University Of Kentucky Facts: Read This Before You Apply!

Shirin Biswas
Feb 14, 2023 By Shirin Biswas
Originally Published on Nov 26, 2021
Edited by Jacob Fitzbright
Fact-checked by Niyati Parab
The campus is located in Lexington
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 7.9 Min

The University of Kentucky is known for its very strong basketball culture.

The campus is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and was founded in the year 1865. At the present day, this institution is home to nearly 28,000 students!

Even though UK (University of Kentucky) is not known as much of a party school, its students are pretty fun to spend time with. The university offers 87 majors and upwards of 500 student clubs. This university is also known for its motto, 'United we stand, Divided we fall'.

To get you started with facts about this university, did you know that the sports teams from UK are known as the Wildcats?

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not also check out University of Texas facts and University of Utah facts here on Kidadl!

Interesting Facts About University Of Kentucky

A land grant university founded in the year 1865, the University of Kentucky is one of the most renowned national universities.

Students lovingly call this institution UK, and it should not be confused with the United Kingdom. The central campus of this university is located in Lexington, which allows the students to take a full glance at the city lifestyle.

In addition to the many places to explore around the city, the students are often also fascinated by the many historic places scattered around the city.

Lexington is also seat to many major industries of the nation such as Amazon, and hence, the employment rates from the many colleges of this university are also high. UK is known for its research-based system of education, which allows the students to explore their full potential and become assets for society.

The University of Kentucky is also one of the public institutions that strictly believe in the need for the all-around development of the student.

Hence, in addition to academics, the students are also allowed to take part in as many club activities as they want. Whether it is music, dance, or sports that the student is interested in, this university is sure to have a club.

We are this sure about the club systems created by the student body of this prestigious university since there are over 500 clubs for the students to choose from.

In addition to these clubs, students are also allowed to take part in the university newsletter and publish some news about the campus or any other significant news that may come up.

Since the students of this university come from diverse backgrounds, the work that they put together creates a perfect melody and provides all different perspectives. One of the most interesting facts about this university is that it has a television channel of its own, which is completely run by the students.

It is claimed that the university has such a good student retention rate because it does not solely focus on academics and nurtures all aspects of the student's development.

Student services around the campus include numerous things. Starting from health care and libraries, to on-campus housing facilities, this university is likely to check all the boxes in your list.

The administration is also known to be extremely helpful in terms of making sure that out-of-state students can find accommodation if they should choose to stay outside the campus.

Since the campus is in an urban setting, most students choose to live off-campus and have a fun time with their friends.

The university also provides them with the opportunity to be a part of fraternities and sororities. If you have watched enough shows to daydream about pledging for a fraternity or sorority, be rest assured that the University of Kentucky is only going to help you in making them come true!

According to a world report, the University of Kentucky ranks at the 127th spot in a list of all the national universities, which places it at the top of many people's lists. The world report also states that this public institution ranks at the 179th spot in the list of the best value universities around the nation.

With many a student program to offer, it is likely that you would want to enroll too!

This university is not known to be too selective with its admissions. Only a small percentage of the thousands of students that apply to be a part of the Kentucky culture submit their ACT scores.

The acceptance rate of the University of Kentucky is also quite high and currently stands at about 96%.

If you choose to apply at this institution and happen to have an ACT score above 20, chances are that you will definitely be accepted into your course of choice. The student retention rate is also quite high.

This means that a large percentage of students come back to the university after their first year.

It also acts as a measure for the quality of education provided here and of whether or not Lexington is able to provide the ideal student life. With a student retention rate that stands at 85%, we can easily say that a large chunk of freshmen find this university to be a second home to them.

The faculty to student ratio of an institution is also a factor that students tend to look into when trying to understand if a particular college would be a good fit for them. The faculty-student ratio at the University of Kentucky presently stands at 16:1.

This is slightly above the national standards which are 15:1.

