2023 Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamps with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky ranking. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Kentucky to see which programs offered the best value experiences for teaching students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of the Cumberlands to be the best value school for teaching students in Kentucky. University of the Cumberlands is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Williamsburg, Kentucky that handed out 1,458 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Cumberlands are $9,875 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,361 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $86. During the early years of their career, Cumberlands graduates make an average of $43,758 annually.
Out of the 13 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Louisville landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the large public school handed out 776 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UofL are $28,716 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $22,775 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $239.After graduating from UofL, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $49,447 during the early years of their career.
UofL also made our Best Teaching Schools in Kentucky list, coming in at #1.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Kentucky University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky list. NKU is located in Highland Heights, Kentucky and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 226 degrees to qualified students.
NKU undergraduate students pay an average of $20,448 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,681 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $199, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, NKU graduates make an average of $42,837 annually.
The excellent programs at Murray State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value teaching schools in Kentucky. Murray State is located in Murray, Kentucky and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 313 degrees to qualified students.
Murray State undergraduate students pay an average of $18,528 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $23,713 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $228 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Murray State graduates make an average of $41,161 annually.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Kentucky. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky list. UK is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 661 degrees in 2020-2021.
UK undergraduate students pay an average of $31,608 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $23,598 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $389, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, UK graduates make an average of $43,675 annually.
UK also made our Best Teaching Schools in Kentucky list, coming in at #4.
Union College Kentucky came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in Barbourville, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 66 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Union College are $28,889 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $29,216 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Union College graduates make an average of $44,511 annually.
Western Kentucky University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the fairly large public school awarded 325 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at WKU are $27,000 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $25,012 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $220 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from WKU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $37,898 during the early years of their career.
Eastern Kentucky University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Richmond, Kentucky, and it awarded 382 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Eastern are $20,024 a year. On average, students take out $26,284 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $185 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Eastern graduates make an average of $37,738 annually.
Spalding University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value teaching programs. Louisville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 61 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spalding are $26,500 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $33,730 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Spalding graduates make an average of $48,695 annually.
Spalding did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Teaching Schools in Kentucky list.
Asbury University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky list. Wilmore, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 89 students in 2020-2021.
Asbury undergraduate students pay an average of $32,652 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $27,330 in student loans.After graduating from Asbury, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $36,825 during the early years of their career.
Asbury also made our Best Teaching Schools in Kentucky list, coming in at #3.
Morehead State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in Morehead, Kentucky, the medium-sized public school awarded 248 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Morehead State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,106 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $28,934 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $107, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Morehead State University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $37,454 during the early year of their career.
Bellarmine University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Kentucky list. Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 118 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellarmine U are $44,620 per year. On average, students take out $28,396 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $272. Once they receive their degree, Bellarmine U graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $46,915 during the early year of their career.
Bellarmine U did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Teaching Schools in Kentucky list.
Campbellsville University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value teaching programs. Campbellsville University is located in Campbellsville, Kentucky and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 188 degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Campbellsville University are $25,400 a year. On average, students take out $24,378 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Campbellsville University, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $35,915 during the early years of their career.
Best Value Teaching Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 13 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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