Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY · Public · Graduate degree-granting
A public institution in Bowling Green, Kentucky, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, Western Kentucky University serves students across multiple degree programs. With 12,155 students, it is a mid-size institution. Graduates earn a median of $43,889 ten years after enrollment, which is 8% above the national median of $40,747. The graduation rate is 54.6%. On the financial side, median graduate debt is $22,095, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 1.99x. The average net price after financial aid is $10,990 per year. The most popular programs include Business Administration & Management, Registered Nursing, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Teacher Education, and Sports & Fitness.
Key Outcomes
Median Earnings (10yr)
$43,889
Graduation Rate
54.6%
Median Debt
$22,095
Average Net Price
$10,990
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
1x
Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
1.99x
Admissions & Enrollment
Total Enrollment
12,155
Admission Rate
93.9%
Average SAT
971
Retention Rate
78.3%
Cost
In-State Tuition
$11,652
Out-of-State Tuition
$27,000
Pell Grant Rate
30.5%
Federal Loan Rate
34.7%
Net Cost by Family Income
Income $0–$30K
$7,087
Income $30K–$48K
$6,871
Income $48K–$75K
$9,765
Income $110K+
$17,653
Student Demographics
Women
60.3%
White
74.3%
Black
9.0%
Hispanic
6.5%
Asian
3.5%
Two or More Races
4.4%
Student Loan Performance
Repayment Rate (3yr)
46.9%
Accreditations
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics — Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship, Didactic Program in Dietetics (Accredited)
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs (Accredited)
- American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation — Dental Hygiene (DH) (Accredited)
- American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education — Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist (Accredited)
- American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Clinical Psychology (CLPSYD) - PsyD Doctoral programs (Preaccredited)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs (Accredited)
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education — Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels, Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels, Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels (Accredited)
- Council on Education for Public Health — Public Health Programs (PHPG) - Graduate level program offered outside a school of public health, Public Health Programs (PHPBG) - Baccalaureate and Graduate level programs offered outside a school of public health (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation — Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation — Dance (DANCE) (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation — Music (MUS) (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation — Theatre (THEA) (Accredited)
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education — Teacher Education (TED) - Baccalaureate and graduate programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools (Accredited)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges — Institutional Accreditation (Accredited)
Programs (173)
Bachelor (73)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | $59,362 | 182 |
| Registered Nursing | $73,496 | 169 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $46,583 | 151 |
| Teacher Education | $38,656 | 131 |
| Sports & Fitness | $54,396 | 123 |
| Psychology | $44,848 | 122 |
| Marketing | $60,222 | 86 |
| Criminology | $45,124 | 80 |
| Social Work | $48,771 | 72 |
| Public Relations | $53,839 | 68 |
| Agriculture | $51,065 | 66 |
| Biology | $52,487 | 66 |
| Finance | $70,313 | 66 |
| Accounting | $71,274 | 56 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | $73,300 | 53 |
| Health Services Administration | $60,103 | 50 |
| Journalism | $47,661 | 49 |
| Health Services | $57,271 | 49 |
| Construction Management | Not reported | 46 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $45,420 | 45 |
| Fine Arts | $45,957 | 45 |
| Clinical Psychology | Not reported | 42 |
| Industrial Production Technology | $86,033 | 39 |
| Sociology | $43,520 | 37 |
| Communication Disorders | $57,844 | 36 |
| Political Science | $54,333 | 34 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $86,624 | 33 |
| English Language & Literature | $40,616 | 33 |
| Dental Support Services | $57,958 | 32 |
| Music | $38,377 | 30 |
| Hospitality Management | $50,712 | 30 |
| Special Education | $40,705 | 28 |
| Secondary Education | $40,838 | 27 |
| Communications | $50,392 | 25 |
| Civil Engineering | $75,732 | 25 |
| Mathematics | $38,434 | 24 |
| Social Sciences | Not reported | 24 |
| History | $38,836 | 24 |
| Economics | $68,051 | 23 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 22 |
| Public Health | $43,605 | 22 |
| Architectural Technology | $71,240 | 21 |
| Romance Languages | $53,921 | 21 |
| Data Analytics | Not reported | 21 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | $34,987 | 21 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 19 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | Not reported | 18 |
| Electrical Engineering | $85,772 | 16 |
| East Asian Languages | $43,210 | 15 |
| Business Information Systems | Not reported | 14 |
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Not reported | 13 |
| International Relations | $64,710 | 11 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | Not reported | 11 |
| Anthropology | $40,415 | 10 |
| Entrepreneurship | Not reported | 10 |
| International Business | Not reported | 10 |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | Not reported | 8 |
| Physics | Not reported | 8 |
| Clinical Laboratory Science | Not reported | 8 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management | $42,600 | 7 |
| Atmospheric Sciences | Not reported | 7 |
| Geography | Not reported | 7 |
| Dance | Not reported | 7 |
| Radio, Television & Film | $41,791 | 5 |
| Legal Support Services | Not reported | 5 |
| Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis | Not reported | 5 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 5 |
| Middle Eastern Languages | Not reported | 4 |
| Genetics | Not reported | 3 |
