State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard

Cheapest Colleges in Kentucky

Private campuses outnumber public ones on this Kentucky list (55 vs 24); Hazard Community and Technical College still leads on average net price at $2,955.

$2,955
Cheapest net price
$16,512
Kentucky median
79
Schools ranked

Hazard Community and Technical College has the lowest average net price in Kentucky among Scorecard reporters

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, Hazard Community and Technical College posts the lowest average net price in Kentucky at $2,955 among 79 ranked schools, with the state median 4% below the $17,124 national median. Net price is what students paid after grant aid, not sticker tuition, and can reflect a narrow enrollment mix at specialty schools.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard

Cheapest net price
$2,955
Kentucky median
$16,512
Schools ranked
79
National median
$17,124

Data updated August 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage

The list in one line

Hazard Community and Technical College has the lowest average net price in Kentucky at $2,955/year, and the state's median net price is 4% below the $17,124 national median across 4,965 schools.

$2,955
cheapest ranked net price
$16,512
Kentucky median net price
24 public / 55 private
schools in this ranking
$13,917
avg net price, <$30K income families

Average net price blends every income bracket; families under $30k average $13,917 here. Loans are excluded, open a school profile for the bracket table before treating one average as a personal cost.

Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Berea College, where in-state published tuition of $51,658 falls to an average net price of $6,106 after aid, a $45,552 gap, the widest sticker-to-net gap among ranked Kentucky schools.

Private campuses outnumber public ones here (55 vs 24). A low figure at a small religious or specialty school can reflect a narrow enrollment mix, check sector and enrollment beside the price.

The bar to make this top-25 list is $9,793. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 79 Scorecard-reporting Kentucky schools:

The bar to make Kentucky's top-25 cheapest list

Average net price after aid · 79 Scorecard-reporting schools

$9,793 Among the most affordable more affordable than 68% of 79 Kentucky colleges

Show national distribution $0–$3,000: 1 Kentucky colleges (1%). Below this entry. $3,000–$6,000: 14 Kentucky colleges (18%). Below this entry. $6,000–$9,000: 7 Kentucky colleges (9%). Below this entry. $9,000–$12,000: 7 Kentucky colleges (9%). This entry sits in this band. $12,000–$15,000: 7 Kentucky colleges (9%). Above this entry. $15,000–$18,000: 9 Kentucky colleges (11%). Above this entry. $18,000–$21,000: 11 Kentucky colleges (14%). Above this entry. $21,000–$24,000: 11 Kentucky colleges (14%). Above this entry. $24,000–$27,000: 5 Kentucky colleges (6%). Above this entry. $27,000–$30,000: 7 Kentucky colleges (9%). Above this entry. #25 cutoff $0 $30,000 every ranked Kentucky college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $3K-wide band; taller bars hold more Kentucky colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2022–23

