| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year community and technical college, one of the 16 KCTCS colleges; campus-based |
| Sites | 6, all in Kentucky: 3 in Bowling Green, 2 in Glasgow, 1 in Franklin |
| Credentials | Certificates, diplomas and associate of applied science (AAS) degrees; AA and AS transfer degrees; non-credit CDL course |
| Programs | 22 occupational program areas in the 2026-27 catalog |
| Typical length | From a four-week CDL course and short certificates to two-year associate degrees |
| Accreditation | Commission on Colleges and Universities (named SACSCOC until 1 Sep 2026), to award associate degrees; ACEN, JRCERT, NAACLS, CoARC, CAAHEP, IFSAC, HVAC Excellence and NATEF for individual programs |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| 2026-27 tuition | $198 per credit hour for Kentucky residents, $270 for non-residents, plus an $8 mandatory fee per credit |
| Students | 6,226 (fall 2025 headcount) |
| Founded | 1939, as Western Trade School; named SKYCTC since December 2012 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
SKYCTC: a KCTCS college with sites in Bowling Green, Glasgow and Franklin
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC) is a public two-year college and one of the 16 colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), which sets its tuition. It opened in 1939 as Western Trade School, later became Bowling Green Technical College, and was renamed SKYCTC in December 2012, when it added AA and AS transfer degrees.
Today it teaches career programs in health, the skilled trades, manufacturing, business and computing at six sites, three in Bowling Green, two in Glasgow and one in Franklin, and offers AA and AS transfer degrees. Its fall 2025 headcount was 6,226, up 6.9% on fall 2024, according to the college. The biggest change under way is a new Glasgow Health Campus, where ground was broken on 30 April 2026.
Programs at SKYCTC and where they are taught
The 2026-27 KCTCS catalog lists 22 occupational program areas at SKYCTC, plus the AA and AS. Credentials run from short certificates to diplomas and associate of applied science (AAS) degrees. Six health programs are selective and have their own admission steps. Most program pages give only the main-campus address, so the table names a specific site only where the college does.
| Program | Credentials | Length / entry | Where | Accreditation / exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (RN) | Nursing AAS; LPN-to-RN option | 2 years full-time; selective | Bowling Green (odd years), Glasgow Health Campus (even years) | ACEN (initial accreditation); NCLEX-RN |
| Practical Nursing (LPN) | Diploma; certificate | Selective | Bowling Green; Glasgow Health Campus | ACEN (initial accreditation); NCLEX-PN |
| Radiography | AAS | 21 months; selective | Main Campus | JRCERT; ARRT exam |
| Respiratory Care | AAS | 5 semesters after prerequisites; selective | Main Campus | CoARC; CRT and RRT exams |
| Surgical Technology | AAS | 11 months after general education; selective | Main Campus | CAAHEP; certification exam |
| Medical Laboratory Technician | AAS; phlebotomy and laboratory certificates | 2 years; selective | Main Campus | NAACLS; ASCP BOC exam |
| Air Conditioning Technology | AAS; HVAC Mechanic Diploma; 3 certificates | – | Main-campus address | HVAC Excellence |
| Electrical Technology | AAS (Construction or Industrial Electrician track); 2 diplomas; 5 certificates | – | Main-campus address | – |
| Welding Technology | AAS; Combination Welder Diploma; 7 certificates | – | Main-campus address | AWS National Skills Standards Level I certificate |
| Automotive Technology | Associate degree; diploma; 8 certificates | – | Main-campus address | NATEF (ASE Education Foundation); ASE tests |
| Collision Repair Technology | Diploma; 4 certificates | – | Main-campus address | NATEF |
| Computerized Manufacturing and Machining | AAS; CNC Machinist Diploma; 3 certificates | – | Transpark Center | – |
| Industrial Maintenance Technology | AAS; diploma; 6 certificates | – | Transpark Center; Glasgow Technology Campus | – |
| Fire/Rescue Science Technology | Fire Science Technology AAS; Fire Chief Diploma; firefighter, EMT and Advanced EMT certificates | – | Main-campus address | IFSAC |
| Computer and Information Technologies | AAS (4 tracks); 10 certificates | – | Bowling Green; Glasgow Technology Campus | A+, Security+ and CISCO prep certificates |
| Business Administration | AAS (4 tracks); diploma; 12 certificates | – | Bowling Green; Glasgow Health Campus | – |
| Class A CDL | Non-credit certificate of completion | 4 weeks; starts monthly | Franklin-Simpson Center | Kentucky State Police road test |
Programmatic accreditation covers all six selective health programs and several trade programs, as listed on the college’s accreditation page: ACEN (initial accreditation) for the RN and Practical Nursing programs in Bowling Green and Glasgow, JRCERT for Radiography, NAACLS for Medical Laboratory Technician, CoARC for Respiratory Care, CAAHEP for Surgical Technology, IFSAC for Fire/Rescue, HVAC Excellence for Air Conditioning Technology, and NATEF (now the ASE Education Foundation) for Automotive and Collision Repair.
