College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2021 Best Colleges for International Students in Kentucky

20 Colleges
$28,414 Avg Tuition & Fees*
38% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for International Students in Kentucky ranking is part of that endeavor.

Our analysis looked at 20 schools in Kentucky to determine which ones were the best for international students in Kentucky. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

Customizing Your List

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
Other Rankings Narrow by Field of Study

We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Top Colleges in Kentucky for International Students

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Centre College of Kentucky crest
Centre College
Danville, KY

Our analysis found Centre College to be the best school for international students in Kentucky in this year’s ranking. Centre College of Kentucky is a private not-for-profit institution located in Danville, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 407 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Vietnam, and Japan come to Centre College of Kentucky to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Centre College Report

2

A rank of #2 on our list means University of Kentucky is a great place for international students in Kentucky working on their bachelor’s degree. UK is a large public school situated in Lexington, Kentucky. It awarded 5,377 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 4.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UK to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

3

A rank of #3 on our list means University of Louisville is a great place for international students in Kentucky working on their bachelor’s degree. UofL is a public institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,083 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, China, and Iran come to UofL to study.

Read full report on University of Louisville

4
Berea crest
Berea College
Berea, KY

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Berea College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in Kentucky. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Berea, Kentucky, and it awarded 299 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 6.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Berea come from such countries as Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Haiti.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Berea College Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Transylvania University. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and it awarded 240 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The top three countries sending students to study at Transylvania are China, Rwanda, and South Korea.

Read full report on Transylvania University

6

With a ranking of #6, Murray State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. Located in Murray, Kentucky, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,603 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Murray State come from such countries as India, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.

Full Murray State University Report

7
Bellarmine U crest
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY

Bellarmine University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky ranking, coming in at #7. Louisville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 702 students in 2020-2021.

Around 1.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Bellarmine U come from such countries as Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.

Full Bellarmine University Report

8

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky ranking. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 83 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.9% are international. Students studying at SBTS come from such countries as South Korea, Canada, and Nigeria.

Full The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Report

9
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, the fairly large public school handed out 2,289 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 1.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, India, and China come to NKU to study.

Read More…

10

Western Kentucky University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky list. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the fairly large public school awarded 3,055 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 1.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at WKU are Saudi Arabia, China, and India.

Read full report on Western Kentucky University

11

Eastern Kentucky University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky list. Richmond, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,456 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 1.2% are international. Students studying at Eastern come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, India, and United Arab Emirates.

Full Eastern Kentucky University Report

12

Morehead State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky ranking. Morehead, Kentucky is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,170 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 0.9% are international. Students studying at Morehead State University come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and China.

Read More…

13
Campbellsville University crest
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY

Campbellsville University landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Campbellsville, Kentucky, and it awarded 475 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 45.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, China, and Japan come to Campbellsville University to study.

Read full report on Campbellsville University

14

With a ranking of #14, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamsburg, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 799 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 17.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Cumberlands come from such countries as India, China, and Bangladesh.

Read More…

15
Georgetown College crest
Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY

Georgetown College landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Georgetown, Kentucky, and it awarded 205 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 1.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Japan, Venezuela, and Afghanistan come to Georgetown College to study.

Full Georgetown College Report

16
Spalding crest
Spalding University
Louisville, KY

Spalding University landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Louisville, Kentucky, and it awarded 295 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 0.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Spalding are India, Canada, and United Kingdom.

Full Spalding University Report

17
Brescia University crest
Brescia University
Owensboro, KY

Brescia University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky ranking. Brescia University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owensboro, Kentucky. It awarded 128 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 0.6% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Brescia University are Brazil, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

Full Brescia University Report

18

Midway University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky ranking. Midway is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Midway, Kentucky. It awarded 165 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 1.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Midway are Panama, United Kingdom, and Dominican Republic.

Full Midway University Report

19
Thomas More crest
Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY

Thomas More University landed the #19 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. Located in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 307 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 1.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Thomas More are Kenya, Germany, and United Kingdom.

Read full report on Thomas More University

20

Kentucky Wesleyan College landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Kentucky. Wesleyan is located in Owensboro, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 171 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

The top three countries sending students to study at Wesleyan are United Kingdom, Congo, and Kenya.

Read More…

View Best Colleges for International Students Nationwide >

More Rankings >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 20 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options