Overview

Northern Kentucky University (NKU) is a highly regarded public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Founded in 1968, the university has a 50-year heritage of delivering high-quality degree programmes, and is renowned for both its academic performance, and the quality of research output.

　　NKU offers an impressive programme of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, spanning seven academic schools and over 80 individual subject areas. The university has a particular focus on undergraduate research and experiential learning, which means that NKU graduates develop versatile skill sets and are well prepared for professional employment or further postgraduate study. Each spring, the university affirms this approach by organizing a Celebration of Student Research.

　　The university's innovative and collaborative campus is situated within 420 acres of landscaped grounds, nestled between downtown Cincinnati and the Highland Heights hills. The area is known to be extremely safe, and is an ideal place to live and study, offering many opportunities for both academic and personal development.

　　The university is home to around 16,000 students, of which 12,000 are undergraduates. It is a diverse and inclusive community, with over 50 countries represented in the student population. NKU has around 60,000 living alumni who have gone on to achieve success in a wide variety of areas, including journalism, athletics, business and government.

　　

What's New

NKU has made a string of recent investments in its campus facilities to ensure that students have full access to the tools and resources needed to make the most of their higher education. The university is continually looking for ways to add value to their student's education, and have recently revamped their international merit scholarship awarding criteria.

　　Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit, and are excellent opportunities for ambitious and hardworking students to self-fund their university course and graduate with fewer loan repayments.

　　Scholarships are valued between USD 3,000 to USD 7,000 per year, and are available at freshmen, transfer, and graduate degree level. Applicants are automatically considered for these awards at the point of admission, provided that they submit all necessary documents before the listed deadlines for their semester. Full details are available at the university website.

　　

Teaching Quality

NKU has a high standard of tuition and a progressive and innovative curriculum. Since its foundation in 1968, it has successfully graduated tens of thousands of students from all over the world who have gone on to make positive and impactful changes in society and industry.

　　The teaching staff are passionate about their subject, and students benefit from their enthusiasm and encouragement in NKU's relatively small class sizes, which result in a more personalized learning experience.

　　Tutors are highly qualified and many have experience working and teaching overseas. The university cultivates a diverse and inclusive learning environment where students support each other and work towards their personal academic goals and career ambitions.

　　The university has developed an online learning portal, through which students can easily access course materials, communicate with tutors, and submit assignments. The online portal also facilitates a number of distance learning courses, which make NKU's curriculum available remotely to students from all over the world.

　　

Department Structure

Students at NKU have a huge selection of undergraduate pathways to choose from, with over 80 course options spanning the university's seven academic colleges:

　　College of Arts and Sciences Haile College of Business College of Education and Human Services College of Informatics College of Health Professions Honors College Salmon P. Chase College of LawThe university is known for its focus on including research into its undergraduate programs. Many courses are also designed with practical components including work experience and primary research opportunities and internships, which prepare students for entering professional roles.

　　NKU offer a double major option which allows students a great deal of flexibility when choosing their academic pathway. For example, a student could choose one major and three minors, or two majors and one minor. This enables students to tailor their learning, and make the most of the resources available in each department.

　　

Entry Requirements

The acceptance rate for NKU undergraduate admissions is 87 per cent, which makes it a moderately selective university.

　　Applicants with an unweighted high school GPA of 2.75 and higher will be offered admission to the university regardless of their ACT/SAT scores. Applicants with an unweighted high school GPA of less than 2.75 will be required to submit ACT/SAT as part of their submission file. There is a minimum unweighted GPA requirement of 2.0 to be considered for admission.

　　The university considers each application on an individual basis and may take prior work experience into account when offering places. Courses are delivered in English, and so there is also a minimum standard of English language proficiency, which prospective students much demonstrate before being admitted. Full details of undergraduate admission requirements are available online.

　　

Fees & Funding

Undergraduate tuition fees at NKU vary on a course-by-course basis, and prospective students are encouraged to visit the subject-specific pages for full information. The estimated cost of attendance for the 2021/22 academic year is USD 33,537, and this amount includes fees, accommodation, meal plans, books and other university supplies.

　　NKU is committed to ensuring fair access to education, and understands that it can be difficult to meet the cost of studying at degree level. The university has a program of scholarships and bursary awards to help subsidise the cost of study.

　　There are merit-based and means-tested awards available with specific options for both domestic and international applicants. International freshmen students with a 2.5 GPA or higher are also eligible for the EDGE award, which reduces their tuition fee rate to just USD 500 higher than the in-state rate.

　　In-state undergraduate fees for the 2020-2021 year are set at USD 9,912, so an EDGE award recipient would pay only USD 10,412 annually.

　　

Facilities

NKU's Highland Heights campus is a self-contained learning environment, just seven miles southeast of downtown Cincinnati, which provides everything students need for academic success within walking distance, as well as convenient transport to the city and nearby area.

　　The campus contains fully modernized computer rooms, a variety of study spaces, and a lively Students' Union which organizes events throughout the year. The W. Frank Steely Library is the university's state-of-the-art facility, home to hundreds of thousands of books and digital resources, as well as specialized research papers and journals.

　　NKU has a large and active Greek Life culture, with fraternities and sororities being some of the largest and most visible groups on campus. NKU's Greek Life co-ordinates and advises over 20 organizations, including the inter-fraternity council, panhellenic council, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

　　There are fantastic sports facilities available for students to use for both competitive and recreational activities. NKU has a strong culture of athletics, with facilities for basketball, football, soccer, baseball and even a golf course.