Kentucky: aid after freshman year
Four-year colleges in Kentucky, ranked by the gap between the average freshman grant and the average grant in later years.
Official price reports: University of Kentucky
We have IPEDS 2022-23 grant data for 27 four-year colleges in Kentucky. At 24 of them, the average grant for continuing undergraduates was lower than the average freshman grant. The median gap was $1,534 per recipient, compared with $1,064 nationally.
The largest gaps: Brescia University ($7,175), Campbellsville University ($5,189), Kentucky Wesleyan College ($5,041). Median gap at public colleges: $1,442 (8 colleges); at private nonprofits: $2,290 (19 colleges).
Explain the numbers
- Freshman grant: total grant aid to first-time, full-time freshmen divided by the number who got grants (2022-23).
- Later years: the same average for all other degree-seeking undergraduates who got grants, including transfers and part-time students.
- Drop: freshman average minus later-years average. Above zero means later-year recipients averaged less. In Kentucky, 24 of 27 colleges are above zero and 16 meet our traditional 4-year filter.
- Median: half of the colleges in Kentucky have a smaller drop than $1,534, half larger.
- IPEDS data runs about two years behind; current-year prices come from state reports where available.
Averages across recipients, not a prediction for one student. Colleges with large part-time or online enrollment are marked; read the methodology. See 2026-27 published costs for this state.
| # | College | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brescia University Owensboro · Private | $7,175 |
| 2 | Campbellsville University Campbellsville · Private · large part-time/online share | $5,189 |
| 3 | Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro · Private | $5,041 |
| 4 | Lindsey Wilson College Columbia · Private | $4,169 |
| 5 | University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg · Private · large part-time/online share | $3,683 |
| 6 | Berea College Berea · Private | $2,942 |
| 7 | Asbury University Wilmore · Private | $2,836 |
| 8 | Thomas More University Crestview Hills · Private · large part-time/online share | $2,568 |
| 9 | Centre College Danville · Private | $2,315 |
| 10 | Bellarmine University Louisville · Private | $2,290 |
| 11 | Transylvania University Lexington · Private | $2,274 |
| 12 | Union College Barbourville · Private | $2,112 |
| 13 | University of Louisville Louisville · Public · large part-time/online share | $1,548 |
| 14 | Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights · Public · large part-time/online share | $1,534 |
| 15 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond · Public · large part-time/online share | $1,508 |
| 16 | Morehead State University Morehead · Public · large part-time/online share | $1,497 |
| 17 | Midway University Midway · Private · large part-time/online share | $1,401 |
| 18 | Murray State University Murray · Public | $1,387 |
| 19 | Spalding University Louisville · Private · large part-time/online share | $1,202 |
| 20 | Georgetown College Georgetown · Private | $1,037 |
| 21 | University of Kentucky Lexington · Public | $862 |
| 22 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green · Public | $594 |
| 23 | University of Pikeville Pikeville · Private · large part-time/online share | $335 |
| 24 | The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville · Private · large part-time/online share | $27 |
| 25 | Kentucky Christian University Grayson · Private | −$523 |
| 26 | Alice Lloyd College Pippa Passes · Private | −$1,410 |
| 27 | Kentucky State University Frankfort · Public | −$1,733 |
Source: IPEDS SFA 2022-23.
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