Kentucky
Student Access & Success
At the four-year level, Kentucky’s retention rate, completion rate, and credentials produced per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates are all well below the national medians. Kentucky’s two-year institutions perform much better, with top-10 rankings on credentials produced per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates and percentage of Pell recipients.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Kentucky receives a low grade in this area for four-year institutions, with state and local funding per completion ($54,504) falling in the bottom 10 states. Kentucky’s two-year institutions, however, are on the opposite end of the spectrum, with a cost per completion ($38,141) and state and local funding per completion ($19,538) in the top 10 nationally.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Kentucky bachelor’s degree holder is approximately $17,300 (or 59%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is about 4 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $8,500 (or 29%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 2 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Kentucky receives an average score for its consumer information and public accountability resources. While the commonwealth does not track student labor market outcomes, students at both four- and two-year institutions are tested using the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency; results are not made public.
Policy Environment
Kentucky gets an average mark for its policy environment. Its strategic agenda includes performance metrics (degrees conferred and graduation rates) but lacks hard targets. The commonwealth’s articulation and credit transfer system is very good, with a clearly-defined policy, the ability to transfer individual courses, and common course numbering in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Kentucky does not have an outcomes-based funding system.
Innovation
Kentucky receives above average marks for its efforts to support online learning, with the Kentucky Virtual Campus portal offering full degree programs and individual courses online, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Online portal covering the commonwealth’s community and technical colleges. Regarding new providers, Kentucky’s regulatory environment is quite restrictive, resulting in a very low grade.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
KY Nat'l| Student Access & Success | D |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 33.8 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 73.3 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 46.2 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 18.4 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
| Complete College America | * |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | D |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $71,675 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $54,504 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $89,592 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 2 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $17,255 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 158.5 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $12,473 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 149.9 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 4.3 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 8.2 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | C |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | true | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 2 |
Two-Year Institutions
KY Nat'l| Student Access & Success | B |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 67.0 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 60.1 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 23.5 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 23.5 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | A |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $38,141 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $19,538 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $28,866 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 5 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | D |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $8,500 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 128.8 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $6,000 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 124.0 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 3.5 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 1.42 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | C |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | true | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 2 |
State
KY Nat'l| Policy Environment | C |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 5 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | F |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 51% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 50% | |
| Financial Burden | 53% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 50% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | B |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 71.4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 5 |
Commonwealth Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 8
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 16
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 86,697
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 57,502