University of Kentucky Admission Requirements and Statistics

31,517

Applicants

92.94%

Acceptance Rate

1180

SAT Median

25

ACT Median

How hard is UK to get into?

This page provides the latest information on University of Kentucky (UK)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. UK's acceptance rate is 92.94% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 31,517 students applied and 29,293 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is relatively high, making it somewhat easy to get into UK.

To apply to UK, personal statement (or essay) is required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, UK's acceptance rate is 92.94% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 22.23%. 12,769 men and 18,485 women applied to UK and 11,655 men and 17,396 women students were accepted.

122 applicants who has another gender applied and 112 were accepted.130 accepted students' gender is unknown.

Among them, 2,604 men and 3,880 women were enrolled in UK. You can explore the UK's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at UK
TotalMenWomenAnother GenderGender Unknown
Applicants31,51712,76918,485122141
Admitted29,29311,65517,396112130
Enrolled6,5132,6043,880236
Acceptance Rate 92.94%91.28%94.11%91.80%92.20%
Yield 22.23%22.34%22.30%20.54%4.62%

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

University of Kentucky 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 481 students (7% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 3,230 students (50% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at UK.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,180, including 600 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 580 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 650 and the 25th percentile is 540. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 640 and the 25th percentile is 530.

The median ACT composite score is 25, with a 75th percentile score of 28 and a 25th percentile score of 21 at UK. The median ACT Math score is 24 and the median ACT English score is 25.

How competitive is UK's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at University of Kentucky are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,261, ACT: 27 - public research university with very high research activity).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at UK
25th Percentile50th Percentile (Median)75th Percentile
SAT Total1,0701,1801,290
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing540600650
SAT Math530580640
ACT Composite212528
ACT Math202427
ACT English212530

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

University of Kentucky 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

First-year Enrollment by Gender and Enrolled Type

For the academic year 2024-25, total 6,513 first-year students enrolled in UK. The proportion of full-time students is 98.85% and part-time students is 1.15%.

By gender, the proportion of men students is 39.98% and women students is 59.57%. 0.35% of students has another gender and 0.09% students' gender is unknown.

The following table shows the first-year students by gender and enrolled type at UK.

First-Year Students by Gender and Enrolled Type at UK
TotalMenWomenAnother GenderGender Unknown
Total6,5132,6043,880236
Full-time6,4382,5733,836236
Part-time75314400

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School GPA, High School Record (or Transcript), Completion of College Preparatory Program, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at UK. The english proficiency test is required .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply University of Kentucky.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

UK Admission Requirements
High School GPARequired
High School RankNot Considered
High School Record (or Transcript)Required
Completion of College Preparatory ProgramRequired
RecommendationsNot Considered
Formal Demonstration of CompetenciesNot Considered
SAT / ACTConsidered, if submitted
English Proficiency TestRequired
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)Not Considered
Work experienceNot Considered
Personal statement or essayRequired
Legacy statusNot Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to UK:

  • Open Admission Policy: No
  • Undergraduate Application Fees: -
  • Graduate Application Fees: -
  • Admission Information: https://admission.uky.edu/
  • Online Application: https://admission.uky.edu/apply
  • Calendar System: Semester
  • Course for High School Students: Not Offered
  • Credits Accepted: Credits for Life Experiences, Advanced placement (AP) Credits
  • Degree Offered: 1-Year Certificate, 2-Years Certificate, Bachelor, Post-Bachelor Certificate, Master, Post-Master Certificate, Doctoral (Research), Doctoral (Professional Practice)

UK Admission Frequently Asked Questions

UK is relatively easy to get into, with an acceptance rate of 92.94%.
UK recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to UK is 1,180, and the average ACT score is 25. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.
Yes, UK requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.
UK does not require or recommend a recommendation letter for admission. However, it may be required for certain programs or scholarships.
UK does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.
Yes, UK requires applicants to submit high school GPA, high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.
Yes, UK requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.
The institutional SAT code for UK is 1837 and 4-digit ACT code is 1568.

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