A 79% four-year success and progress rate means that 79% of students starting in Fall 2003 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.

Counts for the Fall 2003 entering class shown in the graph above.

• 2,471 First-Time, Full-Time Students
• 537 Full-Time Transfer Students

First-time students in Fall 2008 that returned for their second year: 74%

Typical Undergraduate Costs per Year without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)

Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $15,230

The cost to attend Western Kentucky University varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.

Financial Aid Awarded to Undergraduates

Annual Need-Based Scholarships & Grants

• 38% of 2008-09 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $4,981

Annual Need-Based Loans

• 44% of 2008-09 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $3,910

Percent of 2007-08 First-Time Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid

NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.

Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended

50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.

71% of new freshmen live on campus

28% of all undergraduates live on campus

Western Kentucky University is committed to providing a safe, secure environment for its students, faculty, staff and visitors. WKU’s Police Department employs 28 professionally trained full-time police officers. The Mission of the WKU Police Department is to provide a safe and secure atmosphere that is conducive to learning and teaching. Furthermore, the University Police Department is committed to providing a “Community Policing” philosophy in its approach to law enforcement, which is a partnership between faculty, staff, students, visitors and police officers, that is predominately service and educationally oriented.

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

• 88% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
• 52% of seniors tutored or taught other students
• 23% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports

Active Learning Experiences

• 83% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
• 16% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
• 42% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
• 58% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
• 11% of seniors participated in study abroad
• 92% 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
• 72% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
• 59% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
• 94% 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

• 58% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
• 80% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
• 96% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
• 69% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class

Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas

• 68% 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
• 49% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity

Student Satisfaction

• 86% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
• 85% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
• 78% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive

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.

Like WKU's strong strategic planning process, which has greatly improved the university's focus and effectiveness, we anticipate that a visible emphasis on engaging students for success in a global society will enhance the education we offer and provide a distinguishing student learning feature to the WKU experience. Unlike strategic planning, which must concern itself with the whole range of university services and activities, this QEP zeros in on student learning by explicitly tying academic experiences to co-curricular activities and concepts. We hope to encourage students to see their education as directly tied to their own lives beyond the time they spend in the classroom and to their continuing responsibilities as citizens of a broader community. Although our ultimate plan is to encourage individual programs, faculty, and students to pursue engagement in their own ways, we expect designated initiatives to advance our QEP student learning goal by promoting one or more positive 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.

This university is in the process of collecting and analyzing learning outcomes test results.