ABOUT KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY

Air View of KSU Coop Ext Building

Welcome to Kentucky State University (KSU)! KSU was chartered in May 1886 as a land grant institution. Located in Frankfort, Kentucky – the state capital – KSU is a public, comprehensive, historically black land-grant university committed to advancing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, enhancing society, and impacting individuals by providing quality teaching with a foundation in liberal studies, scholarly research, and public service to enable productive lives within the diverse global economy.

KSU offers its students a wide variety of great degree options: associate (two-year) degrees in three disciplines, baccalaureate (four-year) degrees in 24 disciplines, master’s degrees in seven disciplines, and doctoral degree in nursing practice. KSU academics are divided into three colleges: the College of Agriculture, Community and the Sciences, the College of Humanities, Business and Society, and Whitney Young Honors Collegium. We invite you to explore the many wonderful academic opportunities that Kentucky State University to offer.

The university’s 882-acre campus includes a 204-acre agricultural research farm and a 306-acre environmental education center. KSU has more than 135 full-time instructional faculty members and about 2,200 students. The University’s student-faculty ratio is the lowest among public institutions of higher learning in Kentucky. During a typical academic year, the University’s student and faculty composition reflects one of the most diverse populations in the Commonwealth.

KSU prepares today’s students as global citizens, lifelong learners and problem solvers. To accomplish this, Kentucky State University must challenge itself and its students to be the best. It must recognize its strengths, expand and excel. Notwithstanding, it must also welcome change and quality improvement. By doing so, KSU will gain widespread recognition as one of the region’s strongest universities. As a university of distinction, Kentucky State University will create an environment where:

  • Students are first.
  • Diversity is valued, understood and respected.
  • Diverse, motivated and talented students, staff and faculty are actively recruited and retained.
  • An intellectual environment conducive to leadership in teaching, research and community service is encouraged and supported.
  • Effective teaching is promoted both inside and outside the classroom.
  • Students are taught how to obtain, evaluate and use information.
  • Learning is lifelong.
  • Effective and efficient fiscal management by the administration is the norm.
  • Collegiality is the norm, not the exception.
  • Each person is a change agent.
  • Excellence starts with me.

In everything we do, our students come first. We strive to create an environment that values the unique backgrounds, perspectives and talents of all our students and provide them with the academic, leadership and social tools to help them grow as responsible, knowledgeable and creative global citizens. We encourage attitudes and behaviors that lead to a desire to learn, a commitment to goals and respect for the dignity of others. Ultimately, we encourage attitudes and behaviors that build success.