Colleges / Northern Kentucky University
College · Public · Highland Heights, KY · Suburb
NKU

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

AddressNunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY 41099
Websitewww.nku.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate68%
6-yr median pay$42k
Net price / yr$8k
Undergrad size8,246
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $8k/yr for a shot at a $42k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 68% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1087 · ACT 23.

If you get in

8,246 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $20k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $8k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$79k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$33k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$46k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$11.1k
Tuition · out-of-state
$21.9k
Room & board
$12.7k
Books & supplies
$800

How students pay for it.

Pell grants25%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans31%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention77%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr52%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$42k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$50k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Suburb
Control
Public
Undergrad size
8,246
Location
Highland Heights, KY
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Also known as
NKU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White75%
  • Black8%
  • Hispanic5%
  • Two or more races4%
  • International4%
  • Unknown3%
  • Asian2%
First-gen students38%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time18%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$48k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 63

What you can study.

Colleges / Northern Kentucky University
College · Public · Highland Heights, KY · Suburb
NKU

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

AddressNunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY 41099
Websitewww.nku.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate68%
6-yr median pay$42k
Net price / yr$8k
Undergrad size8,246
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $8k/yr for a shot at a $42k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 68% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1087 · ACT 23.

If you get in

8,246 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $20k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $8k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$79k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$33k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$46k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$11.1k
Tuition · out-of-state
$21.9k
Room & board
$12.7k
Books & supplies
$800

How students pay for it.

Pell grants25%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans31%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention77%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr52%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$42k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$50k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Suburb
Control
Public
Undergrad size
8,246
Location
Highland Heights, KY
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Also known as
NKU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White75%
  • Black8%
  • Hispanic5%
  • Two or more races4%
  • International4%
  • Unknown3%
  • Asian2%
First-gen students38%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time18%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$48k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 63

What you can study.