The catalog also lists Medical Information Technology, Engineering and Electronics Technology, Digital Printing Technology (a certificate) and General Occupational/Technical Studies, and the college offers a 75-hour Medicaid Nurse Aide certificate. Emergency Medical Technician and Advanced EMT certificates sit within the Fire/Rescue program. Culinary Arts is still in the catalog, but its program page says it is not accepting any new students; the college points students to a Hospitality Management pathway instead.
What the main programs cover
Nursing: RN and Practical Nursing
The Associate Registered Nursing Degree is a selective program of two years’ full-time study. The college runs it in Bowling Green in odd years and in Glasgow in even years, so the year a student starts decides the campus. Licensed practical nurses can enter through the Academic Career Mobility LPN to RN Option. Practical Nursing is a separate diploma, also listed as a certificate, taught in both Bowling Green and Glasgow, and it leads to the NCLEX-PN. Both programs hold initial accreditation from ACEN and are approved by the Kentucky Board of Nursing.
Welding Technology
Welding Technology is built from process certificates: Shielded Metal Arc Welder, Gas Metal Arc Welder, Gas Tungsten Arc Welder and Gas Welder, plus Production Line Welder and Welder Helper. A seventh certificate follows the American Welding Society’s National Skills Standards Level I, and the instructors hold the AWS Certified Welding Educator credential. The program also awards the Combination Welder Diploma and the Welding Technology AAS. The welding page lists Work Ready Kentucky, which can cover up to 60 credit hours for eligible Kentucky residents.
Air Conditioning Technology
The Air Conditioning Technology program runs from helper level to mechanic level. The Environmental System Repair Helper and Environmental Control System Servicer certificates sit alongside the Domestic Air Conditioner and Furnace Installer certificate, and the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Mechanic Diploma and the AAS are the higher awards. HVAC Excellence accredits the program. The program page does not name the EPA 608 refrigerant exam, so students who need it should ask how the program prepares for it.
Electrical Technology
Electrical Technology splits into two tracks, each with an AAS and a diploma. Five certificates sit alongside them: Construction Electrician Level I, Construction Electrician Level II, Automated Industrial Controls Technician, Alternative Energies, and Voice and Data Wiring Installer. The program page does not say which certificates belong to which track, and it names no programmatic accreditation, so ask how the coursework fits an electrician’s career path.
Machining and industrial maintenance
Computerized Manufacturing and Machining, taught at the Transpark Center, runs from Exploratory Machining, CNC Operator and Machine Tool Operator certificates to the CNC Machinist Diploma and an AAS; the CNC program received a Gene Haas Foundation grant in 2025. Industrial Maintenance Technology, at the Transpark Center and the Glasgow Technology Campus, has an AAS, an Industrial Maintenance Technician Diploma and certificates for Controls and Automation Technician, Electrical Mechanic, Machinist Mechanic, Mechanic Level I and II, and Robotics Technician.
