2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Kentucky
Choosing which college to attend may be one of the most important decisions in your life. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Kentucky Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 26 colleges and universities to determine which were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Kentucky. It's important to note that this isn't just a listing of colleges and universities with the lowest sticker price. Instead, this ranking identifies schools that offer a high quality educational experience at a lower-than-expected price. Thus, one college may rank better than another, but the second school could have a lower average cost.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
Our average cost calculation adds up all expenses, such as tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses. So it is an approximation of how much you will have to pay out-of-pocket each year on average.
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Customizing Your List
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as overall quality or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Kentucky
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Kentucky tops this year’s ranking as the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Kentucky. University of Kentucky is a large public school located in Lexington, Kentucky that handed out 5,535 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UK is 4.4 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $30,928 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UK is $135,465. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
UK also took the #3 spot in our Best Colleges in Kentucky rankings.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Murray State University. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky list. Murray, Kentucky is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,611 students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Murray State is 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $23,700 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Murray State is $107,361. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Louisville. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky list. U of L is located in Louisville, Kentucky and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 3,155 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at U of L graduates in less than 4.5 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $28,898 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from U of L be around $130,619. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Kentucky University. The school came in at #4 in Kentucky on this year’s best value ranking. WKU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It awarded 3,158 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at WKU graduates in less than 4.5 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $22,269 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from WKU is $100,210. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Northern Kentucky University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in Kentucky. NKU is a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,197 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at NKU about 4.6 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $23,642 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from NKU is $109,699. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Morehead State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky ranking. Located in Morehead, Kentucky, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,289 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Morehead State University graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $22,832. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Morehead State University is about $102,059. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Centre College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Danville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 378 students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Centre College of Kentucky is 4.0 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $56,910. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Centre College of Kentucky be around $228,778. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Centre College of Kentucky not only placed well in our value rankings, but it is also #1 on our Best Colleges in Kentucky list.
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With a ranking of #8, Eastern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Richmond, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,737 students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Eastern about 4.5 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $24,352. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Eastern is about $109,340. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Transylvania University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking, coming in at #9. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and it awarded 272 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.0 years for the average student at Transylvania to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $54,080 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $219,024 to get a bachelor’s degree from Transylvania. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Transylvania also took the #2 spot in our Best Colleges in Kentucky rankings.
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The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking, coming in at #10. SBTS is located in Louisville, Kentucky and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 83 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at SBTS is 4.1 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $31,446 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from SBTS is $129,243. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Kentucky State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. KY State is a public institution located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 212 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at KY State graduates in less than 5.0 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $17,078 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from KY State is $84,536. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Asbury University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking, coming in at #12. Asbury is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wilmore, Kentucky. It awarded 314 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at Asbury to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $42,800 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $180,616 to get a bachelor’s degree from Asbury. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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With a ranking of #13, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 600 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Cumberland College is 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $24,265. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Cumberland College is $104,097. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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With a ranking of #14, Berea College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Located in Berea, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 349 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at Berea to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $54,866 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Berea be around $234,278. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Berea is ranked #4 for overall quality in Kentucky.
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Alice Lloyd College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Alice Lloyd is located in Pippa Passes, Kentucky and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 89 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At Alice Lloyd, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.9 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $25,890 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Alice Lloyd be around $127,897. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Bellarmine University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking, coming in at #16. Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 690 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Bellarmine U graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $59,290 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Bellarmine U is $247,832. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Bellarmine U also took the #5 spot in our Best Colleges in Kentucky rankings.
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Spalding University landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 270 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Spalding, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $40,187 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Spalding is about $178,832. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Brescia University landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Owensboro, Kentucky, and it awarded 171 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Brescia University graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $38,440 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Brescia University is $164,908. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Kentucky Christian University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky ranking. Located in Grayson, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 105 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Kentucky Christian University about 4.1 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $35,176 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Kentucky Christian University be around $144,573. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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With a ranking of #20, University of Pikeville did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Located in Pikeville, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 203 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at UPIKE to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $34,540 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $156,812 to get a bachelor’s degree from UPIKE. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Midway University landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Kentucky ranking. Midway is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Midway, Kentucky. It awarded 169 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Midway is 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $41,650 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Midway is $173,680. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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With a ranking of #22, Georgetown College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Located in Georgetown, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 218 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
At Georgetown College, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $53,518 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown College is about $220,494. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Kentucky Wesleyan College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owensboro, Kentucky. It awarded 137 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Wesleyan about 4.2 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $42,355. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan is $178,315. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Campbellsville University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Campbellsville, Kentucky, and it awarded 409 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Campbellsville University is 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $39,646. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Campbellsville University be around $171,271. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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With a ranking of #25, Lindsey Wilson College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Kentucky list. Lindsey Wilson College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 445 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Lindsey Wilson College to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $41,018 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Lindsey Wilson College is $179,659. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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