Best value colleges in Kentucky
Every Kentucky college we have data for, ranked by 10-year return on investment.
87
Colleges
$15,518
Avg net price as of 2024
$43,840
Median earnings as of 2024
$15,813
Median debt as of 2024
Top colleges in Kentucky
Showing the top 67 of 87 by ROI — sort the table, or use the finder to filter all Kentucky colleges by cost, earnings and major.
| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galen College of Nursing-ARH Hazard, KY | For-profit | $78,480 | $21,164 | $24,166 | +555% | Strong return | |
| 2 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Elizabethtown, KY | Public | $51,808 | $5,143 | $9,055 | +401% | Strong return | |
| 3 | Galen College of Nursing-Louisville Louisville, KY | For-profit | $78,480 | $18,540 | $24,166 | +304% | Strong return | |
| 4 | Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville Pikeville, KY | For-profit | $67,537 | $28,475 | $24,166 | +243% | Strong return | |
| 5 | Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville, KY | Public | $50,520 | $6,376 | $11,651 | +225% | Strong return | |
| 6 | Thomas More University Crestview Hills, KY | Private | $74,915 | $21,835 | $26,236 | +209% | Strong return | |
| 7 | Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY | Public | $56,236 | $8,191 | $23,000 | +173% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Owensboro Community and Technical College Owensboro, KY | Public | $48,347 | $5,800 | $7,933 | +131% | Strong return | |
| 9 | Transylvania University Lexington, KY | Private | $66,075 | $21,913 | $27,000 | +116% | Strong return | |
| 10 | Spalding University Louisville, KY | Private | $68,833 | $25,491 | $25,250 | +114% | Strong return | |
| 11 | University of Louisville Louisville, KY | Public | $61,159 | $17,988 | $20,500 | +104% | Strong return | |
| 12 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | Public | $61,125 | $18,851 | $22,500 | +93% | Strong return | |
| 13 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY | Public | $51,696 | $10,990 | $22,095 | +29% | Break-even | |
| 14 | University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, KY | Private | $50,801 | $14,107 | $14,911 | -6% | Poor return | |
| 15 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY | Public | $49,857 | $11,040 | $22,500 | -7% | Poor return | |
| 16 | Centre College Danville, KY | Private | $52,319 | $20,781 | $27,000 | -21% | Poor return | |
| 17 | Murray State University Murray, KY | Public | $48,363 | $9,096 | $20,500 | -23% | Poor return | |
| 18 | Bellarmine University Louisville, KY | Private | $51,722 | $21,499 | $25,000 | -29% | Poor return | |
| 19 | University of Pikeville Pikeville, KY | Private | $51,094 | $20,311 | $20,679 | -31% | Poor return | |
| 20 | Morehead State University Morehead, KY | Public | $47,770 | $9,793 | $22,250 | -41% | Poor return | |
| 21 | Georgetown College Georgetown, KY | Private | $48,044 | $14,095 | $25,200 | -54% | Poor return | |
| 22 | Sullivan University Louisville, KY | For-profit | $49,970 | $25,532 | $20,000 | -55% | Poor return | |
| 23 | Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY | Private | $47,412 | $17,131 | $23,250 | -69% | Poor return | |
| 24 | Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY | Private | $47,305 | $19,341 | $17,156 | -72% | Poor return | |
| 25 | Kentucky Christian University Grayson, KY | Private | $46,800 | $24,038 | $22,250 | -83% | Poor return | |
| 26 | Midway University Midway, KY | Private | $47,062 | $29,579 | $21,301 | -84% | Poor return | |
| 27 | Lindsey Wilson University Columbia, KY | Private | $44,721 | $15,070 | $16,784 | -104% | Poor return | |
| 28 | Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington, KY | Public | $44,900 | $6,113 | $10,500 | -106% | Poor return | |
| 29 | Brescia University Owensboro, KY | Private | $43,938 | $8,709 | $29,430 | -123% | Poor return | |
| 30 | Asbury University Wilmore, KY | Private | $42,664 | $21,401 | $24,028 | -125% | Poor return | |
| 31 | Gateway Community and Technical College Florence, KY | Public | $44,391 | $5,725 | $10,711 | -140% | Poor return | |
| 32 | Beckfield College-Florence Florence, KY | For-profit | $38,196 | $28,133 | $23,500 | -156% | Poor return | |
| 33 | Kentucky State University Frankfort, KY | Public | $42,305 | $8,040 | $25,938 | -165% | Poor return | |
| 34 | Interactive College of Technology-Newport Newport, KY | For-profit | $41,957 | $16,512 | $10,555 | -183% | Poor return | |
| 35 | Berea College Berea, KY | Private | $41,799 | $6,106 | $3,591 | -224% | Poor return | |
