Highland Heights, Kentucky · Public · 4-year · Large suburb
Overview
Northern Kentucky University is a public four-year institution based in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Its campus is in a large suburban area. Fall 2024 enrollment was 15,347, made up of 10,163 undergraduates and 5,184 graduate students.
Northern Kentucky University offers certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional doctorates across 105 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Registered Nursing, Business/Commerce, and Business Administration and Management. It awarded 4,032 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 8 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
76% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 19 to 1.
Key figures
15,347
Students enrolled
76%
First-year retention
4,032
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
105
Programs and majors
19:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateAssociateBachelorMasterPhDProfessional
Programs and majors offered 105
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
76%
First-year retention, part-time students
49%
Student-to-faculty ratio
19:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
2,025
Associate degrees
60
Master's degrees
1,587
Doctoral degrees (research)
12
Professional doctorates
224
Certificates under 1 year
4
Postbaccalaureate certificates
120
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
15,347
Undergraduates, fall 2024
10,163
Graduate students, fall 2024
5,184
Full-time, fall 2024
56%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
18,747
Undergraduates, 2024-25
11,767
Graduate students, 2024-25
6,980
Full-time, 2024-25
50%
Size category
10,000 to 19,999 students
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
64%
Men
36%
White
74%
Hispanic or Latino
4%
Black or African American
11%
Asian
2%
Two or more races
3%
International (U.S. nonresident)
3%
Race or ethnicity unknown
3%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
8
Programs with a fully online option
19
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
47%
Students taking some online courses
36%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Large suburb
Academic calendar
Semester
Carnegie classification
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Research designation
Research Colleges and Universities
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
Horizon League
President
Cady Short-Thompson
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, On-campus day care, Accepts AP credit, Credit for life experience
For veterans and service members
Yellow Ribbon Program, Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization