Kentucky's public flagships (UK, UofL) and most of its regional publics (WKU, NKU) and privates (Centre, Bellarmine, Transylvania) are test optional for 2026-27; only a handful of programs (UofL's Speed School and School of Music, NKU for under-21 applicants with under a 2.75 GPA) require a score. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 8 colleges Kentucky families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money Kentucky families can earn: KEES GPA award (max tier) and KEES ACT/SAT bonus award.
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre College | Not published (test optional) | 28 average among submitters | Not reported | Test optional |
| Bellarmine University | 1060-1260 · admitted student profile, most recent published | 22-27 | Not reported | Test optional |
| University of Kentucky | 1058-1270 · enrolled, fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); 9% of enrollees submitted SAT | 21-28 | 93.3% · fall 2025 (31, 407 of 33, 660 applicants) | Test optional through 2028-29 |
| Murray State University | 970-1170 · enrolled, fall 2025, CDS 2025-26; 15% submitted an SAT | 21-27 | 84.1% · fall 2025, CDS 2025-26 | See school |
| University of Louisville | 1010-1230 · enrolled, fall 2024 (CDS 2024-25); 18.2% of enrollees submitted SAT | 19-27 | 79.4% · fall 2024 (12, 442 of 15, 668 applicants) | Test optional (required only for School of Music and Speed School of Engineering) |
| Northern Kentucky University | Not published | 18-25 | 83.1% · fall 2024 (6, 453 of 7, 768 applicants) | Required for some (test scores required only below a 2.75 GPA for under-21 applicants) |
| Western Kentucky University | 930-1130 · enrolled, fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); 9.3% of enrollees submitted SAT | 18-25 | 91.4% · fall 2025 (8, 863 of 9, 692 applicants) | See school |
| Transylvania University | Not published (test optional) | Not published | Not reported | Test optional |
| KEES GPA award (max tier) | No SAT cutoff (GPA-based) | See program rules | up to $2,000 over 4 years of high school eligibility over 4 years | $500 per year of college for a 4.0 yearly GPA in high school, sliding down to $125 at a 2.5 GPA; paid each year of college, half per term |
| KEES ACT/SAT bonus award | 830 (minimum, ERW+Math) up to 1260-1290 for the max bonus | See program rules | up to $2,000 over 4 years of college (added to the GPA award) over 4 years | $36/year at the minimum qualifying score (15 ACT / 830 SAT) up to $500/year at a 27+ ACT (roughly 1260+ SAT); the highest ACT or SAT taken before graduation counts, no superscore across tests |
Cohort notes: Centre: Centre reports only an ACT average (28) for test submitters and a 3.8 average GPA for its Class of 2029; it does not publish an SAT range. Bellarmine: Bellarmine's own Admitted Student Profile gives a 50th-percentile ACT range of 22-27 and an SAT range of 1060-1260; it does not publish an acceptance rate on this page. UK: Only 9% of UK's enrolled fall-2025 class submitted an SAT score (48% submitted ACT) because UK is test optional through the 2028-29 cycle. UofL: UofL is test optional campus-wide except for its School of Music and Speed School of Engineering, where scores are required. NKU: NKU only requires ACT/SAT from applicants under 21 with less than a 2.75 high school GPA; 73% of its enrolled class submitted ACT scores vs. just 5% SAT. WKU: WKU admitted 91.4% of fall 2025 applicants; nearly 70% of its enrolled class submitted ACT scores versus under 10% SAT. Transylvania: Transylvania is test optional; its own reporting notes roughly 38% of a recent entering class applied with no ACT/SAT score at all, and it does not publish a composite SAT range. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreCentre does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. The matching ACT range is 28 average among submitters. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional. Centre reports only an ACT average (28) for test submitters and a 3.8 average GPA for its Class of 2029; it does not publish an SAT range.
Bellarmine reports a 1060 to 1260 middle 50% SAT (admitted student profile, most recent published). The matching ACT range is 22-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional. Bellarmine's own Admitted Student Profile gives a 50th-percentile ACT range of 22-27 and an SAT range of 1060-1260; it does not publish an acceptance rate on this page.
UK reports a 1058 to 1270 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); 9% of enrollees submitted SAT). It admitted 93.3% of 33,660 applicants (fall 2025 (31, 407 of 33, 660 applicants)). The matching ACT range is 21-28. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional through 2028-29. Only 9% of UK's enrolled fall-2025 class submitted an SAT score (48% submitted ACT) because UK is test optional through the 2028-29 cycle.
