11 Leading NAIA schools in Kentucky

If you are looking for a school where you can become a student-athlete with ease and as well enjoy the benefits of a scholarship, then you are at the right place. Go through this article on NAIA schools in Kentucky to learn more!

Kentucky is known as a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its capital city is Frankfort, and its largest city is Louisville. Kentucky is primarily known for its horse racing, bluegrass music, bourbon, and southern hospitality.

Kentucky has about 75 institutions and colleges, and very many of them offer online college degrees or hybrid programs. Apart from online degree programs, there are also other schools like military schools in Kentucky as well.

Being a student-athlete is seen as a cool career, as you are juggling two different careers together – sports and a degree. It also comes with scholarship opportunities. When you graduate, you can decide to either fully pursue a career in the sporting industry by becoming a full-time player or conducting other businesses within the industry. You can choose to enter the workforce or set up a business with your degree and academic expertise.

When choosing a school, there are factors to consider, which will help set you up on the right path, like the location of the school, the athletic strength and success of the school team, top athletes that graduated from the school as student-athletes, the athletics association(s) they are affiliated with, and whether scholarships are offered.

One of the associations that the school can be affiliated with is the NAIA. Simply put, the NAIA is an acronym for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is a collegiate athletic association for small colleges and universities in North America that oversees more than 77,000 student-athletes from over 250 colleges in the US and offers up to $800 million in scholarships annually.

If you do not live in Kentucky nor want to go there to pursue a student-athlete career, there are other options for you to consider, as there are NAIA schools in Tennessee, for residents of the state, NAIA colleges in Texas for interested students that live there, and NAIA colleges in Michigan to give you a variety of options.

Now, since this article is talking about the NAIA schools in Kentucky, I will delve straight into them shortly.

NAIA Schools in Kentucky

NAIA Schools in Kentucky

There are 11 schools that are affiliated with NAIA in Kentucky. I will be talking about them in this section. They are as follows;

  •  Midway University, Midway, KY
  •  University of Pikeville, Pikeville, KY
  • Thomas More University, Crestview Hills, KY
  • Union College, Barbourville, KY
  •  University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, KY
  • Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY
  • Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KY
  • Kentucky Christian University, Grayson, KY.
  •  Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passes, KY
  •  Brescia University, Owensboro, KY
  • Campbellsville University, Campbellsville, KY

1.       Midway University, Midway, KY

On the list of NAIA schools in Kentucky is Midway University, which is a private Christian university in Kentucky that is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The school offers numerous Undergraduate Programs, Graduate Programs, and Evening/Online Undergraduate Programs.

The athletic team of the school is called The Eagles and their men’s and women’s bowling, swimming, men’s volleyball, and men’s wrestling teams also compete in the Mid-South Conference (MSC).

Some of the sports they participate in are in male and female categories. Some of them are;

Men’s Basketball, Women’s Bowling, and Co-ed Sports like Archery with a host of others.

2.       University of Pikeville, Pikeville, KY

This is a private religious university founded in 1889 and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and online programs.

The University of Pikeville is also on the list o the NAIA school in Kentucky and its student-athletic team is called The Pikeville Bears. The University of Pikeville currently competes in 25 NAIA intercollegiate varsity sports for both men’s and women’s sports.

Men’s Sports include; Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, and wrestling.

Women’s Sports include; Basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Co-ed Sports include; Archery, cheerleading, dance, and eSports.

3.      Thomas More University, Crestview Hills, KY

Thomas More University was founded in 1921 by the local Benedictine Sisters and is a private Roman Catholic university in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. it is the next on the list of NAIA schools in Kentucky The school offers graduate programs, accelerated and online programs.

Their athletic team is called The Saints, and they will keep competing as an NAIA member school until the completion of the 2022-23 academic year.

Thomas More University currently competes in 29 varsity sports programs for both men and women.

Their Women’s Sports include; Archery, band, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, dance, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Their Men’s Sports include; Archery, band, baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.

4.      Union College, Barbourville, KY

The Union College founded in 1879, is a private college in Barbourville, Kentucky which is religiously affiliated with the United Methodist Church. They offer various undergraduate and graduate programs. it is another NAIA school in Kentucky.

