| Type | Public state system of community and technical colleges; campus-based, with online courses |
|---|---|
| Colleges | 16 colleges, all in Kentucky, with “over 70 campuses” in all (KCTCS); this page lists each college’s main campus |
| Credentials | Certificates, diplomas and associate degrees; non-credit workforce training (for example lineworker courses) |
| Accreditation | Each college separately, by SACSCOC, to award associate degrees |
| Federal aid | Yes; each college takes part in federal aid on its own |
| Tuition 2026–27 | $198 per credit hour (Kentucky residents), $270 (non-residents), plus an $8 fee per credit hour |
| Enrollment | 89,361 students, fall 2025 headcount (Council on Postsecondary Education) |
| Founded | 1997; system office in Versailles, Kentucky |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
One system, 16 separately accredited colleges
KCTCS is Kentucky’s public system of 16 community and technical colleges, created in 1997. It is not a single college: each college has its own campuses, catalog entries, federal aid participation and SACSCOC accreditation, and programs differ a good deal from one college to the next. All 16 teach nursing (ADN), welding, electrical technology, IT, business and manufacturing; many programs, such as veterinary technology (Owensboro only) or helicopter flight training (Madisonville only), are taught at one or a few. The fall 2025 headcount was 89,361, up 6.2% on a year earlier and 27.2% over five years, according to the Council on Postsecondary Education. KCTCS reports “nearly 120,000 credit-seeking students” a year, plus 67,000 more in customised workforce training.
What changed in 2026: House Bill 619
The Kentucky General Assembly enacted House Bill 619 on 14 April 2026, overriding the governor’s veto of the day before. The law dissolved each college’s board of directors on 30 June 2026, leaving governing authority with the KCTCS Board of Regents, which grows to 17 members. It also requires a system chief financial officer and sends new programs that need state funding to the Council on Postsecondary Education for review. Since 1 July 2026 the head of each college is titled chancellor; only the system head is called president. Advisory boards are to follow the dissolved college boards.
In December 2024 the Board of Regents approved recommendations that included “evaluating potential college mergers and consolidations”. No college had merged or closed as of October 2026, and all 16 are in the 2026–27 catalog.
Programs across the 16 colleges
College counts come from each college’s page in the KCTCS 2026–27 catalog. Credentials (certificate, diploma or associate degree) vary by college.
| Program | Colleges | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing (ADN) | All 16 | NCLEX-RN, registered nurse licence |
| Practical Nursing | 13 (not Gateway, Henderson or Owensboro) | NCLEX-PN, LPN licence |
| Welding, Electrical, Computer and Information Technologies, Business Administration, manufacturing programs | All 16 | Trade and technician work |
| Air Conditioning Technology (HVAC) | 15 (not Henderson) | HVAC and refrigeration work |
| Automotive Technology | 14 (not Henderson or Hopkinsville) | Automotive service work |
| Diesel Technology | 13 | Diesel and heavy-vehicle repair |
| Computerized Manufacturing and Machining | 13 | Machinist work |
| Truck Driver Training | 12 | Commercial driver’s licence |
| EMT / EMS–Paramedic | 14 / 11 | EMT and paramedic certification |
| Medical Assisting; Medical Laboratory Technician; Surgical Technology | 12 each | Allied health work |
| Radiography; Respiratory Care | 11; 10 | Imaging and respiratory therapy work |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | 6 | PTA work |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonography | 5 | Sonography work |
| Aviation maintenance / flight training | 5 / 3 | Aircraft maintenance; pilot training |
| Dental hygiene; dental assisting | Big Sandy and Bluegrass; Big Sandy and West Kentucky | Dental hygienist; dental assistant |
| Lineworker | Non-credit courses at Big Sandy, Hazard, Maysville and Somerset | Lineworker jobs, with CDL training at three |
| Veterinary Technology | Owensboro only | Veterinary technician work |
Programs found at only one or two colleges include equine studies and orthotics and prosthetics (Bluegrass), unmanned systems and real estate (Elizabethtown), nuclear medicine imaging, surveying and heavy equipment (Hazard), mining technology and telehealth (Southeast), fermentation science and surgical first assisting (Madisonville), technical theatre (Owensboro), and occupational therapy assistant (Jefferson and Madisonville). Many colleges also teach engineering technology (civil, electronics, manufacturing); these train technicians, not licensed engineers.