Kentucky's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price

5
Henderson Community CollegeHenderson, KY · Public
Avg net price
$4,232
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,040
Median debt
$10,483
Median earnings, 6yr
$31,551
Enrollment
1,944
6
Somerset Community CollegeSomerset, KY · Public
Avg net price
$4,398
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,671
Median debt
$12,215
Median earnings, 6yr
$27,858
Enrollment
6,155
9
South Eastern Beauty AcademyPaintsville, KY · Private for-profit
Avg net price
$5,183
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,183
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
-
Enrollment
45
11
Madisonville Community CollegeMadisonville, KY · Public
Avg net price
$5,406
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,843
Median debt
$8,450
Median earnings, 6yr
$31,257
Enrollment
3,569
15
Hopkinsville Community CollegeHopkinsville, KY · Public
Avg net price
$5,875
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,402
Median debt
$10,691
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,645
Enrollment
2,211
16
Berea CollegeBerea, KY · Private nonprofit
Avg net price
$6,106
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,428
Median debt
$3,591
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,676
Enrollment
1,527
19
Berea Beauty AcademyBerea, KY · -
Avg net price
$7,437
Net price (<$30K income)
$7,437
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
-
Enrollment
40
20
Kentucky State UniversityFrankfort, KY · Public
Avg net price
$8,040
Net price (<$30K income)
$10,225
Median debt
$25,938
Median earnings, 6yr
$29,640
Enrollment
2,020
21
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · Public
Avg net price
$8,191
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,603
Median debt
$23,000
Median earnings, 6yr
$42,105
Enrollment
15,347
22
Brescia UniversityOwensboro, KY · Private nonprofit
Avg net price
$8,709
Net price (<$30K income)
$8,977
Median debt
$29,430
Median earnings, 6yr
$39,897
Enrollment
690
23
Murray State UniversityMurray, KY · Public
Avg net price
$9,096
Net price (<$30K income)
$6,242
Median debt
$20,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$38,473
Enrollment
10,020
24
Kentucky Mountain Bible CollegeJackson, KY · Private nonprofit
Avg net price
$9,337
Net price (<$30K income)
$5,773
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$21,778
Enrollment
94
25
Morehead State UniversityMorehead, KY · Public
Avg net price
$9,793
Net price (<$30K income)
$7,150
Median debt
$22,250
Median earnings, 6yr
$37,131
Enrollment
8,791
#CollegeAvg net priceNet price (<$30K income)Median debtMedian earnings, 6yrEnrollment
1Hazard Community and Technical CollegeHazard, KY · Public$2,95590% of the leader · rank #1$2,426$10,125$26,1473,134
2Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeBowling Green, KY · Public$3,53788% of the leader · rank #2$3,152$10,175$32,1955,825
3Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical CollegeCumberland, KY · Public$3,73187% of the leader · rank #3$2,963$6,919$26,9993,371
4Big Sandy Community and Technical CollegePrestonsburg, KY · Public$3,87387% of the leader · rank #4$3,198$9,357$28,1062,618
5Henderson Community CollegeHenderson, KY · Public$4,23286% of the leader · rank #5$3,040$10,483$31,5511,944
6Somerset Community CollegeSomerset, KY · Public$4,39885% of the leader · rank #6$3,671$12,215$27,8586,155
7Maysville Community and Technical CollegeMaysville, KY · Public$4,60584% of the leader · rank #7$3,965$11,500$27,6314,434
8Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeElizabethtown, KY · Public$5,14383% of the leader · rank #8$4,080$9,055$32,5626,420
9South Eastern Beauty AcademyPaintsville, KY · Private for-profit$5,18382% of the leader · rank #9$5,183--45
10West Kentucky Community and Technical CollegePaducah, KY · Public$5,35382% of the leader · rank #10$4,345$8,986$29,8235,274
11Madisonville Community CollegeMadisonville, KY · Public$5,40682% of the leader · rank #11$3,843$8,450$31,2573,569
12Ashland Community and Technical CollegeAshland, KY · Public$5,71781% of the leader · rank #12$4,881$10,950$30,3302,552
13Gateway Community and Technical CollegeFlorence, KY · Public$5,72581% of the leader · rank #13$4,932$10,711$34,4925,320
14Owensboro Community and Technical CollegeOwensboro, KY · Public$5,80080% of the leader · rank #14$4,554$7,933$31,2834,875
15Hopkinsville Community CollegeHopkinsville, KY · Public$5,87580% of the leader · rank #15$5,402$10,691$32,6452,211
16Berea CollegeBerea, KY · Private nonprofit$6,10679% of the leader · rank #16$5,428$3,591$35,6761,527
17Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeLexington, KY · Public$6,11379% of the leader · rank #17$4,728$10,500$32,08112,965
18Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeLouisville, KY · Public$6,37678% of the leader · rank #18$5,441$11,651$32,95013,429
19Berea Beauty AcademyBerea, KY · -$7,43775% of the leader · rank #19$7,437--40
20Kentucky State UniversityFrankfort, KY · Public$8,04073% of the leader · rank #20$10,225$25,938$29,6402,020
21Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · Public$8,19172% of the leader · rank #21$2,603$23,000$42,10515,347
22Brescia UniversityOwensboro, KY · Private nonprofit$8,70971% of the leader · rank #22$8,977$29,430$39,897690
23Murray State UniversityMurray, KY · Public$9,09669% of the leader · rank #23$6,242$20,500$38,47310,020
24Kentucky Mountain Bible CollegeJackson, KY · Private nonprofit$9,33768% of the leader · rank #24$5,773-$21,77894
25Morehead State UniversityMorehead, KY · Public$9,79367% of the leader · rank #25$7,150$22,250$37,1318,791

Showing the 25 cheapest of 79 Scorecard-reporting Kentucky schools. The remaining 54 are ranked in the same net-price order but omitted from this HTML table so the page stays crawlable.

Look up any institution's exact rank via My School Profile, or open its school page for income-bracket net price, debt, and earnings.

What this means for you

Use Kentucky's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.

  • Hazard Community and Technical College reports the lowest average net price in Kentucky, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Hazard Community and
  • See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
  • Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Kentucky safety

Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.

Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. This page lists the 25 cheapest; the title count is the full Scorecard-reporting cohort for Kentucky. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.