A Guide to Online Colleges in Kentucky

There's more to Kentucky than bluegrass and horses. One of the four states constituted as a commonwealth, Kentucky entered the Union in 1792, just in time for ratification of the Constitution. As with much of the Midwest region, the French were the first Europeans to move into the Kentucky territory, then occupied by Shawnee, Iroquois, and Cherokee tribes. Throughout its history, Kentucky's highly calcified soil has yielded excellent farming conditions and today ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eighth in cattle production, and fourteenth in corn-based products. Still, its the state's diversified economy that has kept it competitive in the 20-21st centuries, with growth in the automotive industry, energy sector, and, yes, bourbon. (To be precise, 95% of the world's bourbon.) Education has also been a major component to Kentucky's profile, with eight public universities, sixteen community colleges, and a range of private options. In recent years, the state's online distance education programs have vastly expanded, with twenty in-state colleges and universities offering a wide range of degrees and certificates.

In-state tuition is often applied to public schools offering online programs. Many online programs require some face-to-face time, or more numerous support services at their brick and mortar locations. Intensive study experiences — often on the weekends or in several week long bouts — enable many online students to accelerate their time until graduation. And students looking at online education can drastically expand their educational options if they also look to hybrid degrees (degrees where degrees can be taken partially, or mostly online). Finally, one of the most common stipulations in scholarships is that students be from a certain state or region, often more funds are available to students seeking degrees in-state.

There are 10 public colleges that offer online degrees in Kentucky: Owensboro Community and Technical College, Somerset Community College, West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, Morehead State University, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University. The largest of these is Murray State, offering 29 total tracks, including 22 masters in a diverse range of fields: Education, Business, Criminal Justice, and Sports Administration, among others. EKU comes in a close second: 27 degrees, including 16 bachelors, 9 masters, and 2 doctorates. EKU's online undergraduate school primarily covers Psychology and Criminal Justice, and graduate programs can be found in Healthcare and Education. From there, Owensboro Community, Southeast Kentucky Community, and Morehead State each offer over a dozen tracks.

There are 10 private colleges in Kentucky that offer online degrees: Lindsey Wilson College, Midway College, Campbellsville University, Brescia University, University of the Cumberlands, Spalding University, Asbury University, Georgetown College, and Thomas More College. The largest of these is Cumberlands: 5 bachelors, 9 masters, and 4 doctorates. Cumberlands's undergraduate offerings cover Business, Healthcare, and Criminal Justice, and graduate highlights include an MBA, MEd, and doctorates in Leadership, Education, Counselor Education And Supervision, and Clinical Psychology. Brescia is the second largest private option, with 4 associates, 6 bachelors, and a Master of Science in Management. Its 6 bachelors are the most among private schools, in Accounting, Business, Theology, Psychology, Addictions Counseling, and Integrated Studies.

Featured Online Schools

Potential Resident

For a variety of reasons, a student may look to move to the state of their online college program whether specifically required by the program or not — be it for a job, location desirability, school benefits, etc. Different states have different policies, however, and some of them can be rather demanding. Kentucky's is relatively straightforward and set by the Council on Postsecondary Education. (For the full-length requirements, visit here; otherwise, The University of Louisville has an FAQ breakdown.) In essence, all students wishing to qualify for in-state tuition must have established residency/domicile in Kentucky, which students are responsible for proving. (Note that, unlike in many states, Kentucky has no 12-month-straight requirement.) Proof of residence may include employment records, utilities bill, etc., but items like a driver's license or voter registration generally are not accepted as sole proofs.

The average tuition per-year for a four-year public school in Kentucky is $9,567 (2015-16), compared to a national average of $9,142. That's a 4% increase year-over-year and a 16% five-year change, compared to respective national averages of 3% and 13%. While these numbers are on the relative higher end, Kentucky in-state students still fare far better than many others across the country, where public tuition can reach over $15,000, and has increased as much as 50% over the last five years. Nor do students need to worry about significant increases year-to-year: though students can expect tuition to rise some, the number never rises more than a few hundred dollars. (In other words, it's stable and relatively predictable, particularly when taking inflation into account.)

There are 5 schools in and around Lexington that offer online degrees: Georgetown College, Midway College, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Asbury University, and Eastern Kentucky University, which is the second-largest distanced education provider in the state, with 27 total online degrees. Its 16 online bachelors are the most in Kentucky, available in a wide range of Psychology concentrations (Forensic, Brain and Cognitive, Child and Family, Substance Abuse, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Workplace), Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and a number of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology tracks. From there, Midway and Asbury each offer 8 online degrees. For those willing to occasionally travel, Louisville is home to U of L and Spalding University, offering online options; to the west, Morehead State is an option, and to the south, Campbellsville University, Somerset Community College, and the University of the Cumberlands are within range. Thomas More College offers MBA tracks in Cincinnati.

Both The University of Louisville and Spalding University offer online degrees within the city limits. U of L offers 5 bachelors tracks – Organizational Leadership And Learning, Justice Administration, Rn To Bsn, Communication (BS and BA) – and 8 masters in Human Resources And Organization Development, Justice Administration, Higher Education, Higher Education, Special Education, Engineering Management, Civil Engineering, and Social Work. Spalding offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Rn To Bsn). For those willing to occasionally commute, Lexington has 5 schools offering online programs, including Eastern Kentucky University (degrees in Psychology concentrations), Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and several Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology tracks. Thomas More College offers MBA tracks in Cincinnati, and Western Kentucky University offers 29 online degrees in Bowling Green.

In Bowling Green, Western Kentucky University offers 29 online degrees, the most in the state of Kentucky, with 3 associates, 4 bachelors, and 22 masters degrees. Associate tracks range from Water Resource Management, to Early Childhood Education, to Interdisciplinary Studies; and bachelors are available in Organizational Leadership, Sociology, Consumer & Family Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, and more. In nearby northern Tennessee, Austin Peay State University offers 12 degrees online; slightly farther south, Nashville's Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt, Remington College, Trevecca Nazarene, Lipscomb University, Welch College, and Nashville State Community College all offer online degrees. To the west of Bowling Green, Lindsey Wilson College, Campbellsville University, and Somerset Community College are distance education options.

The Best Online Colleges in Kentucky

Monitoring the accreditation of a university you are interested in attending is incredibly important. Accreditation ensures your credits can transfer that you can receive Federal financial aid, and most importantly that certain standards of educational quality are during your schooling. The highest accreditation standard for most programs in the United States is provided by regional accreditation agencies. The regional accrediting agency for Kentucky is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, one of six regional accrediting agencies responsible for accrediting schools in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, as well as schools for US students in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America

Making sure that a University you're hoping to attend is regionally accredited — or accredited by a real and respected accrediting agency — is one of the most important choices you can make in ensuring the quality of your education.

Three Steps for Securing Financial Aid

• Submit your FAFSA.

• Check to see if additional forms are needed at your university of choice.

• Search and apply for private scholarships.

Through the previous three steps most students find themselves offered some sort of federal grant, work study, private grant, scholarship, or stipend.

Great Kentucky Higher Education Resources

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