Universities in Kentucky
Kentucky has 85 postsecondary institutions reporting to the U.S. Department of Education: 24 public, 28 private nonprofit, 33 for-profit, together enrolling about 174,937 undergraduates (2024-25 data). Each links to a full financial-health and student-outcomes profile. 2 are historically Black colleges or universities.
| # | Institution | Sector | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of KentuckyLexington · R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production | Public | 24,763 |
| 2 | University of LouisvilleLouisville · R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production | Public | 14,727 |
| 3 | Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Large/Medium | Public | 12,318 |
| 4 | Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Large/Medium | Public | 12,155 |
| 5 | Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Medium | Public | 8,246 |
| 6 | Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeLexington · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 8,244 |
| 7 | Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeLouisville · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 7,744 |
| 8 | University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburg · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Large | Private | 6,941 |
| 9 | Murray State UniversityMurray · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Medium | Public | 6,688 |
| 10 | Galen College of Nursing-LouisvilleLouisville · Special Focus: Nursing | Private for-profit | 4,801 |
| 11 | Morehead State UniversityMorehead · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Large/Medium | Public | 4,578 |
| 12 | Somerset Community CollegeSomerset · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 4,166 |
| 13 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeElizabethtown · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 4,088 |
| 14 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeBowling Green · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 3,308 |
| 15 | Gateway Community and Technical CollegeFlorence · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 3,167 |
| 16 | West Kentucky Community and Technical CollegePaducah · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 2,851 |
| 17 | Campbellsville UniversityCampbellsville · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Large/Medium | Private | 2,840 |
| 18 | Owensboro Community and Technical CollegeOwensboro · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 2,648 |
| 19 | Maysville Community and Technical CollegeMaysville · Mixed Associate Medium | Public | 2,284 |
| 20 | Bellarmine UniversityLouisville · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Small | Private | 2,161 |
| 21 | Sullivan UniversityLouisville · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Small | Private for-profit | 2,026 |
| 22 | Madisonville Community CollegeMadisonville · Professions-focused Associate Large/Medium | Public | 1,841 |
| 23 | Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical CollegeCumberland · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 1,721 |
| 24 | Ashland Community and Technical CollegeAshland · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 1,631 |
| 25 | Hopkinsville Community CollegeHopkinsville · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 1,630 |
| 26 | Big Sandy Community and Technical CollegePrestonsburg · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 1,604 |
| 27 | Lindsey Wilson UniversityColumbia · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private | 1,585 |
| 28 | Berea CollegeBerea · Special Focus: Arts and Sciences | Private | 1,513 |
| 29 | Hazard Community and Technical CollegeHazard · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 1,506 |
| 30 | Asbury UniversityWilmore · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Small | Private | 1,420 |
| 31 | Centre CollegeDanville · Special Focus: Arts and Sciences | Private | 1,400 |
| 32 | Kentucky State UniversityFrankfort · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Small | Public | 1,309 |
| 33 | Thomas More UniversityCrestview Hills · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Small | Private | 1,293 |
| 34 | Midway UniversityMidway · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private | 1,262 |
| 35 | University of PikevillePikeville · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Small | Private | 1,135 |
| 36 | Georgetown CollegeGeorgetown · Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private | 1,097 |
| 37 | Transylvania UniversityLexington · Special Focus: Arts and Sciences | Private | 1,005 |
| 38 | Henderson Community CollegeHenderson · Mixed Associate Small | Public | 880 |
| 39 | The Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryLouisville · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | 848 |
| 40 | Kentucky Wesleyan CollegeOwensboro · Mixed Baccalaureate | Private | 842 |
| 41 | Union Commonwealth UniversityBarbourville · Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master's Small | Private | 746 |
| 42 | Spalding UniversityLouisville · Special Focus: Other Health Professions | Private | 583 |
| 43 | Alice Lloyd CollegePippa Passes · Special Focus: Arts and Sciences | Private | 558 |
| 44 | Brescia UniversityOwensboro · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Small | Private | 545 |
| 45 | Beckfield College-FlorenceFlorence · Special Focus: Nursing | Private for-profit | 536 |
| 46 | MedQuest CollegeLouisville · Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies | Private for-profit | 524 |