Programs with more detail
Nursing
Every college teaches the Associate Degree in Nursing, the system’s only registered nursing credential, and 13 teach Practical Nursing. Larger colleges run nursing at several sites: Bluegrass at Lexington, Lawrenceburg and Winchester (and practical nursing at Danville), Somerset at Somerset, London, Manchester and Whitley City, and Jefferson at Louisville and Shelbyville. Results differ by site, so check the pass rate for the site you would attend (see the table below). Gateway’s Ohio border-county tuition discount does not cover Ohio students in its ADN program.
Lineworker training
Lineworker training at KCTCS is mostly non-credit workforce training. Hazard’s Utility Technician Certificate is 288 hours of lineman training plus 160 hours of CDL training. Big Sandy’s course runs 12 weeks with Class A CDL training. Maysville’s course at its Rowan Campus cost $7,000 including the CDL in 2024 and requires applicants to be 18 with a diploma or GED. Hazard and Maysville require a driver’s licence, a DOT physical, a drug screen and a CDL permit before the course starts. Somerset runs a Lineman Tech Center and a credit program in utility construction systems technology.
Dental programs
Big Sandy teaches dental hygiene (an associate degree) at its Mayo campus in Paintsville and at a North Laurel site in London, plus dental assisting and a Community Dental Health Coordinator program. Both are selective: for 2026 entry the deadlines were 1 May for dental hygiene and 15 May for dental assisting. Bluegrass also teaches dental hygiene. West Kentucky’s diploma, listed as Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene, trains dental assistants.
Aviation
Aviation maintenance is taught at Jefferson, Madisonville, Maysville, Somerset and West Kentucky. Flight training is taught at Big Sandy and Southeast (fixed-wing) and Madisonville, which teaches both fixed-wing and helicopter flight. Madisonville is the only college that teaches both aircraft maintenance and flight training. Ask the college for the full program cost of flight training, including flight time, since our sources give only the credit-hour rate.
Cost and paying for it
Tuition is the same at all 16 colleges. Rates for 2026–27 (the year that begins with fall 2026):
| Rate | Per credit hour |
|---|---|
| Kentucky resident | $198 |
| Non-resident | $270 |
| Online-only courses (all students) | $198 plus a $20 distance-learner fee |
| Dual credit (high-school students) | $99, no mandatory fee |
| Mandatory fee | $8 |
A Kentucky resident taking 12 credit hours each semester pays $4,752 in tuition and $192 in fees a year, before aid. Books and supplies are not included. Tuition was $189 in 2024–25 and $195 in 2025–26.
Some out-of-state students pay the in-state rate. At Ashland, this covers residents of Cabell, Mingo, McDowell and Wayne counties in West Virginia and 11 southern Ohio counties. At Gateway, it covers Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio and Dearborn, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland counties in Indiana, except for Ohio students in the ADN program. Ask other border colleges about their terms.
The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship pays tuition and fees left after federal and state grants, for up to 60 credit hours or until an associate degree. To qualify, students must:
- be Kentucky residents who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents;
- have a high school diploma or GED, or be working towards a GED (KCTCS);
- not already hold an associate degree or higher;
- enrol in an eligible certificate, diploma or associate program in one of five sectors: healthcare; manufacturing and logistics; construction; education; or professional, scientific and technical services;
- file the FAFSA and the scholarship application at kheaa.com.
The application opens on 1 May, and students reapply each year and must keep satisfactory academic progress (a 2.0 GPA and 67% of credits completed). KCTCS says no work or apprenticeship commitment is required. Each college also takes part separately in federal aid, such as Pell Grants and Direct Loans.
Admissions
Some health programs have selective admission with application deadlines. Big Sandy’s 2026 deadlines were 1 May for dental hygiene and 15 May for dental assisting, and other colleges set their own. Non-credit lineworker courses have their own requirements (see above). Admission rules and start dates are set by each college, so check with the college you plan to attend.
Accreditation and results
Each of the 16 colleges is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. No KCTCS college appeared in SACSCOC’s public lists of sanctions for December 2024, June 2025 or December 2025.
