Western Kentucky University: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #1005 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #296 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #265 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #3 of 38 | In Kentucky |
| #1 of 2 | In Bowling Green |
| #348 of 1,005 | For Early Childhood Education |
| Top50% | For 102 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 97%
- Undergraduates
- 14,590
- Graduates
- 2,169
- Male:Female Ratio
- 37:63
- Control
- Public
- Highest Degree
- Doctor's degree
- Website
- www.wku.edu
Western Kentucky University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics
Western Kentucky University has an acceptance rate of 97% and is among the 27% of the easiest universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 97% | 96% | 98% |
| Applicants | 7,720 | 2,814 | 4,818 |
| Admissions | 7,492 | 2,702 | 4,704 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 2,796 | 1,064 | 1,684 |
| Freshmen enrolled part time | 26 | 11 | 15 |
6,335 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
3,327 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
SAT scores
Among admitted applicants
6 or 1%
submitted SAT
25% of them
had 820
or below
75% of them
had 1010
or below
Typical SAT scores of first-years in Western Kentucky University are 820-1010 (middle 50% range).
ACT scores
Among admitted applicants
73 or 3%
submitted ACT
25% of them
had 16
or below
75% of them
had 20
or below
Typical ACT scores of first-years in Western Kentucky University are 16-20 (middle 50% range).
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Secondary school GPA | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| SAT/ACT | Considered but not required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
| Recommendations | Neither required nor recommended |
| Secondary school rank | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| White | 12647 (76%) |
|---|---|
| Black or African American | 1409 (8%) |
| Hispanic | 975 (6%) |
| Two or more races | 660 (4%) |
| Asian | 562 (3%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 288 (2%) |
| Nonresident Alien | 148 (0.9%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 23 (0.1%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 15 (0.1%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.
- Average aid awarded
- $10,906
- Students receiving aid
- 99%
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $11,436 | $12,140 |
| Tuition in-state | $11,436 | $12,140 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $27,000 | $18,340 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 4,942 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $12,043 |
| Room charge | $7,353 |
| Meal charge | $4,690 |
Western Kentucky University majors
Western Kentucky University has granted 2,526 bachelor's degrees across 91 programs, 706 master's across 44 programs, and 56 doctorate degrees across 4 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Western Kentucky University.
| Major | Associate | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse | 96 | 169 | 24 | |
| Business Administration and Management, General | 128 | 74 | ||
| General Studies | 49 | 151 | ||
| Organizational Leadership | 6 | 51 | 86 | |
| Elementary Education and Teaching | 105 | 23 | ||
| Social Work | 72 | 52 | ||
| Psychology, General | 106 | 16 | ||
| Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 84 | |||
| Marketing & Marketing Management, General | 84 | |||
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 65 | 14 | ||
| Accounting | 56 | 17 | ||
| Agriculture, General | 66 | 4 | ||
| Exercise Science and Kinesiology | 68 | |||
| Finance, General | 64 | |||
| Special Education and Teaching, General | 28 | 36 | ||
| Criminology | 63 | |||
| Sports Studies | 54 | |||
| Information Technology | 53 | |||
| Health & Health Care Administration & Management | 39 | 12 | ||
| Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General | 49 | |||
| Construction Management, General | 46 | |||
| Apparel and Textiles, General | 44 | |||
| Fine & Studio Arts, General | 43 | |||
| Research and Experimental Psychology, Other | 41 | |||
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General | 7 | 33 | ||
| Dental Hygiene & Hygienist | 6 | 32 | ||
| English Language and Literature, General | 33 | 5 | ||
| Communication Sciences and Disorders, General | 36 | |||
| Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | 2 | 32 | ||
| Mechanical Engineering | 33 | |||
| Hospitality Administration & Management, General | 30 | |||
| Physical Therapy & Therapist | 29 | |||
| Political Science and Government, General | 29 | |||
| Library and Information Science | 28 | |||
| Mathematics, General | 24 | 4 | ||
| Organizational Communication, General | 26 | |||
| Broadcast Journalism | 25 | |||
| Civil Engineering, General | 25 | |||
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 21 | 3 | ||
| Computer Science | 22 | |||
| Manufacturing Engineering Technology & Technician | 22 | |||
| Sociology, General | 21 | 1 | ||
| Architectural Technology & Technician | 21 | |||
| Counseling Psychology | 21 | |||
| Music Performance, General | 21 | |||
| Public Health, General | 21 | |||
| Social Sciences, General | 21 | |||
| Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 20 | |||
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 10 | 9 | ||
| History, General | 13 | 6 | ||
| Educational Leadership and Administration, General | 6 | 12 | ||
| Environmental Studies | 18 | |||
| Advertising | 17 | |||
| Industrial Technology & Technician | 17 | |||
| Business Analytics | 16 | |||
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 16 | |||
| Family and Consumer Sciences & Home Economics Teacher Education | 16 | |||
| Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | 10 | 5 | ||
| Business & Managerial Economics | 14 | |||
| Chemistry, General | 13 | 1 | ||
| Journalism | 14 | |||
| Nursing Practice | 14 | |||
| Public Relations & Image Management | 14 | |||
| Biochemistry | 13 | |||
| Spanish Language and Literature | 12 | |||
| Cinematography and Film & Video Production | 11 | |||