Murray State reports a 970 to 1170 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025, CDS 2025-26; 15% submitted an SAT). It admitted 84.1% of 8,099 applicants (fall 2025, CDS 2025-26). The matching ACT range is 21-27.
UofL reports a 1010 to 1230 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024 (CDS 2024-25); 18.2% of enrollees submitted SAT). It admitted 79.4% of 15,668 applicants (fall 2024 (12, 442 of 15, 668 applicants)). The matching ACT range is 19-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional (required only for School of Music and Speed School of Engineering). UofL is test optional campus-wide except for its School of Music and Speed School of Engineering, where scores are required.
NKU does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 83.1% of 7,768 applicants (fall 2024 (6, 453 of 7, 768 applicants)). The matching ACT range is 18-25. Testing for fall 2027: Required for some (test scores required only below a 2.75 GPA for under-21 applicants). NKU only requires ACT/SAT from applicants under 21 with less than a 2.75 high school GPA; 73% of its enrolled class submitted ACT scores vs. just 5% SAT.
WKU reports a 930 to 1130 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); 9.3% of enrollees submitted SAT). It admitted 91.4% of 9,692 applicants (fall 2025 (8, 863 of 9, 692 applicants)). The matching ACT range is 18-25. WKU admitted 91.4% of fall 2025 applicants; nearly 70% of its enrolled class submitted ACT scores versus under 10% SAT.
Transylvania does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional. Transylvania is test optional; its own reporting notes roughly 38% of a recent entering class applied with no ACT/SAT score at all, and it does not publish a composite SAT range.
Kentucky's state scholarship, KEES, is funded mainly by a GPA earned each year of high school, but it carries a separate ACT/SAT bonus table on top of the GPA award, worth up to $500 a year by itself.
KEES GPA award (max tier): No SAT cutoff (GPA-based). $500 per year of college for a 4.0 yearly GPA in high school, sliding down to $125 at a 2.5 GPA; paid each year of college, half per term.
KEES ACT/SAT bonus award: 830 (minimum, ERW+Math) up to 1260-1290 for the max bonus. $36/year at the minimum qualifying score (15 ACT / 830 SAT) up to $500/year at a 27+ ACT (roughly 1260+ SAT); the highest ACT or SAT taken before graduation counts, no superscore across tests.
KEES requires no application; the high school reports GPA automatically, and the bonus award uses whichever single ACT or SAT score (not a superscore) was highest before graduation. Awards can be used up to 8 academic terms within 5 years of high school graduation, and students must keep at least a 2.5 college GPA after year one, then 3.0 after, to keep the full renewal amount.
Centre, Bellarmine, UK and Transylvania are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. UofL and NKU still require a score. A strong score is one more reason for a school to say yes, and a weak one can simply stay home.
KEES pays mainly on your yearly high school GPA, not a test score, but it also has a separate ACT/SAT bonus on top of that. A 15 ACT or 830 SAT (combined Reading/Writing and Math) earns a small $36/year bonus, climbing to the maximum $500/year bonus at a 27+ ACT (roughly a 1260+ SAT). The GPA award and test bonus stack, so a strong GPA plus a strong SAT can be worth up to about $2,500 a year combined.
No. UK is test optional for first-year admission through the 2028-29 cycle, so fall 2027 applicants can apply without a score. Students who do submit scores had enrolled middle-50% ranges of 1058-1270 SAT and 21-28 ACT for fall 2025, and only 9% of UK's enrolled fall-2025 class actually submitted an SAT score.
Yes, starting with the 2025-26 school year. Kentucky dropped its state-funded ACT program and now gives every high school junior a free SAT during a six-week school-day testing window that opens March 2, 2026.
UofL's fall 2024 enrolled first-year class had a middle-50% SAT range of 1010-1230 and an ACT range of 19-27, with an overall acceptance rate of 79.4%. UofL is test optional for every program except its School of Music and Speed School of Engineering, where scores are required.
Because Kentucky has funded the ACT instead of the SAT for years, SAT participation has been tiny: only about 2% of the Class of 2025's 51,027 graduates took the SAT, and that small, self-selected group averaged 1181 (607 Reading/Writing, 574 Math). That average will likely fall once every junior takes the SAT starting spring 2026, since it will include students who would not have opted into the SAT before.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: Centre, Bellarmine, UK, Murray State, UofL, NKU, WKU, Transylvania, KEES GPA award (max tier). Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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