Kentucky State University

Name

Kentucky State University

Legal name

Kentucky State University

Website

https://kysu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Higher education degrees
• Academic degree programs
• Online learning
• Agricultural research
• Land-grant university

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfort

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from student tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate and graduate programs across associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
2. Government Grants and Appropriations: Federal and state government funding including USDA grants ($2.3M for Hunter Hall), land-grant appropriations, and research grants supporting agricultural and extension programs.
3. Private Grants and Donations: Funding from private organizations such as Farm Credit Mid America ($150,000 grant for greenhouse project) and other philanthropic sources.
4. Agricultural Research Contracts: Research partnerships and contracts with industry partners such as Gold River Productions/Trans American Aquaculture for aquaculture nutrition studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kentucky State University delivers accredited higher education through associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs across more than 40 academic areas, delivered via on-campus residential instruction and the KYSU Online platform. The university also conducts applied research and provides extension services in agriculture, aquaculture, GIS, and drone technology, supported by state appropriations, federal land-grant funding, tuition, and industry research contracts.

Product overview

Kentucky State University is a public, research-comprehensive, historically Black, 1890 land-grant institution offering a diverse portfolio of educational products and services. The university provides face-to-face and online learning through KYSU Online, with degree programs ranging from associate to doctoral levels across multiple colleges. Key offerings include MBA in Executive Leadership, a new Master of Science in Sports Analytics, undergraduate programs in Computer Science (cybersecurity focus), nursing (ASN to DNP), educator preparation, social work, and music. The university has partnered with Common App to expand enrollment access and offers comprehensive student support services including library resources, accessibility services, and career development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KYSU Online

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% enrollment increase year-over-year (Fall 2024 to Fall 2025)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Common AppcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Kentucky State University joined Common App, a college application platform used by over 1 million students annually to apply to more than 1,100 member colleges worldwide. The affiliation is designed to expand access for prospective students, particularly first-generation and Pell Grant-eligible students, by reducing friction in the application process.
• Columbia Gas of KentuckyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Kentucky State University partnered with Columbia Gas of Kentucky to install pollinator habitat within utility rights-of-way on campus, demonstrating how infrastructure corridors can support conservation while maintaining operational safety. University leaders are working to expand this model with the City of Frankfort and additional municipalities.
• Gold River Productions / Trans American AquaculturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Gold River Productions, a subsidiary of Trans American Aquaculture, signed a purchase order contract to supply post larvae shrimp to Kentucky State University and Texas A&M University for a research program studying aquaculture nutrition and sustainable food production. The study examines how aquafeed affects growth rate and pathogen resistance of shrimp, part of a larger effort involving 34 US and global industry partners.
• Texas A&M UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Collaborating with Kentucky State University on shrimp nutrition research study examining how aquafeed affects growth rate and pathogen resistance. The partnership is part of a larger effort involving 34 US and global industry partners studying sustainable food production challenges driven by global warming and population increases.
• KaplancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Kentucky State University partnered with Kaplan to provide students with free access to comprehensive test preparation for graduate admissions exams (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, NCLEX-RN) and professional skills development courses. The partnership utilizes Kaplan's All Access License program, which has collectively saved tens of thousands of students more than $60 million in out-of-pocket costs since its 2022 launch.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Langston University: Oklahoma-based 1890 land-grant HBCU with a comparable agriculture and extension portfolio and similar small public-university scale.
• Tuskegee University: Alabama-based 1890 land-grant HBCU with a stronger research brand but the same land-grant HBCU identity, overlapping agriculture, engineering, and nursing programs, and shared federal funding streams.
• Alcorn State University: Mississippi-based 1890 land-grant HBCU of similar small scale (~3,000 students) with comparable agriculture, education, and nursing programs and the same federal funding pipeline, making it one of the closest structural analogues to KYSU.
• Lincoln University: Missouri-based 1890 land-grant HBCU of similar size, with overlapping agriculture, education, and business programs and shared dependence on state appropriations and federal capacity funding.
• Fort Valley State University: Georgia-based 1890 land-grant HBCU with comparable enrollment (~2,500–3,000 students), strong agriculture and extension programming, and a parallel mission serving first-generation and underrepresented students.
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff: Arkansas-based 1890 land-grant HBCU with comparable enrollment scale and a similar agriculture/aquaculture research and extension profile, directly comparable to KYSU's land-grant mission.
• Central State University: Ohio-based 1890 land-grant HBCU of similar small scale, with overlapping programs in agriculture, education, and business and a comparable reliance on state and federal funding sources.
• West Virginia State University: West Virginia-based 1890 land-grant HBCU with similar enrollment (~3,000–4,000 students) and a comparable mix of agriculture, education, and business programs serving a rural Appalachian base.

Broad incumbents

• Florida A&M University: Larger Florida-based 1890 land-grant HBCU operating across a broader portfolio (pharmacy, law, engineering) — a scaled incumbent in the same land-grant HBCU category as KYSU and a relevant benchmark for aspirational growth.
• North Carolina A&T State University: Largest 1890 land-grant HBCU with a full engineering and agriculture research portfolio, representing the scaled end of KYSU's category and the most relevant benchmark for research competitiveness.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KyStateU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/kystateu
• Facebookfacebook.com/137192432988098
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kentucky-state-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/kystate1886

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kentucky State University