Kentucky Colleges Award Record 98,347 Degrees and Credentials in 2025-26, the Most in State History
Kentucky's colleges and universities awarded 98,347 degrees and credentials in 2025-26, the most in state history, according to the 2025-26 Degrees Report released on October 13 by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). The total is up nearly 4,600 awards, or about 5 percent, from the previous year and 21 percent from five years ago. The report covers the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), the state's public universities and institutions affiliated with the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU).
By sector, KCTCS awarded 48,109 credentials, up 8 percent; public universities awarded 34,035, up 7 percent; and AIKCU institutions awarded 16,203, down 6 percent from last year but up 23 percent over five years. Bachelor's degrees rose 5 percent to 24,661, exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Credentials awarded to adult learners age 25 and older rose 7 percent to 26,282.
CPE President Aaron Thompson said the record reflects sustained effort by faculty and staff across all three sectors and by students balancing coursework with work and family. The report also shows the KCTCS three-year graduation rate reached 51 percent and the public-university six-year rate held at 61 percent. More than 55 percent of Kentucky's working-age adults now hold a postsecondary credential, against a state goal of 60 percent by 2030, and about six in ten graduates of the state's public institutions finish with no student loan debt.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 肯塔基州议会大厦（法兰克福，资料图）。Daderot 摄，CC0，维基共享资源
