Western Kentucky University: Statistics

Updated:

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Position Category
#985 of 14,131 In the World
#293 of 2,597 In North America
#262 of 2,496 In the United States
#3 of 38 In Kentucky
#1 of 2 In Bowling Green
#290 of 1,039 For Early Childhood Education
Top50% For 105 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
97%
Average SAT
1075
Average ACT
22
Aid receiving
99%
Undergraduates
14,440
Graduates
2,053
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 26% 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% 97%
Applicants 7,505 2,726 4,779
Admissions 7,276 2,622 4,654
Freshmen enrolled full time 2,719 1,014 1,705
Freshmen enrolled part time 36 15 21

6,396 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

3,162 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
9 or 0%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 980
or below

75% of them
had 1170
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Western Kentucky University are 980-1170 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
65 or 2%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 18
or below

75% of them
had 25
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Western Kentucky University are 18-25 (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 12784 (78%)
Black or African American 1349 (8%)
Hispanic 857 (5%)
Two or more races 602 (4%)
Asian 505 (3%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 176 (1%)
Nonresident Alien 167 (1%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 18 (0.1%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 16 (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
$10,260
Students receiving aid
99%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $11,112$12,140
Tuition in-state $11,112$12,140
Tuition out-of-state $27,000$18,340

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 4,942
Combined charge for room and board $11,072
Room charge $6,984
Meal charge $4,088

Western Kentucky University majors

Western Kentucky University has granted 2,792 bachelor's degrees across 94 programs, 715 master's across 46 programs, and 76 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 111 170 16
Business Administration and Management, General 144 71
General Studies 40 138
Organizational Leadership 4 65 90
Psychology, General 111 24
Social Work 86 49
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 134
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 100 12
Elementary Education and Teaching 90 11
Accounting 73 18
Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist 82
Finance, General 76
Agriculture, General 73 2
Health & Health Care Administration & Management 58 11
Criminology 64 4
Information Technology 60
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 58
Fine & Studio Arts, General 58
Sports Studies 57
Special Education and Teaching, General 27 27
Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General 53
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General 14 38
Mechanical Engineering 46
Apparel and Textiles, General 40
English Language and Literature, General 30 7
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 37
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 28 8
Broadcast Journalism 35
Civil Engineering, General 33
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 33
Construction Management, General 30
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 17 13
Mathematics, General 20 10
Chemistry, General 20 9
Dental Hygiene & Hygienist 8 21
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 29
Physical Therapy & Therapist 29
Organizational Communication, General 28
Political Science and Government, General 28
Counseling Psychology 27
Manufacturing Engineering Technology & Technician 27
Music Performance, General 27
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 20 7
Sociology, General 24 2
Computer Science 25
Public Relations & Image Management 25
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 4 19
Geography 17 6
History, General 18 5
Architectural Technology & Technician 22
Family and Consumer Sciences & Home Economics Teacher Education 22
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 1 19
Library and Information Science 20
Nursing Practice 20
College Student Counseling and Personnel Services 19
Business Analytics 18
Public Health, General 18
School Psychology 10 8
Advertising 17
International Business & Trade & Commerce 17
Business & Managerial Economics 16
Dance, General 15
Journalism 15
Health Information & Medical Records Administration & Administrator 14
Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies 13
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 12
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 12
Economics, General 12
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 12
Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching 10 2
Cinematography and Film & Video Production 11
Anthropology, General 10
Biochemistry 10
Chinese Language and Literature 10
Dramatic & Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other 10
Education & Teaching of the Gifted and Talented 10
English Language and Literature & Letters, Other 10
Industrial Technology & Technician 10
International Relations and Affairs 10
Legal Assistant & Paralegal 2 8
Music, Other 10
Radio and Television 9
Environmental Health 3 5
Environmental Studies 8
Geology & Earth Science, General 8
Photojournalism 8
Public Administration 8
Spanish Language and Literature 8
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 2 6
Educational & Instructional Technology 7
Meteorology 7
Music Teacher Education 7
Creative Writing 6
Family and Community Services 5
Social Sciences, General 5
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching 4
Arabic Language and Literature 4
Clinical Laboratory Science & Medical Technology & Technologist 4
Community Organization and Advocacy 4
Cultural Studies & Critical Theory and Analysis 4
Engineering & Industrial Management 4
Folklore Studies 4
Computer and Information Sciences, General 3
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 3
Management Information Systems, General 3
Molecular Genetics 3
Physics, General 3
Trade and Industrial Teacher Education 3
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 2
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 2
Physical Sciences, General 2
Reading Teacher Education 2
Religion & Religious Studies 2
Secondary Education and Teaching 2
Geographic Information Science and Cartography 1
Mass Communication & Media Studies 1
Technical Teacher Education 1
Grand Total 166 2,792 715 76

