KCTCS sees record number of graduates in 2024-25 school year
Kentucky’s Community and Technical College System reached a new milestone this past academic year.
KCTCS had 24,263 students graduate with a degree or credential in the 2024-25 school year, the most since the system was established in 1997.
“We are the largest provider in higher education in Kentucky,” KCTCS President Ryan Quarles said. “We’re proud that of our 16 colleges across the state, we get to celebrate a historic moment.”
In total, KCTCS has around 110,000 students, hosting 46% of the undergraduate students in Kentucky, KCTCS President Ryan Quarles said.
KCTCS is a network of community and technical colleges across Kentucky offering programs that span from four-week certificates to two-year associate’s degrees. For students, it is cheaper than degrees from a four-year institutions, Quarles said, in fields like healthcare, engineering and culinary arts.
According to numbers provided by KCTCS, Lexington’s Bluegrass Community and Technical College had 3,428 graduates in the academic year, which was the top among 16 KCTCS colleges. The Medicaid Nurse Aid certificate, which can be achieved in one semester, saw the most graduates in the system, with 4,502.
Associate’s degrees in arts and science followed with 2,755 and 2,404 graduates, respectively.
KCTCS Vice President of Marketing and Communication Blair Hess said the system offers 112 total academic programs consisting of five transfer degrees, three general education certificates and 104 technical programs.
Quarles said the record number of graduates is part of a “turning point in American higher education.”
Many KCTCS students are more interested in getting “hands-on, technical” certificates or degrees that directly prepare them to join the workforce. Quarles said KCTCS meets students at any point in life, serving adult learners, single parents, veterans and the incarcerated population.
“Not every Kentuckian needs to go to a four-year college, but we need more Kentuckians going to college,” Quarles said.
Quarles said the rise in KCTCS graduates can be attributed to a new era of “price-conscious” learners.
According to the KCTCS website, the cost per credit hour for state residents in the upcoming school year is $195. Quarles said 80% of KCTCS students receive financial support, and 72% of graduates this past year left KCTCS with no debt.
Many students who are earning a degree at a four-year college will start at a KCTCS school because they “can get a high-quality education where the credits will transfer to a four-year at half the price of a public four-year institution,” Quarles said. Around 16,000 students transfer from KCTCS to a four-year school every year.
“We do think parents and students are having active conversations about the affordability of college,” Quarles said. “We offer excellent programming that transfers to wherever your path may lead you to… we can save you a lot of money.”
Bottom line, Quarles said, community and technical colleges are “where it’s at right now, in higher education.”
“We’re always looking to improve our programs, meet with industry, and, at the same time, remind Kentuckians that everyone has the opportunity to go to college,” Quarles said. “Everyone has the ability to attend one of our 16 community and technical colleges, because we’re open access, we meet students where they’re at in life and we’re affordable.”