| Dramatic & Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other | 11 | |||
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 5 | 6 | ||
| Environmental Health | 2 | 9 | ||
| Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies | 10 | |||
| Health Information & Medical Records Administration & Administrator | 10 | |||
| International Business & Trade & Commerce | 10 | |||
| Photojournalism | 10 | |||
| Chinese Language and Literature | 9 | |||
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 9 | |||
| Economics, General | 9 | |||
| Geography | 6 | 3 | ||
| International Relations and Affairs | 9 | |||
| Music, Other | 9 | |||
| Clinical Laboratory Science & Medical Technology & Technologist | 8 | |||
| College Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 8 | |||
| English Language and Literature & Letters, Other | 8 | |||
| Public Administration | 8 | |||
| School Psychology | 7 | 1 | ||
| Dance, General | 7 | |||
| Educational & Instructional Technology | 7 | |||
| Meteorology | 7 | |||
| Music Teacher Education | 7 | |||
| Physics, General | 7 | |||
| Anthropology, General | 6 | |||
| Folklore Studies | 6 | |||
| Family and Community Services | 5 | |||
| Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching | 5 | |||
| Legal Assistant & Paralegal | 1 | 4 | ||
| Radio and Television | 5 | |||
| Reading Teacher Education | 5 | |||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 4 | |||
| Creative Writing | 4 | |||
| Education & Teaching of the Gifted and Talented | 4 | |||
| Geology & Earth Science, General | 4 | |||
| Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Analysis | 3 | |||
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 3 | |||
| Molecular Genetics | 3 | |||
| Technical Teacher Education | 3 | |||
| Arabic Language and Literature | 2 | |||
| Physical Sciences, General | 2 | |||
| Religion & Religious Studies | 2 | |||
| Agricultural Production Operations, General | 1 | |||
| Asian Studies & Civilization | 1 | |||
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 1 | |||
| Cybersecurity Defense Strategy & Policy | 1 | |||
| Geographic Information Science and Cartography | 1 | |||
| Health Information & Medical Records Technology & Technician | 1 | |||
| Management Information Systems, General | 1 | |||
| Secondary Education and Teaching | 1 | |||
| Trade and Industrial Teacher Education | 1 | |||
| Grand Total | 163 | 2,526 | 706 | 56 |
Western Kentucky University has a graduation rate of 54%, which is among the 49% lowest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 54% | 46% | 59% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
Western Kentucky University has published 10,484 scientific papers with 182,737 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Biology, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Political Science, Medicine, Physics, Law, and Psychology.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 79 | 285 |
| 1993 | 75 | 307 |
| 1994 | 76 | 399 |
| 1995 | 85 | 437 |
| 1996 | 113 | 515 |
| 1997 | 107 | 526 |
| 1998 | 110 | 585 |
| 1999 | 123 | 604 |
| 2000 | 132 | 735 |
| 2001 | 155 | 930 |
| 2002 | 140 | 1117 |
| 2003 | 177 | 1229 |
| 2004 | 219 | 1583 |
| 2005 | 247 | 1906 |
| 2006 | 239 | 2339 |
| 2007 | 296 | 2805 |
| 2008 | 344 | 3457 |
| 2009 | 346 | 4399 |
| 2010 | 397 | 4756 |
| 2011 | 402 | 5554 |
| 2012 | 412 | 6338 |
| 2013 | 500 | 6879 |
| 2014 | 499 | 7676 |
| 2015 | 567 | 8468 |
| 2016 | 517 | 8868 |
| 2017 | 397 | 9601 |
| 2018 | 396 | 10747 |
| 2019 | 356 | 12190 |
| 2020 | 430 | 14355 |
| 2021 | 374 | 15202 |
| 2022 | 355 | 14427 |
| 2023 | 384 | 15013 |
| 2024 | 291 | 13871 |
Western Kentucky University alumni
-
John Carpenter
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorproducerdirectoractor
- Biography
-
John Howard Carpenter is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is generally recognized as a master of the horror genre. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the French Directors' Guild gave him the Golden Coach Award and lauded him as "a creative genius of raw, fantastic, and spectacular emotions".
-
Michael Rosenbaum
- Occupations
- film actordub actortelevision actorfilm directoractor
- Biography
-
Michael Rosenbaum is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor on the television series Smallville, a role that TV Guide included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".
-
Matt Long
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
-
Matthew Long is an American actor. He is best known for playing Ezekiel Landon in the NBC/Netflix sci fi drama Manifest (2019–2023), and his roles in the television series Jack & Bobby (2004–2005), and the films Ghost Rider (2007) and Sydney White (2007).
-
Charles Napier
- Occupations
- film actorvoice actortelevision actoractor
- Biography
-
Charles Lewis Napier was an American actor who was known for playing supporting and occasional leading roles in television and films. He was frequently cast as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures, many of them villainous or corrupt. After leaving his Kentucky hometown to serve in the Army, he graduated from college and worked as a sports coach and art teacher before settling on acting as a career. His first prominent role in a film was in Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), which was the first of four films he would do with director Russ Meyer. Napier established himself in character roles and worked steadily for the next 35 years. He made numerous collaborations with director Jonathan Demme, including roles in Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).
General info
| Alternative names | WKU HILLTOPPERS |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1906 |
| Motto | The Spirit Makes The Master |
| Colors | red, white |
| Academic calendar | August to May (August - December; January-May). Also Summer Session (May-August) |
| Total FTE staff | 1,911 |
| Carnegie classification | Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Location and contacts
| Address | 1906 College Heights Blvd Bowling Green, Kentucky, 42101-1000 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 72,000 |
| Phone | 2707450111 |