Western Kentucky University (WKU) was established in 1906 as the Western Kentucky State Normal School. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the school was created to train teachers for the public school system. In 1911, it was renamed the Western Kentucky State Normal and Teachers College and began offering four-year degrees. In 1927, it became a public university and changed its name to Western Kentucky State Teachers College. During this time, the college began offering graduate programs and expanded its curriculum to include courses in business, science, and engineering.
In 1966, WKU changed its name to Western Kentucky University (WKU) to reflect its broadening mission of providing quality education beyond teacher training. During this period of expansion, the university opened branch campuses throughout the state with centers in Elizabethtown/Fort Knox and Glasgow/Barren County. In addition to these branches campuses, WKU also added several new academic programs including a School of Nursing in 1971 and an Honors College in 1976. Check searchforpublicschools for a list of public schools in Nebraska by county.
In recent years WKU has continued to expand by adding new master’s degree programs such as Social Work and Education Leadership as well as many online degree options. The university also opened a Center for Gifted Studies in 2004 which provides resources for gifted students from across Kentucky. Today WKU is one of the largest universities in Kentucky with an enrollment of over 20 thousand students from all 50 states and over 70 countries around the world.
Western Kentucky University, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of Western Kentucky University. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about Western Kentucky University, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
Official website: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/wku_western-kentucky-university.html
Admissions Stats
Western Kentucky University is a public university located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The university has an enrollment of over 20,000 students and offers over 100 undergraduate programs and over 60 graduate programs. The average freshman retention rate is 73%, meaning that the majority of freshmen return to the university for their sophomore year. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1, meaning that students receive individualized attention from their professors. The school also has an acceptance rate of 83%, making it a highly accessible option for prospective students. Additionally, the average ACT score for incoming freshmen is 23 and the average SAT score is 1090. WKU also offers a variety of merit-based scholarships to help make college more affordable for incoming students. WKU provides an array of services to support its diverse student body, including counseling, career services, academic advising, and tutoring programs. Additionally, the university has many clubs and organizations available to students to get involved with on campus.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 92% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | N/A |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 92% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 7,993 |
| Female applicants | 4,522 |
| Male applicants | 3,471 |
| Applicants accepted | 7,393 |
| Female applicants accepted | 4,174 |
| Male applicants accepted | 3,219 |
| Freshman enrollment | 3,377 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 1,923 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 1,454 |
| Early decision applicants | N/A |
| Early decision applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | No |
| Applicants placed on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepting place on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepted from wait list | N/A |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 53% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 98% |
| Average high school GPA | 3.2 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | 2.8-3.6 |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | 7% |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | 517 |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | 440-590 |
| SAT Math average score | 515 |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | 435-585 |
| SAT Writing average score | N/A |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 92% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 21 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 18-24 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 18-25 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 17-24 |