| Religion | Not reported | 3 |
| Management Information Systems | $68,333 | 1 |
| Construction Engineering Technology | $84,057 | Not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $74,452 | Not reported |
Master (31)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | $69,436 | 160 |
| Communication Disorders | $55,249 | 84 |
| Teacher Education | $49,133 | 62 |
| Social Work | $56,628 | 52 |
| Special Education | $51,391 | 40 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management | $57,109 | 33 |
| Public Health | Not reported | 30 |
| Library Science | $52,390 | 28 |
| Cognitive Psychology | $47,567 | 28 |
| Registered Nursing | $112,455 | 24 |
| Secondary Education | $51,451 | 17 |
| Accounting | $78,094 | 17 |
| Psychology | Not reported | 16 |
| Biology | Not reported | 14 |
| Health Services Administration | $71,024 | 12 |
| Economics | Not reported | 9 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Not reported | 8 |
| Public Administration | Not reported | 8 |
| Educational Assessment | Not reported | 7 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 6 |
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 6 |
| History | Not reported | 6 |
| Human Development & Family Studies | Not reported | 5 |
| English Language & Literature | Not reported | 5 |
| Agriculture | Not reported | 4 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | Not reported | 4 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 4 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | Not reported | 4 |
| Communications | Not reported | 3 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Not reported | 3 |
| Geography | Not reported | 3 |
Doctoral (3)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 12 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | $84,680 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing | $112,179 | Not reported |
First Professional (2)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | Not reported | 29 |
| Registered Nursing | Not reported | 14 |
Associate (5)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $75,959 | 96 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $45,877 | 49 |
| Dental Support Services | Not reported | 6 |
| Business Administration & Management | Not reported | 6 |
| Secondary Education | Not reported | 3 |
Graduate Certificate (15)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Public Relations | Not reported | 17 |
| Business Administration & Management | Not reported | 16 |
| Secondary Education | Not reported | 15 |
| Public Health | Not reported | 14 |
| Parks, Recreation & Leisure Facilities Management | Not reported | 10 |
| Sports & Fitness | Not reported | 10 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | Not reported | 9 |
| Registered Nursing | Not reported | 9 |
| Ecology | Not reported | 8 |
| Homeland Security | Not reported | 8 |
| Teacher Education | Not reported | 5 |
| Data Analytics | Not reported | 5 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Not reported | 4 |
| Public Administration | Not reported | 4 |
| Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition | Not reported | 3 |
Undergraduate Certificate (21)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Data Analytics | Not reported | 80 |
| Business Administration & Management | $49,760 | 56 |
| Public Relations | Not reported | 45 |
| Educational Assessment | Not reported | 45 |
| Health Services Administration | Not reported | 28 |
| Human Development & Family Studies | $38,962 | 25 |
| Radio, Television & Film | Not reported | 19 |
| Homeland Security | Not reported | 15 |
| Geography | Not reported | 14 |
| Design & Applied Arts | Not reported | 11 |
| Finance | $85,634 | 9 |
| Medical Illustration | Not reported | 8 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | Not reported | 8 |
| Public Health | Not reported | 7 |
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 5 |
| Geological Sciences | $76,463 | 5 |
| Sports & Fitness | Not reported | 4 |
| Applied Horticulture | Not reported | 3 |
| Food Science & Technology | Not reported | 3 |
| Legal Support Services | Not reported | 3 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $66,066 | Not reported |
Show 23 additional programs with limited data
| Program | Level | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary Education | Undergraduate Certificate | 2 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Biology | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Physical Sciences | Bachelor | 2 |
| Mental Health Services | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Agricultural Production | Associate | 1 |
| Area Studies | Undergraduate Certificate | 1 |
| Area Studies | Bachelor | 1 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Undergraduate Certificate | 1 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | Master | 1 |
| Information Science | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Special Education | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Legal Support Services | Associate | 1 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor | 1 |
| Chemistry | Master | 1 |
| Cognitive Psychology | First Professional | 1 |
| Cognitive Psychology | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Security & Protective Services | Master | 1 |
| Security & Protective Services | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Sociology | Master | 1 |
| Health Services Administration | Associate | 1 |
| Real Estate | Undergraduate Certificate | 1 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
Rankings Featuring This Institution
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Architecture Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Computer Science Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Engineering Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Associate's Nursing & Health Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Nursing & Health Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Master's Nursing & Health Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Business Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Master's Business Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Psychology Programs in Kentucky
- Highest Earning Master's Psychology Programs in Kentucky
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