Western Kentucky University has a graduation rate of 51%, which is among the 43% lowest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 51% 47% 54%
  • Full-time retention rate - 77%
  • Part-time retention rate - 36%

Publications & Citations

Western Kentucky University has published 9,336 scientific papers with 133,977 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.

Publications
9,336
Citations
133,977

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
5,826 / 76,789
Biology
3,913 / 73,195
Environmental Science
3,830 / 66,693
Computer Science
3,512 / 64,734
Engineering
3,505 / 64,643
Political Science
3,404 / 42,734
Medicine
3,232 / 50,876
Physics
3,218 / 69,988
Law
3,100 / 41,840
Psychology
2,967 / 53,317
Sociology
2,724 / 34,102
Philosophy
2,564 / 37,736
Chemistry
2,529 / 46,657
Geography and Cartography
2,480 / 42,066
Mathematics
2,218 / 39,012
Business
2,144 / 35,027
History
2,135 / 25,719
Quantum and Particle physics
2,052 / 50,163
Geology
1,798 / 33,358
Economics
1,735 / 24,300
Archaeology
1,670 / 24,362
Ecology
1,650 / 28,435
Materials Science
1,358 / 26,971
Statistics
1,337 / 29,887
Organic Chemistry
1,312 / 28,569
Paleontology
1,242 / 19,972
Biochemistry
1,216 / 24,502
Social Psychology
1,190 / 28,917
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
1,175 / 18,918
Linguistics
1,175 / 14,517
Genetics
1,046 / 20,018
Art & Design
1,023 / 8,281
Development Studies
982 / 11,850
Management
955 / 15,582
Psychiatry
922 / 19,626
Pathology
902 / 15,734
Neuroscience
873 / 20,954
Optical Engineering
838 / 22,424
Education Majors
823 / 6,661
Machine Learning
810 / 16,184

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1991 73 211
1992 72 205
1993 70 233
1994 74 291
1995 82 327
1996 111 392
1997 99 394
1998 107 457
1999 95 462
2000 105 558
2001 130 751
2002 129 877
2003 159 972
2004 191 1320
2005 233 1546
2006 215 1867
2007 259 2331
2008 328 2886
2009 328 3550
2010 372 3707
2011 366 4384
2012 383 5268
2013 463 5835
2014 453 6443
2015 517 6933
2016 485 7240
2017 363 7551
2018 343 8445
2019 345 9500
2020 383 10631
2021 330 11421
2022 312 11540
2023 346 11282
Academic rankings

Western Kentucky University alumni

  1. John Carpenter

    John Carpenter
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1948-.. (age 76)
    Occupations
    composerwriteractordirectorfilm director
    Biography

    John Howard Carpenter is an American filmmaker and composer. Most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is generally recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the French Directors' Guild gave him the Golden Coach Award, lauding him as "a creative genius of raw, fantastic, and spectacular emotions".

  2. Michael Rosenbaum

    Michael Rosenbaum
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1972-.. (age 52)
    Occupations
    voice actorwriteractorfilm directortelevision actor
    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".

  3. Matt Long

    Matt Long
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1980-.. (age 44)
    Occupations
    film actorstage 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).

  4. Charles Napier

    Charles Napier
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1936-2011 (aged 75)
    Occupations
    television actorvoice actorfilm actoractor
    Biography

    Charles Lewis Napier was an American character actor 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 featured frontal nudity from Napier; it 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).

All 74 notable alumni

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 1,898
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

Western Kentucky University in social media