College of the Day: University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky

Quick Facts:

Location: Lexington, KY
Established:1865

Students Enrolled: 24,975

Applicants: 18,802

Male/Female Ratio: 49/51

The University of Kentucky (UK) may be most well-known for it's basketball team, but the school is also making steps to be renowned for it's academics.  The college has recently initiated a plan to become one of the top research universities by 2020.  UK is also the leader in efforts to support first generation students.  

UK's campus is a mixture of old and new buildings set on parklike grounds.  The campus is in the middle of horse country; the Gluck Equine Research Center is a popular school for UK students hoping to help research into horse diseases.  The university also offers many other programs, such as Patterson School of International Diplomacy and the Gaines Center of the Humanities.  

Students at UK feel as if the academic climate is somewhat laid-back, but that doesn't stop students from competing to get the top grades.  Some classes are overcrowded and quickly fill up making it difficult for students to get the classes and times they need, but students agree that the professors show a genuine concern for their students and their grades.

Student Life:

Since students are not required to live on campus, only 26 percent of students choose to do so.  Dorms are located on three sections of campus: north, central, and south.  North campus is closest to campus, but offers small dorms.  Central campus has the largest dorms, but South campus has the newest dorms with air conditioners. 

Lexington is not really a college town; the city has over 250,000 people, but it offers students plenty of social activities, such as theaters, bars, clubs, and shopping. UK also provides many events for students to enjoy; the most popular being basketball games.  UK is consistently one of the best basketball programs in the nation, so students get crazy and hyped for all games.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to the University of Kentucky you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 500-620 and a Math SAT Score of 510-630. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 23-28. UK typically has at least 18,000 applicants each year with 67% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to UK, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Kentucky." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 394-396. Print