Best Colleges in Kentucky by Salary Potential
Advance your career by earning your bachelor’s degree. Before enrolling, read about Kentucky colleges with the highest-paid graduates.
| Rank | School Name | School Type | Early Career Pay | Mid-Career Pay | % High Meaning | % STEM Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name:_50px.png) University of Kentucky | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$56,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$100,000 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:20% |
| Rank:2 | School Name: Thomas More University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$52,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$97,000 | % High Meaning:63% | % STEM Degrees:6% |
| Rank:3 | School Name: Georgetown College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$48,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$93,700 | % High Meaning:61% | % STEM Degrees:8% |
| Rank:4 | School Name: Bellarmine University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$51,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$93,400 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:6% |
| Rank:5 | School Name:_50px.png) Northern Kentucky University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$53,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$91,400 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:12% |
| Rank:6 | School Name: Centre College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$53,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,200 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:7 | School Name: University of Louisville | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$53,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,100 | % High Meaning:51% | % STEM Degrees:20% |
| Rank:8 | School Name:Brescia University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$45,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,000 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:6% |
| Rank:9 | School Name: Western Kentucky University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$49,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$86,100 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:10% |
| Rank:10 | School Name: Murray State University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$49,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$85,400 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:11 | School Name:Union College (Kentucky) | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$41,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$85,100 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:2% |
| Rank:12 | School Name:Kentucky Wesleyan College | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$45,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$85,000 | % High Meaning:67% | % STEM Degrees:18% |
| Rank:12 | School Name: Transylvania University | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$85,000 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:28% |
| Rank:14 | School Name: Eastern Kentucky University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$49,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$82,900 | % High Meaning:58% | % STEM Degrees:5% |
| Rank:15 | School Name:Spalding University | School Type:Private School, Religious, Research University | Early Career Pay:$50,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$82,200 | % High Meaning:78% | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:16 | School Name:_50px.png) Morehead State University | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$45,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$78,500 | % High Meaning:60% | % STEM Degrees:8% |
| Rank:17 | School Name:Kentucky State University | School Type:State School | Early Career Pay:$44,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$77,000 | % High Meaning:67% | % STEM Degrees:14% |
| Rank:18 | School Name:Asbury University | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$42,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$76,400 | % High Meaning:56% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:19 | School Name:University of the Cumberlands | School Type:Private School, Religious, Research University | Early Career Pay:$44,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$76,000 | % High Meaning:60% | % STEM Degrees:44% |
| Rank:20 | School Name:Kentucky Christian University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$44,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$75,700 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:21 | School Name:Berea College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$45,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$74,000 | % High Meaning:54% | % STEM Degrees:22% |
| Rank:22 | School Name:University of Pikeville | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$42,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$72,500 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:23 | School Name:Midway University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$42,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$67,600 | % High Meaning:61% | % STEM Degrees:3% |
| Rank:24 | School Name:Lindsey Wilson College | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$37,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$66,600 | % High Meaning:55% | % STEM Degrees:2% |
| Rank:25 | School Name:Campbellsville University | School Type:Engineering, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$42,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$64,700 | % High Meaning:39% | % STEM Degrees:71% |
There are 40 four-year colleges to choose from in the Bluegrass State, and if we rank colleges by earning potential, the public University of Kentucky has a solid early career graduate salary. Graduates with more experience who make the highest median salaries often come from private Kentucky colleges: Centre College of Kentucky, Bellarmine University, and Thomas More College.
For students considering financial aid to attend college, Sullivan University, a business school, has the highest percentage of low-income students who qualify for Pell grants. For individualized attention, Transylvania University can brag about one of the lowest faculty to student ratios and smallest size, along with Bellarmine University. Western Kentucky University, home of the Hilltoppers, has a relatively high faculty to student ratio, which make sense given it’s also one of the largest colleges. Its size is second only to the University of Kentucky, with over 20,000 undergraduates.
The University of Kentucky and University of Louisville have been basketball and football rivals for decades, but only Payscale can report on whether Cardinals or Wildcats earn more.
Kentucky’s top employment industries include car manufacturing, biotechnology, sports and recreation and transportation/logistics.