Class A CDL
The Class A CDL course is run by Workforce Solutions at the Franklin-Simpson Center in Franklin. It is a four-week, non-credit course, Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a new class starting on the first Monday of each month. Students earn a certificate of completion, and Kentucky State Police give the road test. The college offers job-placement assistance, and WIOA, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Kentucky Farm Workers Program may help pay. The course is not part of the credit catalog.
2026-27 tuition, fees and help paying
KCTCS sets tuition by state residency, so every SKYCTC site charges the same rates and there is no in-county discount. The college’s 2026-27 tuition page gives these per-credit-hour rates:
| 2026-27, per credit hour | Amount |
|---|---|
| Kentucky resident tuition | $198 |
| Non-resident tuition | $270 |
| Online-only courses, students from any state | $198 |
| Dual credit (high school students) | $99 |
| Mandatory fee (all students except dual credit) | $8 |
| Distance-learning fee (online courses) | $20 |
For a year of 24 credit hours, tuition and mandatory fees come to $4,944 for Kentucky residents and $6,672 for non-residents. The college’s 2026-27 cost-of-attendance budgets, which add books ($1,268), transport, personal costs and housing, are $15,614 living with parents, $19,323 off campus and $13,751 on a military base for Kentucky residents, and $17,342, $21,051 and $15,479 for non-residents. Programs that need professional liability insurance add $11 a semester.
SKYCTC takes federal student aid, and 61% of its students receive aid, according to KCTCS. Work Ready Kentucky lets Kentucky residents with a high school diploma (or working toward a GED) and no associate degree earn up to 60 credit hours tuition-free in eligible programs; the welding, air conditioning, electrical, fire, computer and industrial maintenance pages list it. Niche, using federal data, puts the average net price at $6,253 a year.
The Class A CDL course costs $4,200 for instruction, plus about $150 in permit and license fees.
Open admission, with selective health programs
SKYCTC admits students openly. Six health programs are selective and have their own application: the RN associate degree, Practical Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technician, Radiography, Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology. Surgical Technology applicants finish general-education courses first and need at least a 2.0 GPA (2.5 or higher is advised), and Respiratory Care’s five semesters begin after prerequisites.
Start patterns differ by program. The RN degree alternates between Bowling Green (odd years) and Glasgow (even years), and the CDL course starts every month. The college’s cost budgets cover living with parents, off campus or on a military base; they include no on-campus housing option.
Accreditation and results
SKYCTC is accredited to award associate degrees by the Commission on Colleges and Universities, which was named SACSCOC until 1 September 2026; the new name did not change members’ status. The college may also award certificates and diplomas.
The nursing results come from the Kentucky Board of Nursing’s March 2026 pass-rate report, which counts first-time candidates testing within a year of finishing. Bowling Green’s RN candidates passed at 100% in each year from 2023 to 2025; Glasgow’s RN group fell to 86.7% in 2025 after 100% in 2023 and 2024.
| Program and measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| RN, first-time NCLEX-RN, Bowling Green | 100% (60 of 60) | 2025, Kentucky Board of Nursing |
| RN, first-time NCLEX-RN, Glasgow | 86.7% (13 of 15) | 2025, Kentucky Board of Nursing |
| Practical Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN, Bowling Green | 100% (4 of 4) | 2025, Kentucky Board of Nursing |
| Practical Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN, Glasgow | 98% (49 of 50) | 2025, Kentucky Board of Nursing |
| Radiography | 94.9% credentialing exam pass rate; 100% completion; 100% job placement | JRCERT program record (years not shown) |
| Surgical Technology, certification pass rate | 89% (2025-26); 100% (2024-25) | College program page; cohort sizes not given |
| Medical Laboratory Technician, ASCP BOC exam | 64% (7 of 11) | 2025, college program effectiveness page |
Radiography’s figures come from its JRCERT program record, which also shows an eight-year accreditation award with the next review due in August 2030.
The Medical Laboratory Technician pass rate is from the program’s effectiveness page, which also reports that all 2024 and 2025 graduates were employed within six months.