KCTCS reported a record 2025–26: 25,013 graduates, 47,513 credentials and a three-year graduation rate of 51%, “the highest in system history” (15 June 2026; the cohort was not stated). The Council on Postsecondary Education gave a three-year rate of 47.2% for 2023–24. KCTCS also says 74% of its graduates have no student loan debt. We could not retrieve College Scorecard figures for the individual colleges for this update.
First-time NCLEX pass rates, calendar year 2025, from the Kentucky Board of Nursing report (March 2026). Figures are passed/tested at each program site:
| College | RN (ADN) | Practical nursing |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 46/50 (92.0%) | 20/22 (90.9%) |
| Big Sandy (Prestonsburg) | 23/26 (88.5%) | no 2025 results |
| Bluegrass | Lexington 77.2%; Lawrenceburg 86.3%; Winchester 80.6% | Danville 19/19; Lexington 12/14 |
| Elizabethtown | 48/63 (76.2%) | no 2025 results |
| Gateway (Edgewood) | 90/116 (77.6%) | not offered |
| Hazard | 39/45 (86.7%) | 8/8 (100%) |
| Henderson | 30/50 (60.0%) | not offered |
| Hopkinsville | 40/42 (95.2%) | 3/3 (100%) |
| Jefferson | Louisville 75/78 (96.2%); Shelbyville 12/12 | Louisville 11/14 (78.6%) |
| Madisonville | 63/70 (90.0%) | 9/10 (90.0%) |
| Maysville | Maysville 19/19 (100%); Cynthiana 5/6 | no 2025 results |
| Owensboro | 53/61 (86.9%) | not offered |
| Somerset | Somerset 93.8%; London 94.7%; Manchester 85.7%; Whitley City 91.7% | Somerset 20/21; London 8/8 |
| Southcentral | Bowling Green 60/60 (100%); Glasgow 13/15 (86.7%) | Glasgow 49/50 (98.0%); Bowling Green 4/4 |
| Southeast | Cumberland 16/20 (80.0%); Middlesboro 27/37 (73.0%) | Cumberland 17/24 (70.8%) |
| West Kentucky | 91/105 (86.7%) | 20/20 (100%) |
The Kentucky practical nursing average in 2025 was 88.3%. Henderson’s RN rate had been 84–86% in 2021 and 2023, and Southeast’s was 50% in 2024. We found no published pass rates for other KCTCS licensure programs, such as radiography or PTA.
Before you enroll
- Check the college, not just KCTCS. Programs, sites, admission deadlines and outcomes differ from college to college; for example, Henderson has no HVAC program and Southcentral no early childhood education.
- Nursing results vary widely. In 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates ranged from 60% (Henderson) to 100% (Southcentral’s Bowling Green site, Maysville’s Maysville campus and Jefferson’s Shelbyville site).
- Lineworker training is mostly non-credit workforce training, not a degree program, and some courses require a CDL permit, DOT physical and drug screen before you start.
- Engineering technology and architectural technology programs train technicians; they do not lead to an engineer’s or architect’s licence. Health Science Technology is a general pre-health degree, not a credential for a specific job.
- Governance changed in 2026. College boards were dissolved under House Bill 619, and recommendations the Board of Regents approved in December 2024 include evaluating possible mergers. Check the college’s current status before you commit to a multi-year program.
Housing, military students and career help
We found no residence halls at KCTCS colleges; Niche reviewers at Bluegrass mention limited housing options. Hopkinsville Community College runs a campus at Fort Campbell, at the English Army Education Center on Bastogne Avenue. The lineworker courses add career preparation: Big Sandy’s includes financial literacy and interview practice, and Hazard’s and Maysville’s include OSHA 10, CPR/first aid and flagger certifications.
What students say
Niche lists each college separately; there is no system-wide page. The two largest review sets are Jefferson Community and Technical College (3.84 out of 5 from 613 reviews) and Bluegrass Community and Technical College (3.95 from 552), checked October 2026.
- Praise: supportive, approachable faculty; small classes; low tuition; flexible and online options.
- Complaints: poor communication about registration and financial aid; outdated technology and facilities; a confusing website; limited campus life.
