by our College Data Analytics TeamNorthern Kentucky University is a public institution in Highland Heights, Kentucky enrolling 8,246 undergraduates. It accepts 68% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 52%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,078 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 21%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Northern Kentucky University ranks #1,078 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 21%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Northern Kentucky University was awarded 785 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, NKU is ranked #1,078 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
NKU also holds the #9 spot on the Best Colleges in Kentucky ranking.
See all of the rankings for Northern Kentucky University.
Northern Kentucky University has an acceptance rate of 68%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for NKU.
About 5% of students accepted to NKU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 473 and 590. Math scores were between 480 and 560.
NKU received ACT scores from 73% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 18 and 25.
Learn more about Northern Kentucky University admissions.
At Northern Kentucky University, the student to faculty ratio is 19 to 1. Compared to the national average of 15 to 1, this is somewhat high. This could mean that class sizes may be larger than they are at other colleges or universities or that professors may be required to teach more classes.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Northern Kentucky University is 55%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Northern Kentucky University has a freshmen retention rate of 76%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At NKU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 52%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Northern Kentucky University.
In the current academic year, there are 8,246 undergraduates at NKU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Northern Kentucky University.
The average net price of NKU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,603 | $3,630 | $6,761 | $12,679 | $14,522 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of NKU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At NKU, approximately 31% of students took out student loans averaging $7,068 a year. That adds up to $28,272 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.8%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Northern Kentucky University.
Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Northern Kentucky University make around $50,220 per year during the early years of their employment. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Northern Kentucky University make the most money.
Northern Kentucky University is an public institution found in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Highland Heights is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of Northern Kentucky University.
Contact details for Northern Kentucky University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY 41099 |
| Phone: | 8595725100 |
| Website: | www.nku.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/nkuedu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/nkuedu |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 25 majors graduated from Northern Kentucky University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 4,080 | NA |
| Nursing | 985 | $81,546 |
| Business & Commerce | 463 | $86,069 |
| Business Administration & Management | 391 | $42,995 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 146 | $30,929 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 135 | $35,986 |
| Social Work | 133 | $40,290 |
| Computer Information Systems | 129 | $53,922 |
| Information Technology | 127 | NA |
| General Psychology | 117 | $28,982 |
6,703 students took at least one online class at Northern Kentucky University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Northern Kentucky University.
Curious how schools stack up against NKU? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References