ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Kentucky

2 Colleges in the United States
$26,511 Avg Student Debt
$44,916 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value General Education Badge [General Education](/majors/education/general-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for general education students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/education/general-education/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 8
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 13.01), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Education (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Education (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Education & Teaching Associate Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Education & Teaching Associate Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Education & Teaching Doctorate & EdD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Education & Teaching Doctorate & EdD Programs (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Education & Teaching Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Education & Teaching Graduate Certificate Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Education & Teaching Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Education & Teaching Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Education & Teaching PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Education & Teaching PhD Programs (I Have a Masters)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MEd in Curriculum & Instruction" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "MEd in Curriculum & Instruction" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MS in Higher Education Administration" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "MS in Higher Education Administration" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 8
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 6 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 6
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 6 offers with relevance >= 1.0

2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Kentucky

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the general education degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value General Education Schools

1
Northern Kentucky University crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University tops our 2026 list of the best value general education schools in Kentucky. Located in the suburb of Highland Heights, Northern Kentucky University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $11,088 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $21,912. Typical student debt for general education graduates is $25,572. Early-career general education graduates make about $52,565. Set against $25,572 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 68% of applicants are accepted.

2

Morehead State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in general education, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,024, while out-of-state students pay about $14,980. General Education graduates carry a median of $25,896 in student loans. General Education graduates of Morehead State University earn a median of $42,193 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 77%.

3
Midway College crest
Midway College
Midway, KY

Midway College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in general education, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the rural area of Midway, Midway College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $19,110. Students borrow a median of $26,723 to complete the general education program here. Soon after graduation, general education degree recipients from Midway College generally make around $45,850. That is a strong return on a $26,723 median debt. Midway College admits about 95% of applicants.

4
Union College Kentucky crest
Union College Kentucky
Barbourville, KY

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Union College Kentucky earned it the #4 place for general education. Located in the town of Barbourville, Union College Kentucky is a small private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $30,946. Students borrow a median of $27,852 to complete the general education program here. Early-career general education graduates make about $63,402. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Union College Kentucky admits about 63% of applicants.

ADBLOCK #173
View All General Education Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options