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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Kentucky Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-kentucky/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-kentucky/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-kentucky/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-kentucky/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-kentucky/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Kentucky cost after financial aid?

Even after aid, costs at University of Kentucky remain higher than at comparable institutions. The published cost of attendance is $34,391.

In-state tuition and fees are $13,502, while out-of-state tuition and fees are $34,140 and room and board are $16,016. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $18,851, with average financial-aid savings of $15,540 from the sticker price.

That price is $3,217 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Azimuth ranks the university #639 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-peer net price and affordability rank both make cost a consideration alongside the published price.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $18,851, $3,217 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $12,182, while those from families earning over $110,000 average $26,781. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $22,500 in federal student debt, $2,424 above the median at comparable institutions.

Prices remain near the same level in the two lowest income bands before becoming higher in each later band. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $12,182 for families in the lowest band; $12,119 in the next band; $16,313 in the middle band; $21,192 in the next-highest band; and $26,781 for families in the highest band.

Pell Grant recipients account for 22.5% of undergraduates, giving financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,599.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,182

**$30–48K**
$12,119

**$48–75K**
$16,313

**$75–110K**
$21,192

**$110K+**
$26,781

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$18,851**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid reduces the published price for recipients, with lower average prices concentrated in lower family-income bands. Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Against the $34,391 sticker price, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $18,851, an average reduction of $15,540. Across the bands, average net prices are $12,182, $12,119, $16,313, $21,192, and $26,781 from lowest to highest family income.

The $14,599 spread between the lowest and highest bands is a difference of averages. Lower prices at lower incomes show that the aid pattern is more generous for aid recipients in those bands.

At University of Kentucky, aid-recipient costs vary substantially by family income. The published cost of attendance is $34,391.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,182 for the lowest family-income band, $12,119 for the lower-middle band, $16,313 for the middle band, $21,192 for the upper-middle band, and $26,781 for the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,599.

Azimuth ranks the university #639 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 45% of the published cost, and the average net price across all aid recipients is $18,851.

That average is $3,217 above the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published in-state tuition and fees are $13,502, compared with $34,140 for out-of-state tuition and fees.

The higher average price than comparable institutions sits alongside aid that offsets a substantial share of the published cost. Among federal loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $22,500, and 89.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The peer median debt is $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size), making Kentucky’s median $2,424 above that benchmark. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $30,006.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal student loan borrowing reaches 89.0% of federal aid recipients at University of Kentucky, making debt a common part of the financing picture. For federal-loan borrowers who completed, median debt is $22,500.

Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $20,076. The university's median is above that benchmark by $2,424, placing its borrower median above the comparable-school figure.

For the separate population of [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) parent borrowers, median borrowing is $30,006.

At University of Kentucky, the investment picture is mixed: earnings sit close to the model’s expectation, while borrower debt is above the comparable-school median. For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $65,922 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 57th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $545 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. The program-mix scenarios put typical earnings at $65,922, with a downside scenario of $46,396 and an upside scenario of $87,532.

Borrowers complete with median federal student loan debt of $22,500, which is above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,424. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month if repaid over ten years.

Near-expected earnings and higher peer-relative debt leave a mixed return picture.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $30,006. For student borrowers, the federal debt figure corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$30,006

**Estimated parent payment**
$381/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$22,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$30,006

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$256/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$381/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$637/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $65,922, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.1%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-kentucky#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.