Overview of Online Colleges in Kentucky
Kentucky schools have made online learning a priority in post-secondary education since 1997. Today, over half of the 117 colleges and universities in Kentucky offer online coursework. The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's Kentucky Virtual Campus (KYVC) is fully focused on improving distance learning programs through a designated network of dozens of degree-granting institutions across the state. Through KYVC alone, students can choose from 40 fully online degree and certificate programs offered by eight state universities and sixteen community and technical colleges.
Despite the state's emphasis on flexible learning, Kentucky's ten-year college enrollment growth rate is slightly behind the national average. To encourage enrollment, the state legislature has worked to keep tuition rates competitive at both public and private colleges. Between 2006 and 2011, the cost of attending college in Kentucky remained lower than the national average. But figures from the 2014-15 academic year indicate that rising costs have now caught up to Kentucky. Since 2009, tuition rates jumped by 17% to just above $9,000. Average state funding for students in Kentucky during the 2013-14 school year was still above the national average however, at $7,130 per learner.
Explore Kentucky's distance education options with the search tool below. You'll find figures like average test scores, total enrollment and graduation rates in Kentucky under the state facts and higher education tabs below.