SoutheastSuburbanPublic4-yearBusiness & Marketing

Northern Kentucky University

Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.

Newport, KY9,927 students
Acceptance Rate
68%
moderate
Median SAT
1,025
Middle 50%: 953–1150
Net Price After Aid
$7.2k
Sticker $21.5k
Graduation Rate
48%
6-year, full-time

Northern Kentucky University is a public institution in Newport, KY with an acceptance rate of 68% and 9,927 students. The middle 50% of admitted students score 953–1150 on the SAT and present an average GPA near 3.33. The average net price after financial aid is $7,168 per year.

About Northern Kentucky University

A public 4-year suburban university in Newport, KY.

Northern Kentucky University campus
Campus · Newport

Northern Kentucky University is a college in Newport, KY. It enrolls roughly 9,927 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 68%. Admitted students typically score between 953 and 1150 on the SAT.

SoutheastSuburbanPublic4-yearBusiness & Marketing
Acceptance Rate
68%
Moderate
Total Enrollment
9,927
Medium
Retention
78%
First-years returning
Graduation Rate
48%
6-year, full-time

Your chances at this school

What admitted students look like here. Sign in to see how your own profile compares.

Acceptance Rate
68%
68 of every 100 applicants admitted
Your Chances
Sign in to see your personalized chances.
Admitted Student GPA
3.33
Average across admitted students

Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.

What strengthens an application here

  1. SAT scores of 953 to 1150
    The middle half of admitted students scored in this range. A score in the upper part of it strengthens an application.
  2. A GPA near 3.33 or higher
    This is the average across admitted students.
  3. Depth in one or two activities
    Sustained commitment, a leadership role, or a result in a few activities says more than a long list of memberships.

Your chances estimate is based on your academic profile and activities — it is a guide, not a guarantee of admission. Decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.

Admissions

What it actually takes to get into Northern Kentucky University. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.

Admitted student profile

Range shown is the middle 50%.

SAT
composite, 1600 scale
9161,133
1,025
average
ACT
composite, 36 scale
1925
23
average
GPA
weighted, 4.5 max
3.33
average

This school doesn't require test scores, so these ranges reflect only students who chose to submit — applicants who submit tend to have higher scores. The real admitted range likely runs lower. Don't rule yourself out on scores alone.

Application requirements

  • Tests sometimes required
  • No application fee

Deadlines (2026-27)

Regular Decision
Jul 28, 2027

Source: Common App 2026-27 requirements grid (verified Aug 2026). Always confirm on the college's own site.

Cost & financial aid

Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at Northern Kentucky University after grants and scholarships.

Sticker price
—
Tuition $21,480
Average net price after aid
$7,168
After grants and scholarships

Net price by family income

Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.

$0 – $30,000
$1,813
$30,001 – $48,000
$3,022
$48,001 – $75,000
$6,638
$75,001 – $110,000
$11,227
$110,001 +
$13,270

Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.

Pell Grant Recipients
25%
Need-based federal grant
Take Federal Loans
31%
Avg loan $15,159 / year
Avg Grant Aid
—
Per receiving student / year

Academics & majors

Where students at Northern Kentucky University concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.

Student : Faculty
18:1
Class-size proxy
Primary Focus
Business & Marketing
23% of degrees awarded
Retention
78%
First-years returning
A breakdown of the top majors by share of degrees awarded ships once we finish backfilling per-school program data.

Student body

Who attends Northern Kentucky University. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.

Race & ethnicity

  • White81%
  • Asian2%
  • Hispanic5%
  • Black7%
  • International4%

Gender

  • Female59%
  • Male41%
International
4%
Of total enrollment
Live on Campus
—
Undergraduate residential rate
Total Enrollment
9,927

Outcomes after graduation

What Northern Kentucky University graduates do next — and what they earn.

Median Earnings
$50.2k
10 years after enrollment
Employed at 2 yrs
—
Working or in grad school
Pursue Grad School
—
Within 5 years
Graduation Rate
48%
6-year, full-time

Is it worth it?

Earnings, debt, and price side by side — context for the cost-vs-payoff question, not a ranking.

Median earnings
$50.2k
10 yrs after entry
Typical debt
$15.2k
median, borrowers only
Avg. net price
$7.2k/yr
after aid
  • These numbers reflect who enrolls, not the value the school adds. A college's earnings can look high simply because it admits wealthier, higher-scoring students — not because of what happens there.
  • Earnings vary far more by major and career path than by school. A school-wide median blends engineers and artists into one number that may match no real student.
  • Federal earnings and debt figures cover only students who received federal aid, so they leave out full-pay students and can skew the picture.
  • Net price is an average across aided students and debt is the median for borrowers only — many students borrow nothing. Your actual cost depends on your own aid package.

What this means

$50k is near the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 48% graduation rate is below the national average.

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