Western Kentucky University is a public institution in Kentucky, enrolling 12,113 students as of 2024. It graduates 40% of students in four years, returns 78% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $12,548 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 4 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, Equity Gap, and Endowment. This report benchmarks Western Kentucky University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.
Western Kentucky University Inspection Flags
Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.
Look Beyond the Brochure. Then Ask Your College.
Changing the Balance of Power from Colleges to Students and Families.
Every campus tour is a sales pitch. Colleges will show you the beautiful quad and the smiling Dean — not what doesn't flatter them. The right questions can reveal information that significantly impacts your experience.
Student Outcomes
How students at Western Kentucky University complete their degrees, benchmarked against U.S. four-year colleges.
College Financial Health
How financially stable Western Kentucky University is, benchmarked against U.S. four-year colleges.
Value for Your Money
How Western Kentucky University spends its budget and what families pay, benchmarked against U.S. four-year colleges.
How Much Will This Cost for Your Income Level?
Net price is the average annual out-of-pocket cost for first-time, full-time undergraduate students — tuition + fees + room & board, minus the grants and scholarships the institution reports providing to students in each income bracket. Select your household income below to see the reported figure for that group.
Western Kentucky University — All Reported Indicators
Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Western Kentucky University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.
Student Outcomes
| Metric | 2024 Value | 5-Yr % Change | National Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-Year Graduation Rate | 40.0% | +25.0% | 49th |
| Six-Year Graduation Rate | 54.0% | +1.9% | 47th |
| Full-Time Retention Rate | 78.0% | +1.3% | 54th |
| Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate | 45.1% | +8.5% | 45th |
| Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap | 20.3pp | -6.0% | 90th |
| Pell Share of Cohort | 36.9% | -1.6% | 47th |
Financial Health
| Metric | 2024 Value | 5-Yr % Change | National Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue-to-Expense Ratio | 1.11× | -9.4% | 58th |
| Total FTE Enrollment | 12,113 | -4.3% | 91st |
| Endowment Value | $19.1M | +17.5% | 28th |
| Net Assets (End of Year) | $173.6M | +4152.8% | 65th |
Value for Money
| Metric | 2024 Value | 5-Yr % Change | National Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructional Spending % | 41.8% | -19.6% | 79th |
| Student Support Spending % | 15.7% | -1.8% | 62nd |
| Administrative Spending % | 12.0% | +29.0% | 22nd |
| Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio | 4.78× | -34.5% | 87th |
| Average Net Price | $12,548 | -1.2% | 22nd |
| Net Price: $0-30K Income | $7,087 | -41.9% | 15th |
| Net Price: $30K-48K Income | $6,871 | -57.6% | 12th |
| Net Price: $48-75K Income | $9,765 | -44.2% | 15th |
| Net Price: $75K-110K Income | $14,049 | -15.0% | 19th |
| Net Price: $110K+ Income | $17,653 | +15.1% | 18th |
Inspection Flags
| Flag | Section | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Below 80% Western Kentucky University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold. | Student Outcomes | Triggered |
| Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50% Western Kentucky University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold. | Student Outcomes | Triggered |
| Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points Western Kentucky University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 5 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold. | Student Outcomes | Triggered |
| Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0 Western Kentucky University's ratio stayed at or above 1.0 in all 5 reported years — ending at 1.11× in 2024. | Financial Health | Cleared |
| Enrollment Declined 5% or More Western Kentucky University's total enrollment fell from 12,650 to 12,113 students between 2020 and 2024 (-4.2%) — less than the 5% decline that triggers this flag. | Financial Health | Cleared |
| Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15% Western Kentucky University's endowment is $19.1M, under the $50 million threshold. A smaller endowment leaves less cushion for scholarships and for tough budget years, even though it grew +17.5% over the period. | Financial Health | Triggered |
| High Cost, Low Completion Western Kentucky University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — only one of two conditions is met. | Value for Money | Cleared |
| Spending on Students Below the National Median Western Kentucky University spends $4.78 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year. | Value for Money | Cleared |
| Rising Price, Falling Outcomes Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered. | Value for Money | Cleared |