Northern Kentucky University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Northern Kentucky University

Northern Kentucky University operates as a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky (suburb: large), with a total reported enrollment of 8,246 students of which 11,630 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Northern Kentucky University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 67.7%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,087 and an ACT midpoint of 23. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $8,191, with published in-state tuition of $11,088 and a Pell grant recipient share of 25.2%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $23,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 50.2%, and the first-year retention rate is 75.5%. Graduates earn a median of $50,220 ten years after enrolling, compared with $42,105 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 614100.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 64.2% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.