083 | 51% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 37 | <1% |
| Asian | 476 | 2% |
| African American / Black | 1,438 | 7% |
| Hispanic | 373 | 2% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 7 | <1% |
| White | 16,397 | 82% |
| Two or More Races | 138 | 1% |
| International | 358 | 2% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 703 | 4% |
| Where do UK undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | 78% |
| Other US States & Territories | 20% |
| Other Countries | 2% |
| Residency Unknown | <1% |
| How old are UK undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 22 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 10% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2010)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT | SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 22 - 28 | |
| Math | 21 - 27 | 500 - 630 |
| English | 22 - 28 | |
| Critical Reading | 490 - 620 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top 25% of High School Graduating Class | 60% | |
| Percent in top 50% of High School Graduating Class | 87% | |
| Percent of New Freshmen who submitted HS GPA | 59% | |
| Average High School GPA (4-point scale) | 3.46 | |
| Percent who submitted High School GPA | 99% | |
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2009-10 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $20,642
Out-of-State & Other Costs
More Information
The cost to attend University of Kentucky varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 21% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $5,605. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 32% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $4,181. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2009-2010 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
UK Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 18 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 61% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 84% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 1,339 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 35% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 17% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 91% |
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Campus-based Housing
91% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
27% of all undergraduates live on campus
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Campus Safety
The University of Kentucky's on-going safety and security initiatives include a campus-wide emergency notification system, a focus on peer influence to reduce violence, widespread safety and security education, improved campus lighting and landscaping, innovative fire safety practices, expanded police patrols, and enhanced health and mental health services. UK constantly and continuously examines and refines its policies and procedures to ensure a safe and secure campus environment.
Campus Crime Statistics
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (very high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily residential
- Enrollment Profile
- High undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, selective, higher transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Professions plus arts & sciences, high graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Comprehensive doctoral with medical/veterinary
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
Student Activities and Involvement at UK
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 94% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 58% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 27% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 81% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 24% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 55% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 61% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 15% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 94% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 93% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 62% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 54% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 92% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 50% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 72% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 96% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 71% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 64% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 86% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 48% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 79% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 82% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 79% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at University of Kentucky in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 3,521 |
| Master's | 1,211 |
| Doctoral | 734 |
| Total | 5,466 |
More Information
| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| Psychology, General | 6% |
| Biology/Biological Sciences, General | 6% |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 4% |
| Marketing/Marketing Management, General | 4% |
| Accounting | 4% |
| Links to degree programs at University of Kentucky |
|---|
Bachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 89% four-year success and progress rate means that 89% of students starting in Fall 2004 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
More Information
Counts for the Fall 2004 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 3,935 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 1,033 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2009 that returned for their second year: 82%
More Information
Student Learning at University of Kentucky
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
UK is committed to assessing what students know and can do with the education they receive. Assessment of student learning outcomes occurs at multiple levels. Faculty assess student learning at both the course and program levels where techniques such as the use of rubrics to evaluate samples of student performance are employed. University level assessments obtain performance and satisfaction data from students to provide multiple perspectives on the quality of student learning and the environment for learning. As examples, results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment show that UK seniors perform better than expected on a series of performance tasks, given their incoming academic preparation; the Graduating Seniors Survey reveals that 9 of 10 students rate the quality of instruction by faculty as good or excellent; and over 75% of respondents to the Undergraduate Alumni Survey indicated their current position was either directly or somewhat related to their majors. Key findings from these and other surveys can be found at: http://www.uky.edu/IRPE/students/surveys.html.
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
- Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1201
Senior Score: 1317
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1171
Senior Score: 1202
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1123
Senior Score: 1248
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1173
Senior Score: 1179