Best Education Colleges for Social Mobility in Kentucky
Updated
Best Education Colleges for Social Mobility in Kentucky lists 8 Education schools in Kentucky that meet Azimuth's mobility threshold. Schools first had to sit at or above the 60th percentile on Azimuth's mobility pillar; those that qualified are ordered by the school's median earnings of all students ten years after entry, highest first, as set out on Azimuth's methodology page.
University of Kentucky ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $59,025 for its students ten years after entry. Across the listed schools, the median earnings figure runs from $59,025 to $43,150, with a median of $48,008.
Public institutions account for 6 of the 8 schools, while 2 are private nonprofit. Berea College posts the lowest average net price on the page at $6,106.
University of Kentucky also sits at the 92nd percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median earnings, 10 years after entry | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Pell share | Mobility percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kentucky · Lexington, KY | $59,025 | $18,851 | $12,182 | 22.5% | 92nd |
| University of Kentucky reports median earnings of $59,025 for all students ten years after entry, the highest on this list. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (250 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (126 graduates), Special Education and Teaching (14 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas ($51,379), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($44,352) | ||||||
| 2 | Transylvania University · Lexington, KY | $54,705 | $21,913 | $14,551 | 26.3% | 76th |
| A private nonprofit in Lexington, Transylvania University sits at the 76th percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among nonprofit four-year institutions. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education (6 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (5 graduates) | ||||||
| 3 | University of Louisville · Louisville, KY | $53,899 | $17,988 | $15,138 | 30.6% | 86th |
| University of Louisville posts an average net price of $15,138 for families earning under $30,000 and a Pell share of 31%. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (174 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (83 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas ($74,873), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($47,190) | ||||||
| 4 | Northern Kentucky University · Highland Heights, KY | $50,220 | $8,191 | $2,603 | 25.2% | 71st |
| Northern Kentucky University ranks 4th on this list and carries an average net price of $8,191. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (125 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (11 graduates), Special Education and Teaching (9 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas ($45,738), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($42,709) | ||||||
| 5 | Eastern Kentucky University · Richmond, KY | $45,795 | $11,040 | $8,591 | 41.1% | 82nd |
| With a Pell share of 41%, Eastern Kentucky University records median earnings of $45,795 ten years after entry. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (85 graduates), Special Education and Teaching (22 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (17 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas ($41,893), Special Education and Teaching ($38,991), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($38,951) | ||||||
| 6 | Murray State University · Murray, KY | $44,737 | $9,096 | $6,242 | 33.3% | 74th |
| Murray State University shows an average net price of $6,242 for families earning under $30,000, alongside a 74th percentile on Azimuth's mobility index among nonprofit four-year institutions. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (93 graduates), Special Education and Teaching (33 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (17 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($38,132), Special Education and Teaching ($36,657) | ||||||
| 7 | Western Kentucky University · Bowling Green, KY | $43,889 | $10,990 | $7,087 | 30.5% | 78th |
| Western Kentucky University reports median earnings of $43,889 ten years after entry, below the list median of $48,008. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (131 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (45 graduates), Special Education and Teaching (27 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas ($40,838), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($38,656) | ||||||
| 8 | Berea College · Berea, KY | $43,150 | $6,106 | $5,428 | 83.7% | 61st |
| Berea College enrolls a Pell share of 84% and posts the lowest average net price on the page at $6,106. | ||||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Education, General (8 graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (7 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Education, General ($36,412) | ||||||
How this list is ordered
Schools first had to sit at or above the 60th percentile on Azimuth's mobility pillar; those that qualified are ordered by the school's median earnings of all students ten years after entry, highest first, as set out on Azimuth's methodology page. The metric is the median earnings of all federally aided students at the institution, measured ten years after entry, among those working and not enrolled. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between University of Kentucky and Transylvania University is $4,320, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom is $15,875.
Job market context in Kentucky
The occupations linked to Education in Kentucky include roles such as Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, and Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education. Across those occupations, the median annual wage is $60,890, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $48,026. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.1% higher, with 6,290 openings a year, or about 341 openings a year for every hundred graduates, suggesting more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. These market figures describe the occupations, not the earnings of any listed school's graduates; the ranking above uses median earnings of all students ten years after entry.
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- Education Colleges for Social Mobility
- Teacher Education Colleges for Social Mobility
- Best Teacher Education Colleges for Social Mobility in Massachusetts
- Education Colleges in California for Social Mobility
- Education Colleges in Kentucky