Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Kentucky
7
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$11,436
With a Fully Online Option
3
General Studies Associate Degrees in Kentucky
General studies associate degrees in Kentucky are awarded by universities and four-year colleges, not community colleges: the seven programs at this level sit at Western Kentucky, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, the University of the Cumberlands, Simmons College of Kentucky, Kentucky Wesleyan College and Asbury University, and four of the seven meet the ranking threshold. Three of the ranked four are public and the fourth, the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, is private. Every one of these colleges also awards a bachelor's, so the two-year degree here is usually a stop on the way to a four-year one at the same school.
Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green has the top score at 55.4, 161st in the national associate ranking, with the highest graduation rate among the ranked four at 56%, the most degrees at 50 a year, and a fully online option, at $11,436 in resident tuition and required fees. Morehead State scores 52 on a 52% graduation rate at $9,838 with 32 degrees a year, and Eastern Kentucky in Richmond scores 49.6, graduating 50% at $10,130 on 29 degrees. The Cumberlands, also online, scores 45.1 at $9,875 with 50% completion and 12 degrees a year.
The three below the threshold are small and, in two cases, expensive. Simmons College of Kentucky in Louisville awarded 9 degrees at $16,398 with a 14% graduation rate, Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro 7 at $33,393, online, with 47%, and Asbury University in Wilmore 4 at $33,640 with the highest completion figure at this level, 65%.
The 4 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Kentucky
The best general studies associate degrees in Kentucky are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Kentucky. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Western Kentucky University
Kentucky
55.4- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 56%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $11,436 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 50
About the Program
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky that enrolls 16,291 students. The program's last federal report shows 50 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 39 in every 100 programs measured here. Its college-wide graduation rate is 56%, the 92nd percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Expect tuition and fees of $11,436 a year as a resident and $27,000 otherwise. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. Getting in is not automatic, because 94% of applicants are admitted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 92nd percentile.
2
Morehead State University
Kentucky
52.0- Public
- College graduation rate
- 52%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,838 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 32
About the Program
Morehead State University is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky that enrolls 8,791 students. The program's last federal report shows 32 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 28 in every 100 programs measured here. Of the students who start at Morehead State University, 52% graduate, and that beats 88 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees are $9,838 a year for residents and $14,706 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 19% of programs at this level. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 77% of applicants accepted. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 88th percentile.
3
Eastern Kentucky University
Kentucky
49.6- Public
- College graduation rate
- 50%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $10,130 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 29
About the Program
Eastern Kentucky University is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky that enrolls 15,673 students. The program's last federal report shows 29 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 25 in every 100 programs measured here. A 50% graduation rate puts the college at the 85th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Expect tuition and fees of $10,130 a year as a resident and $20,820 otherwise. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 78% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 85th percentile.
4
University of the Cumberlands
Kentucky
45.1- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 50%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,875 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 12
About the Program
Based in Williamsburg, Kentucky, University of the Cumberlands is a private nonprofit university with 22,120 students on its rolls. During the most recent year on record it awarded 12 associate's degrees, a count at the 5th percentile for size. Of the students who start at University of the Cumberlands, 50% graduate, and that beats 85 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees hold at $9,875 a year whichever state you come from. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Nearly everyone who applies gets in, since 99% of applicants are admitted. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 85th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Kentucky
The other general studies associate degrees in Kentucky awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simmons College of Kentucky, Louisville | 9 | 14% | $16,398 |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College, Owensboro | 7 | 47% | $33,393 |
| Asbury University, Wilmore | 4 | 65% | $33,640 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Kentucky?
A general studies associate degree in Kentucky costs $11,436 a year in resident tuition and required fees at the median of the seven programs, which is Western Kentucky University's 2023-24 rate, and the range runs from $9,838 at Morehead State University to $33,640 at Asbury University. The four ranked programs cluster tightly: Morehead State at $9,838, the University of the Cumberlands at $9,875, Eastern Kentucky at $10,130 and Western Kentucky at $11,436, a spread of $1,598. The three unranked programs are all private and all cost more, from Simmons College of Kentucky at $16,398 to Kentucky Wesleyan at $33,393 and Asbury at $33,640.
The state grant that fits this degree is the College Access Program Grant, need-based aid for Kentucky residents enrolled at least half-time in a program at least two years long. The cap follows the institution, not the degree: for 2026-27 it pays up to $2,500 at a two-year institution and up to $5,300 at a four-year one, and every program on this page is at a four-year institution. The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship won't help here, because it only funds approved certificate, diploma or Associate of Applied Science programs in high-demand workforce sectors.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Kentucky?
A general studies associate degree will transfer in Kentucky with every general education requirement met and junior standing at a public university if it's an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education, and course by course if it isn't. The guarantee is law, KRS 164.2951: graduates of a council-approved AA or AS program are deemed to have met all general education requirements upon admission to a public university. The council's General Education Transfer Policy turns that into practice by directing universities to admit AA and AS transfer graduates at junior standing and accept the corresponding general education credits.
If you leave before the degree, or your degree isn't an approved AA or AS, the policy still certifies what you did finish. Completing part of the 30-hour core makes you Category Certified, completing all categories with at least 30 unduplicated hours makes you Core Certified, and finishing the sending school's full program makes you Fully Certified, and the guarantee covers general education courses whether earned one at a time or as a block.
Ask Western Kentucky, Morehead State or Eastern Kentucky whether its general studies associate is a council-approved AA or AS, and get your certification status in writing when you leave. Since each also runs a general studies bachelor's, the shortest route is often to stay put.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Kentucky?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Kentucky pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Kentucky
How to choose a general studies associate degree program in Kentucky starts with where you want the bachelor's to come from, because every college on this page awards one and the four ranked associate degrees sit within $1,598 of each other on price. Western Kentucky graduates 56% at $11,436 and is online. Morehead State graduates 52% at $9,838, the lowest price at this level, and Eastern Kentucky 50% at $10,130, both on campus. The University of the Cumberlands matches Eastern's 50% at $9,875 and is online, but on 12 degrees a year.
If you need to study online, you have three options: Western Kentucky, the Cumberlands and, below the threshold, Kentucky Wesleyan at $33,393. Before you enroll anywhere, ask whether the associate is a council-approved Associate of Arts or Associate of Science, since that is the degree Kentucky law guarantees for general education and junior standing, and ask how the credits roll into the same university's bachelor's if you continue. Then ask the financial aid office what the College Access Program Grant would pay toward your bill, because at a four-year institution the cap is $5,300, not the $2,500 a community college student gets.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Kentucky have their own page.