“Kentucky's third-largest public university with 100+ programs”
Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is a public regional university in Richmond, Kentucky, with roots going back to 1874 and the current institution established in 1906. Home to roughly 15,700 students across its main campus and branch sites in Corbin, Hazard, and Manchester, EKU is now Kentucky's third-largest public university and offers more than 100 degree programs across six colleges — Business, Education and Applied Human Sciences, Health Sciences, Justice Safety and Military Science, Letters Arts and Social Sciences, and Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. The university is nationally recognized as a leader in criminal justice and homeland security education, and its College of Justice, Safety and Military Science is widely considered among the strongest undergraduate criminal justice programs in the United States. For international students, EKU offers an exceptionally affordable pathway into American higher education. Beginning in 2025-26, all out-of-state and international undergraduates pay a flat $12,000 per year tuition rate — a reduction of more than 40% from previous non-resident pricing and one of the lowest sticker prices among accredited four-year U.S. public universities. Combined with EKU BookSmart (free textbooks for every enrolled student), merit scholarships of up to $7,000 per year for qualifying students, and a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the total cost of attendance for F-1 applicants typically lands well below $27,000. Student life centers on a walkable campus in Richmond, a small Bluegrass-region town about 25 miles south of Lexington. EKU Colonels compete in NCAA Division I FCS athletics; the Center for Student Involvement supports more than 200 student organizations; and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISS) handles I-20 issuance, F-1 advising, OPT and STEM OPT authorization. EKU holds the #1 Military Friendly Schools designation and reports that 77% of graduates are employed full-time within six months of graduation.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Military Friendly Schools
homepage
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRegular Decision (Fall — on-campus intl)
Rolling admission; August 1 cutoff for fall on-campus undergraduate I-20 issuance.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$10,320
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$21,230
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
4 years
One of the most highly regarded undergraduate criminal justice programs in the nation, integrating police studies, corrections, and security management with hands-on fieldwork and internships.
4 years
A rare ABET-accredited fire engineering degree offering both residential and online delivery; highly employable in fire service and industrial safety sectors.
6 years
Accelerated combined pathway leading to an entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy; clinical fieldwork begins in the third year.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $21,230
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