| 47 | Simmons College of KentuckyLouisville · Special Focus: Arts and Sciences | Private | 481 |
| 48 | Kentucky Christian UniversityGrayson · Professions-focused Baccalaureate Small | Private | 429 |
| 49 | ATA CollegeLouisville · Special Focus: Nursing | Private for-profit | 363 |
| 50 | Galen College of Nursing-ARHHazard · Special Focus: Nursing | Private for-profit | 350 |
| 51 | American National University-LouisvilleLouisville · Special Focus: Nursing | Private for-profit | 347 |
| 52 | Medical Career & Technical CollegeRichmond · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 235 |
| 53 | Paul Mitchell the School-LouisvilleLouisville · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 233 |
| 54 | PJ's College of Cosmetology-Bowling GreenBowling Green · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 219 |
| 55 | Employment Solutions-College for Technical EducationLexington · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private | 203 |
| 56 | Paul Mitchell the School-LexingtonLexington · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 189 |
| 57 | Empire Beauty School-ElizabethtownElizabethtown · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 171 |
| 58 | Galen Health Institutes-PikevillePikeville · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 169 |
| 59 | Clear Creek Baptist Bible CollegePineville · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | 159 |
| 60 | Summit Salon Academy-LexingtonLexington · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 154 |
| 61 | Kentucky Welding InstituteFlemingsburg · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 143 |
| 62 | Empire Beauty School-FlorenceFlorence · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 124 |
| 63 | Empire Beauty School-DixieLouisville · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 119 |
| 64 | Interactive College of Technology-NewportNewport · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 101 |
| 65 | Empire Beauty School-ChenowethLouisville · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 100 |
| 66 | Ross College-HopkinsvilleHopkinsville · Special Focus: Applied and Career Studies | Private for-profit | 90 |
| 67 | American College of BarberingLouisville · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 84 |
| 68 | Lexington Healing Arts AcademyLexington · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 78 |
| 69 | Ross Medical Education Center-ErlangerErlanger · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 77 |
| 70 | Kentucky Mountain Bible CollegeJackson · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | 69 |
| 71 | Ross Medical Education Center-Bowling GreenBowling Green · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 57 |
| 72 | Edge Academy of BeautyManchester · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 56 |
| 73 | Lindsey Institute of CosmetologyBowling Green · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 56 |
| 74 | Brighton Center's Center for Employment TrainingNewport · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private | 53 |
| 75 | Appalachian Beauty SchoolBelfry · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 49 |
| 76 | South Eastern Beauty AcademyPaintsville · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 45 |
| 77 | PJ's College of Cosmetology-GlasgowGlasgow · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 44 |
| 78 | Berea Beauty AcademyBerea · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 40 |
| 79 | Ross Medical Education Center-OwensboroOwensboro · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 38 |
| 80 | Kentucky Horseshoeing SchoolRichmond · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 31 |
| 81 | Regina Webb AcademyBowling Green · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 23 |
| 82 | Asbury Theological SeminaryWilmore · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | – |
| 83 | Frontier Nursing UniversityVersailles · Special Focus: Nursing | Private | – |
| 84 | Lexington Theological SeminaryLexington · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | – |
| 85 | Louisville Presbyterian Theological SeminaryLouisville · Special Focus: Theological Studies | Private | – |
This is a directory, not a ranking, listed by undergraduate enrollment. Counts and figures come from the most recent College Scorecard & IPEDS release (2024-25), which lags the current academic year by 2–3 years. Open each institution’s profile for financial health, outcomes and peer benchmarks.
Filter Kentucky schools by sector, size & type
Open the dashboard to narrow by Carnegie class, size, HBCU status, or compare schools head-to-head.
Frequently asked
How many colleges and universities are in Kentucky?
85 postsecondary institutions in Kentucky report to the U.S. Department of Education: 24 public, 28 private nonprofit, 33 for-profit. Together they enroll about 174,937 undergraduates (2024-25 data).
Which Kentucky college enrolls the most undergraduates?
University of Kentucky in Lexington, with about 24,763 undergraduates (2024-25 data). It is the largest of the 85 institutions listed on this page by undergraduate enrollment.
Are there historically Black colleges or universities in Kentucky?
Yes: Kentucky State University, Simmons College of Kentucky. Kentucky has 2 HBCUs in this directory.
Where does this Kentucky college data come from?
The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS collections, most recent release (2024-25). Every figure is federal, published and free to check. Nothing on this page is estimated or AI-generated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25). Compiled by Ibex Insights. See the methodology.