Eastern Kentucky University is a public comprehensive university in Richmond, about 25 minutes south of Lexington, on an 892-acre campus its own marketing has called 'the Campus Beautiful' for a century. Established in 1906 on the grounds of the older Central University, EKU educates around 13,800 undergraduates and is known nationally for its College of Justice & Safety, which houses police, fire protection, forensic science and homeland security programmes and a federally funded research centre. Nursing, occupational therapy, education and aviation are the other pillars. EKU practises open admission — it admitted 97% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025 — and it is one of the very few state universities in the country where out-of-state students pay only marginally more than residents.
Mascot: The Colonel
Notable Alumni
Lee Majors (actor, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Fall Guy)•Earle Combs (Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder for the New York Yankees)•Silas House (Appalachian novelist and Kentucky Poet Laureate)•Roy Kidd (College Football Hall of Fame coach, 314 wins at EKU)
At a Glance
Cost
Published sticker prices for 2025-2026. Actual cost after aid varies.
Top Programs & National Ranking
Approximate national ranking based on departmental rankings, research output, and program reputation.
Highlights
Campus Experience
EKU is a working students' university. A large share commute from surrounding Appalachian and central Kentucky counties, many hold jobs, and a striking number are headed into policing, firefighting, nursing or teaching — which gives the place a service-minded, slightly uniformed feel you do not get at a liberal arts college. Greek life and FCS football provide the traditional college weekend for those who want it. Open admission means the academic range in a first-year class is very wide, and the 38% six-year graduation rate is the honest consequence: getting in is easy, finishing is not.
'The Campus Beautiful' is EKU's own century-old nickname and it holds up — the historic Ravine amphitheatre, the Keen Johnson Building, the Carloftis gardens and mature trees across 892 acres. Newer academic and recreation buildings are functional rather than handsome, but the historic core is one of the prettiest in Kentucky.
Based on Niche reviews, Princeton Review surveys, student forums, and institutional data.
Safety
EKU Police is a fully sworn department on a campus that also trains police officers, firefighters and emergency managers — the College of Justice & Safety means safety infrastructure is unusually well developed, with 24/7 patrol, emergency phones and an escort service. The campus is large (892 acres) and open, so the property-crime numbers reflect that rather than any violence problem.
Richmond is a town of about 36,000 with crime rates near the Kentucky average — quieter than Lexington, busier than Murray. The streets immediately around campus are a mix of student housing and older residential blocks and are comfortable on foot in daylight; the retail strip along the Eastern Bypass is where most off-campus incidents occur.
Based on Clery Act data, student surveys, and local crime statistics.
Plan Your Visit
Schedule: Monday through Friday plus select Saturdays
Duration: Roughly two hours including the admissions session and student-led walking tour
Prospective students may bring up to two guests. Register online; department-specific visits can be added on request.
Book a TourAn online virtual tour covers housing, academic buildings and athletics facilities and can be walked alongside on campus.
Tour ResourcesLate September through October, when the Ravine and the campus trees turn, or April. Avoid the summer, when a mostly residential-and-commuter campus is thin, and the weeks either side of Christmas.
Visitor parking is signposted near the Whitlock Building and the Big E Central one-stop at 521 Lancaster Avenue. Richmond sits on I-75, 25 minutes from Lexington's Blue Grass Airport and about 90 minutes from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International. A car is effectively required.
Location
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