The newest reviews on both pages date from summer 2025, and we did not check the other 14 colleges’ pages, so these themes may not reflect every college or recent changes.
Sources
Checked October 2026: KCTCS 2026–27 catalog, college pages · KCTCS tuition 2026–27 · Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship · Kentucky Board of Nursing pass rates · HB 619 (2026) record · CPE 2025 enrollment report · KCTCS graduation release, June 2026 · SACSCOC actions, December 2025
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Nursing (ADN; Nursing Integrated at Madisonville)
- Practical Nursing (13 colleges)
- Advanced Nursing Assistant / Medicaid Nurse Aide (8 colleges)
Allied health
- Dental Hygiene (Big Sandy, Bluegrass)
- Dental Assisting (Big Sandy, West Kentucky)
- Community Dental Health Coordinator (Big Sandy)
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Nuclear Medicine Imaging (Hazard)
- Radiography
- Respiratory Care
- Surgical Technology
- Surgical First Assisting (Madisonville)
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Laboratory Technician
- Medical Information Technology
- Health Information Technology (Gateway, Jefferson)
- Pharmacy Technology
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Occupational Therapy Assistant (Jefferson, Madisonville)
- Massage Therapy (Gateway, Hopkinsville)
- Orthotics and Prosthetics (Bluegrass)
- Telehealth Technician (Southeast)
- Veterinary Technology (Owensboro)
- Health Science Technology (pre-health)
- Emergency Medical Services: EMT and Paramedic
Construction, energy and utilities
- Welding Technology
- Electrical Technology
- Air Conditioning Technology (HVAC)
- Plumbing Technology
- Construction Technology
- Lineworker training (non-credit workforce course)
- Utility Construction Systems Technology (Somerset)
- Surveying (Hazard)
- Heavy Equipment (Hazard)
- Mining Technology (Southeast)
- Broadband (Big Sandy, Southeast)
Manufacturing and engineering technology
- Industrial Maintenance
- Computerized Manufacturing and Machining
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology
- Applied Process Technology
- Engineering and Electronics Technology
- Civil Engineering Technology
- Automation and Robotics (Elizabethtown)
- Additive Technology (Bluegrass)
- Unmanned Systems (Elizabethtown)
- Fermentation Science (Madisonville)
Vehicles, aviation and logistics
- Automotive Technology
- Collision Repair Technology
- Diesel Technology
- Truck Driver Training (CDL)
- Aviation Maintenance
- Flight Training (fixed-wing; helicopter at Madisonville)
- Logistics and Operations Management
- Supply Chain Management
Business, computing and design
- Business Administration
- Administrative Office Technology
- Computer and Information Technologies
- Cybersecurity
- Computer Aided Drafting and Design
- Architectural Technology (Bluegrass)
- Graphic Design and Visual Communication
- Real Estate (Elizabethtown)
- Healthcare Facilities Leadership (Owensboro)
Public safety and law
- Criminal Justice
- Fire Science Technology
- Paralegal (Gateway, Madisonville)
Education, agriculture and services
- Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education
- Agriculture
- Equine (Bluegrass)
- Cosmetology
- Culinary Arts
- Technical Theatre (Owensboro)
Campus Locations
Ashland, KY 1400 College Drive, Ashland, KY 41101
Prestonsburg, KY 1 Bert T. Combs Drive, Prestonsburg, KY 41653
Lexington, KY 500 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40508
Elizabethtown, KY 600 College Street Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701
Florence, KY 500 Technology Way, Florence, KY 41042
Hazard, KY One Community College Drive, Hazard, KY 41701
Henderson, KY 2660 South Green Street, Henderson, KY 42420
Hopkinsville, KY 720 North Drive, Hopkinsville, KY 42241
Louisville, KY 109 East Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202
Madisonville, KY 2000 College Drive, Madisonville, KY 42431
Maysville, KY 1755 US Highway 68, Maysville, KY 41056
Owensboro, KY 4800 New Hartford Road, Owensboro, KY 42303
Somerset, KY 808 Monticello Street, Somerset, KY 42501
Bowling Green, KY 1845 Loop Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Cumberland, KY 700 College Road, Cumberland, KY 40823
Paducah, KY 4810 Alben Barkley Drive, Paducah, KY 42001