University of Louisville
Public Research University in Louisville, KY. Six-year graduation rate 61%. Median 10-year earnings $53,899.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $53,899 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 61% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $20,500, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
79% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. 15,668 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Yield sits at 25% — the remainder of admitted students enroll elsewhere or not at all. The score bands below rest on the 18% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 530–640 | 569 (18%) |
| SAT Math | 510–630 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–27 | 2,647 (85%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Louisville →Academics
61% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Retention is strong at 81%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The part-time picture is harder: 53% return, against 81% full-time. The 14:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 14,187 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $19,785 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $15,138 while those at $110k+ pay $25,186. Most students get help: 86% receive grants worth $12,653 on average. Federal borrowing reaches 32% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,917 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,138 |
| $30–48k | $14,601 |
| $48–75k | $16,419 |
| $75–110k | $20,995 |
| $110k+ | $25,186 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 4,548 of these 14,187 students, totalling $29,710,009 — an average of $6,533 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Jefferson County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)