This factor is quite important as it tells us whether or not the faculty members would be able to give enough individual attention to every student in their class.

It is safe to say that since only a small percentage of the classes at UK have a class size of fewer than 20 students, it would be quite difficult for the faculty to track the progress of each student closely.

If individual attention is an important factor for you, this university may not be the best fit for you.

Kentucky offers many courses to its students. With 17 colleges within the Lexington campus, each fall semester witnesses the inflow of students from all fields of study.

Lexington, Kentucky, is also the seat for many industries, and hence, students also enroll in courses with the hopes of directly being employed with one of the industrial giants. Even if you are not taking any of the industry-related programs, the placement facilities are sure to find you a job that suits you best.

undergraduates start school at the Lexington campus

University Of Kentucky Fast Facts

The women's basketball team at the University of Kentucky was formed before the men's team.

The tuition fees at this university are variable depending upon your place of residence. In-state and out-of-state students have different tuition fees, and the difference in the numbers isn't insignificant either.

As an in-state student, you would be paying around $13,000, while if you are from out of state, your tuition fees would be higher than $31,000. The university does have financial aid programs that help students who are in need of help in order to continue with their education.

Each fall, undergraduates start school at the Lexington campus. Out of these, admissions consist of 57% of women and 43% of men. The university is also known for its diversity in terms of accepting students of all races and ethnicities.

Important Facts About University Of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky was not given this name until 1916. This institution was known as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky University.

The University of Kentucky houses Memorial Hall, which was built in remembrance of all the people of Kentucky that lost their lives during the First World War. It has a seating capacity of 700 people.

The Gatton Student Center was recently built and it's known to be the seat of state-of-the-art architecture!

This university spends millions of dollars annually for undergraduate research.

The main building of the campus and the Petterson Office Tower stand almost adjacent.

The Gatton College of Business and Economics was named after Carol Martin Gatton. The name of this business school was previously College of Business and Economics and was changed in 1925.

There are 17 colleges within this education institution, and some of them are college of engineering, the college of arts and sciences, the college of law, the college of medicine, and the Lewis Honors College.

Career-Related Facts About University Of Kentucky

If you seek higher education from the University of Kentucky with a good ACT score, there are high chances of you getting an admission quite easily. The highest degree offered on the campus is a doctorate.

The school of engineering is one of the most famous. The most popular majors include mechanical engineering and biological sciences.

The school for pharmacy education at the University of Kentucky is the largest in the country.

There are many schools or colleges in the university that offer programs in liberal arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Notable alumni include Pat Riler, Ashley Judd, and Happy Chandler.

The sports teams of the university are known as the Wildcats. This name was adopted after someone suggested that the team 'played like wildcats' during a game.

The athletes from the university still try to live up to this reputation and leave no stones unturned in trying to win a match. Maybe this is why so many notable basketball players are UK alumni!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for University of Kentucky facts then why not take a look at University of Virginia facts, or University of Washington facts.

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Written by Shirin Biswas

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature

Shirin Biswas picture

Shirin BiswasBachelor of Arts specializing in English Language and Literature

With a degree in English from Amity University, Noida, Shirin has won awards for oratory, acting, and creative writing. She has a wealth of experience as an English teacher, editor, and writer, having previously worked at Quizzy and Big Books Publishing. Her expertise lies in editing study guides for children and creating engaging content.

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Fact-checked by Niyati Parab

Bachelor of Commerce

Niyati Parab picture

Niyati ParabBachelor of Commerce

With a background in digital marketing, Niyati brings her expertise to ensure accuracy and authenticity in every piece of content. She has previously written articles for MuseumFacts, a history web magazine, while also handling its digital marketing. In addition to her marketing skills, Niyati is fluent in six languages and has a Commerce degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University. She has also been recognized for her public speaking abilities, holding the position of Vice President of Education at the Toastmasters Club of Pune, where she won several awards and represented the club in writing and speech contests at the area level.

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