29 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Kentucky

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Kentucky ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 2.7M citations received by 112K academic papers made by 29 universities in Kentucky was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Kentucky

Lexington

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#60 in the United States

#72 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1180
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 97%

2. University of Louisville

Louisville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#138 in the United States

#161 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1155
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 98%

3. Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#310 in the United States

#349 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 945
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 99%

4. Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#396 in the United States

#444 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 980
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 99%

5. Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#451 in the United States

#502 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1052
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 99%

6. Murray State University

Murray

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#472 in the United States

#523 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1055
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 100%

7. Berea College

Berea

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#648 in the United States

#713 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Average SAT: 1246
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $5,888

8. Morehead State University

Morehead

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#688 in the United States

#754 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $11,976
Enrollment: 8,791

9. Asbury Theological Seminary

Wilmore

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#727 in the United States

#793 in North America

Enrollment: 1,689
Male:Female: 61:39

10. Brescia University

Owensboro

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#743 in the United States

#810 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Net Price: $15,634
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $28,447

11. Bellarmine University

Louisville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#765 in the United States

#834 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1140
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $23,165

12. Centre College

Danville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#862 in the United States

#932 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Average SAT: 1305
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $23,860

13. Georgetown College

Georgetown

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#875 in the United States

#945 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1060
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $15,160

14. University of the Cumberlands

Williamsburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#900 in the United States

#972 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Net Price: $14,743
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $11,293

15. Kentucky State University

Frankfort

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#914 in the United States

#986 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average ACT: 16
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $10,340

16. Transylvania University

Lexington

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1033 in the United States

#1109 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1250
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $25,442

17. Thomas More College

Crestview Hills

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1059 in the United States

#1136 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $22,297

18. Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Louisville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1106 in the United States

#1184 in North America

Enrollment: 103
Male:Female: 33:67

19. Sullivan University

Louisville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1124 in the United States

#1202 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $19,528
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $12,881

20. Spalding University

Louisville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1187 in the United States

#1265 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Average SAT: 957
Average ACT: 19
Net Price: $25,999

21. Frontier Nursing University

Hyden

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1302 in the United States

#1382 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Enrollment: 2,664
Male:Female: 6:94

22. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Louisville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1354 in the United States

#1435 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Average SAT: 1120
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $21,081

23. Asbury University

Wilmore

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1371 in the United States

#1453 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Net Price: $23,033
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,516

24. Campbellsville University

Campbellsville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1504 in the United States

#1592 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Net Price: $19,662
Receiving Aid: 79%
Average Aid: $22,802

25. Lindsey Wilson College

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1518 in the United States

#1606 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $16,374
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,880

26. University of Pikeville

Pikeville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1562 in the United States

#1651 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $13,227
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $20,280

27. Midway University

Midway

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1599 in the United States

#1689 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $30,679

28. Lexington Theological Seminary

Lexington

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1618 in the United States

#1708 in North America

Enrollment: 82
Male:Female: 47:53

29. Kentucky Wesleyan College

Owensboro

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1657 in the United States

#1748 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1010
Average ACT: 20
Net Price: $20,999

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Tennessee	39	46
Indiana	38	39
Ohio	67	19
West Virginia	20	120
Illinois	79	12
North Carolina	50	20
Georgia	52	42
Virginia	42	37
South Carolina	32	68
Alabama	30	82
Missouri	44	40
Mississippi	15	177
Arkansas	18	146
District of Columbia	13	48
Maryland	28	8
Pennsylvania	114	9
Michigan	47	3
Delaware	4	97
Iowa	32	44
Wisconsin	36	14
New Jersey	29	22
Louisiana	27	79
New York	146	6
Florida	70	31
Kansas	22	74
Connecticut	22	10
Oklahoma	22	103
Minnesota	30	18
Massachusetts	75	1
Rhode Island	9	56
Vermont	12	124
New Hampshire	13	84
Nebraska	15	87
South Dakota	12	331
Texas	89	21
Maine	16	199
North Dakota	9	216
Colorado	24	52
New Mexico	9	100
Montana	9	166
Utah	11	45
Arizona	10	29
Idaho	7	193
Nevada	8	149
Puerto Rico	15	414
Oregon	21	96
California	147	2
Washington	39	5
Alaska	4	233
Hawaii	7	106