The College’s athletic team is called The Union Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs, and they predominantly compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) for most of its sports since the 2002–03 academic year.

They currently participate in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men and women.

Their Men’s Sports include; Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field

Their Women’s Sports include; Basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

Their Co-ed Sports include; Archery and cheerleading

5.       University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, KY

The University of Cumberlands is one of the religious private universities in Williamsburg, founded in 1888 by Baptist ministers as Cumberland College. They offer both undergraduate and graduate programs. They also support over 15000 students all over the world with online learning.

Their athletic team known as The Patriots competes primarily in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) for most of its sports since the 1995–96 academic years.

Currently, the University of Cumberlands competes in 28 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men’s and women’s sports.

For Women they have; Basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Men have; Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and wrestling.

Their Co-ed Sports include; Archery, cheerleading, dance, and eSports.

6.      Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY

Built on a Baptist Foundation, George College is amongst the top Christian Colleges in Kentucky. The college offers excellent academic programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and professions. Over 90% of their faculty have the highest degree in their field offering both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Georgetown College’s athletic team is called The Tigers and competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men’s and women’s sports.

Their Male Sports are; Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), and volleyball.

Their Female Sports are; Basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), and volleyball.

Their Co-ed Sports include; Archery and cheerleading

7.      Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KY

Lindsey Wilson College is also one of the private religious colleges affiliated with the Methodist Church in Kentucky and offers numerous undergraduate and graduate degrees, majors, and programs 

As one of the top NAIA member colleges in the state. The school’s athletic team called The Blue Raiders competes primarily in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). Currently, the Blue Raiders compete in 25 NAIA intercollegiate varsity sports for both men and women.

Male Sports include; Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.

Female Sports include; Basketball, bowling, cross country, dance, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball

Co-ed Sports include; Archery, cheerleading, and cycling.

8.      Kentucky Christian University, Grayson, KY.

Founded in 1919 as Christian Normal Institute, Kentucky Christian University (KCU) is a private Christian university and one of the NAIA member universities in Kentucky. The school offers different Arts, Science, and Business related courses in different faculties of learning.

The school’s athletic team is called The Knights and Lady Knights and competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) since the 2019–20 academic year.

Currently, Kentucky Christian University competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men’s and women’s sports.

Their Male Sports include; Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, and track & field,

Their Female Sports include; Basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball.

Their Co-ed Sports include; Archery, bass fishing, and cheerleading

9.       Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passes, KY

Alice Lloyd College is a private, four-year college, known for its rich tradition; the school was co-founded by the journalist Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd and June Buchanan in 1923. They offer different academic degrees and majors ranging from Bachelor’s degrees to pre-professional programs.

Their sports team is known as The Eagles and is known for their trademark blue and white colors and they compete currently in 15 NAIA intercollegiate athletic sports for both men and women. Some of their sports for Men are (Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and track & field (indoor and outdoor))

Sports for women are (Basketball, cheerleading, cross country, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor), and volleyball)

They also have some college clubs for sports like Bass Fishing and Esports.

10.   Brescia University, Owensboro, KY

Brescia University was founded as a junior college for women, but it is now a co-educational university, it is a private Roman Catholic university that is located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The school offers over 50 majors and minors in undergraduate, graduate, and online programs.

Their athletic team known as The Bearcats competes in 18 intercollegiate varsity sports for both men and women.

Some of their Men’s sports include; Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track & field.

Their Women’s Sports include; Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Their Co-ed Sports include; Cheerleading, dance, and eSports.

11.  Campbellsville University, Campbellsville, KY

Campbellsville University (CU) was founded as a Baptist college, it is, however, open to all denominations. It is a private Christian university with more than 12,000 students. They offer various academic and online programs in 13 different schools and colleges.

Campbellsville University is one of the top NAIA universities in Kentucky, their athletic team is called The Tigers and they are known for their maroon and gray colors.

Their Women’s Sports include; Basketball, bowling, cross country, dance, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and others

Their Men’s Sports include; Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, and others

Their Co-ed Sports include; Archery, bass fishing, kayak bass fishing, cheerleading, and eSports.

Conclusion

These are the 11 NAIA colleges and universities in Kentucky, and I hope, from this list, you can find a suitable school for you to pursue your career.

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