RegisteredNursing.org ranks the RN program first in Kentucky, with a 98.4% three-year weighted NCLEX-RN average (page updated 12 October 2026). That is a third-party ranking, not an accreditation.
Before you enroll
- The RN degree alternates sites: Bowling Green in odd years, Glasgow in even years. Check which campus admits in the year you plan to start.
- Culinary Arts is not accepting new students, even though it still appears in the catalog.
- Most trade program pages give only the main-campus address, and none of the program pages we checked say whether a program can be finished fully online. Ask the college where and how a program is taught before you plan around a site or online study.
- Medical Laboratory Technician candidates passed the ASCP certification exam at 64% (7 of 11) in 2025, well below the college’s nursing and radiography results.
- The current Glasgow Health Campus on State Avenue is due to be replaced by a new campus off the Cumberland Parkway, which has no opening date yet. Glasgow nursing students should ask where their classes will meet.
Six sites: what each teaches
| Site | Address | Main programs |
|---|---|---|
| Main Campus | 1845 Loop Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101 | Allied health (MLT, radiography, respiratory care, surgical technology), Practical Nursing, RN in odd years, AA/AS; address on the trade program pages |
| KATI Campus | 1127 Morgantown Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101 | Workforce Solutions (non-credit training), Adult Education, Assessment Center |
| Transpark Center | 221 Commonwealth Blvd, Bowling Green, KY 42101 | Computerized Manufacturing and Machining, Engineering and Electronics Technology, Industrial Maintenance Technology |
| Glasgow Health Campus | 129 State Avenue, Glasgow, KY 42141 | RN in even years, Practical Nursing, AA, business |
| Glasgow Technology Campus | 500 Hilltopper Way, Glasgow, KY 42141 | Industrial Maintenance Technology, Computer and Information Technologies |
| Franklin-Simpson Center | 175 Davis Drive, Franklin, KY 42134 | General-education courses, Class A CDL |
The new Glasgow Health Campus, off Exit 8 of the Cumberland Parkway inside the Veterans Outer Loop, will house nursing and other health programs. The college broke ground on 30 April 2026 and has not announced an address or opening date. Dual-credit classes in high schools are not separate campuses.
What students say
On Niche, SKYCTC is rated 4.15 out of 5 from 122 reviews, with an overall grade of B (checked October 2026). Reviewers praise supportive, helpful professors, advisers who help fit classes to a student’s major, and staff who supported students through personal hardship. Complaints include a student told to finish a two-year degree before taking trade classes, a First Year Experience course seen as filler with no real orientation, and doubts about value for taxpayers. Only three review snippets were visible, one of them negative, so these themes rest on a small sample, and we could not tell whether the reviews were invited by the college or posted in bursts.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Nursing (RN, Associate Degree)
- Practical Nursing (LPN)
- Medical Laboratory Technician
- Radiography
- Respiratory Care
- Surgical Technology
- Medical Information Technology
- Medicaid Nurse Aide
Skilled Trades
- Air Conditioning Technology
- Electrical Technology
- Welding Technology
Automotive
- Automotive Technology
- Auto Body/Collision Repair Technology
Manufacturing and Engineering Technology
- Computerized Manufacturing and Machining
- Industrial Maintenance Technology
- Engineering and Electronics Technology
- Digital Printing Technology (certificate)
Public Safety
- Fire/Rescue Science Technology
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT and Advanced EMT)
Business
- Business Administration
Computer and Information Technology
- Computer and Information Technologies
Workforce Training (non-credit)
- Commercial Driver's License (Class A CDL)
Transfer and General Degrees
- Associate in Arts (AA)
- Associate in Science (AS)
- General Occupational/Technical Studies
Campus Locations
Bowling Green, KY 1845 Loop Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Bowling Green, KY 1127 Morgantown Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Bowling Green, KY 221 Commonwealth Blvd, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Glasgow, KY 129 State Avenue, Glasgow, KY 42141
Glasgow, KY 500 Hilltopper Way, Glasgow, KY 42141
Franklin, KY 175 Davis Drive, Franklin, KY 42134