| 36 | Alice Lloyd College Pippa Passes, KY | Private | $34,610 | $18,600 | $19,599 | -227% | Poor return | |
| 37 | Somerset Community College Somerset, KY | Public | $43,075 | $4,398 | $12,215 | -245% | Poor return | |
| 38 | ATA College Louisville, KY | For-profit | $34,819 | $28,611 | $21,030 | -257% | Poor return | |
| 39 | Clear Creek Baptist Bible College Pineville, KY | Private | $37,175 | $10,949 | — | -279% | Poor return | |
| 40 | American National University-Louisville Louisville, KY | For-profit | $30,224 | $17,010 | $23,618 | -293% | Poor return | |
| 41 | Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Cumberland, KY | Public | $42,518 | $3,731 | $6,919 | -349% | Poor return | |
| 42 | Ross College-Hopkinsville Hopkinsville, KY | For-profit | $32,034 | $19,909 | $9,500 | -400% | Poor return | |
| 43 | Ashland Community and Technical College Ashland, KY | Public | $40,261 | $5,717 | $10,950 | -407% | Poor return | |
| 44 | MedQuest College Louisville, KY | For-profit | $29,136 | $21,782 | $9,500 | -437% | Poor return | |
| 45 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College Bowling Green, KY | Public | $41,334 | $3,537 | $10,175 | -440% | Poor return | |
| 46 | Madisonville Community College Madisonville, KY | Public | $38,815 | $5,406 | $8,450 | -545% | Poor return | |
| 47 | Big Sandy Community and Technical College Prestonsburg, KY | Public | $40,001 | $3,873 | $9,357 | -548% | Poor return | |
| 48 | Hopkinsville Community College Hopkinsville, KY | Public | $37,089 | $5,875 | $10,691 | -606% | Poor return | |
| 49 | Paul Mitchell the School-Louisville Louisville, KY | For-profit | $28,111 | $29,401 | $9,833 | -612% | Poor return | |
| 50 | Ross Medical Education Center-Owensboro Owensboro, KY | For-profit | $29,447 | $21,224 | $9,500 | -730% | Poor return | |
| 51 | West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah, KY | Public | $35,845 | $5,353 | $8,986 | -755% | Poor return | |
| 52 | Ross Medical Education Center-Erlanger Erlanger, KY | For-profit | $29,691 | $19,448 | $9,500 | -768% | Poor return | |
| 53 | Ross Medical Education Center-Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY | For-profit | $28,018 | $20,062 | $9,500 | -822% | Poor return | |
| 54 | PJ's College of Cosmetology-Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY | For-profit | $22,938 | $26,577 | $7,917 | -849% | Poor return | |
| 55 | Maysville Community and Technical College Maysville, KY | Public | $34,637 | $4,605 | $11,500 | -873% | Poor return | |
| 56 | Henderson Community College Henderson, KY | Public | $35,219 | $4,232 | $10,483 | -896% | Poor return | |
| 57 | Employment Solutions-College for Technical Education Lexington, KY | Private | $22,644 | $22,871 | $11,600 | -925% | Poor return | |
| 58 | Paul Mitchell the School-Lexington Lexington, KY | For-profit | $21,614 | $23,464 | $9,833 | -965% | Poor return | |
| 59 | PJ's College of Cosmetology-Glasgow Glasgow, KY | For-profit | $12,749 | $25,829 | $14,042 | -1,142% | Poor return | |
| 60 | Empire Beauty School-Florence Florence, KY | For-profit | $22,913 | $16,328 | $13,000 | -1,149% | Poor return | |
| 61 | Hazard Community and Technical College Hazard, KY | Public | $34,660 | $2,955 | $10,125 | -1,177% | Poor return | |
| 62 | Empire Beauty School-Dixie Louisville, KY | For-profit | $21,000 | $17,764 | $10,667 | -1,209% | Poor return | |
| 63 | Empire Beauty School-Elizabethtown Elizabethtown, KY | For-profit | $19,913 | $16,618 | $10,667 | -1,323% | Poor return | |
| 64 | Empire Beauty School-Chenoweth Louisville, KY | For-profit | $22,409 | $14,240 | $10,667 | -1,346% | Poor return | |
| 65 | Brighton Center's Center for Employment Training Newport, KY | Private | $30,209 | $10,813 | — | -1,468% | Poor return | |
| 66 | Summit Salon Academy-Lexington Lexington, KY | For-profit | $18,886 | $14,778 | $7,917 | -1,579% | Poor return | |
| 67 | Lindsey Institute of Cosmetology Bowling Green, KY | For-profit | $18,700 | $16,140 | — | -1,730% | Poor return |
Browse by city
Louisville (17)Lexington (8)Bowling Green (6)Owensboro (4)Florence (4)Richmond (3)Wilmore (2)Pikeville (2)Newport (2)Hopkinsville (2)Hazard (2)Elizabethtown (2)Berea (2)Williamsburg (1)Versailles (1)Somerset (1)Prestonsburg (1)Pippa Passes (1)Pineville (1)Paintsville (1)Paducah (1)Murray (1)Morehead (1)Midway (1)Maysville (1)Manchester (1)Madisonville (1)Jackson (1)Highland Heights (1)Henderson (1)Grayson (1)Glasgow (1)Georgetown (1)Frankfort (1)Flemingsburg (1)Erlanger (1)Danville (1)Cumberland (1)Crestview Hills (1)Columbia (1)
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.