Research expenditures by university in Kentucky, FY2024
10 institutions in Kentucky reported to the NSF HERD survey in FY2024, and together they spent $788.6 million, 0.7% of the US total. University of Kentucky leads at $527.7 million — #67 nationally, more than 2 times University of Louisville's $225.0 million. 6 spent more than in FY2023 and 3 spent less, and one more reported for the first time. The list runs down to Centre College at $280 thousand; every name on it links to that institution's own page.
- Institutions
- 10
- FY2024 R&D
- $788.6 million
- Share of the US total
- 0.7%
Universities in Kentucky ranked, FY2024
| In Kentucky | Institution | US rank | FY2024 R&D | Change on FY2023 | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kentucky | #67 | $527.7M | +4.7% | down 4 |
| 2 | University of Louisville | #137 | $225.0M | +2.0% | down 4 |
| 3 | Kentucky State University | #340 | $13.5M | +16.8% | up 7 |
| 4 | Western Kentucky University | #361 | $11.2M | +20.6% | up 9 |
| 5 | Murray State University | #515 | $3.6M | +13.7% | down 7 |
| 6 | Northern Kentucky University | #530 | $3.3M | −13.7% | down 44 |
| 7 | Morehead State University | #581 | $2.3M | −13.7% | down 48 |
| 8 | Eastern Kentucky University | #649 | $1.4M | −0.8% | down 18 |
| 9 | Transylvania University | #855 | $353K | new | — |
| 10 | Centre College | #879 | $280K | +20.7% | down 1 |
| All 10 | $788.6M | ||||
Rank is a competition rank: two institutions that spent the same share a rank and the next one is skipped. Figures are NSF's own, as revised in the FY2024 release, and are shown to one decimal. How these numbers are built.
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Data: NSF HERD FY2024, built from NSF's published tables on September 8, 2026. Page updated September 13, 2026.
Data: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation, Higher Education Research and Development Survey, FY2024.
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