Chaumiere des Prairies · Photo: Moonstone3 · CC BY-SA 3.0Asbury University is 5.6 miles from Keene
No college sits inside Keene’s boundary, but Asbury University’s campus in Wilmore, with 1,342 students on campus, is 5.6 miles from the center of town, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College is 11.3 miles away in Lexington. About 3% of Keene’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kentucky (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Keene. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Keene
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Keene
Four private colleges within 14.2 miles, one public college within 10.1 miles, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College 11.3 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Over $110k, where Keene’s median household income ($130,625) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Keene: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Keene
Is Keene a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Keene residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Kentucky (6). The nearest campus, Asbury University, is 5.6 miles away in Wilmore.
What colleges are near Keene?
Within 15 miles: Asbury University (5.6 miles, 1,342 students on campus), Asbury Theological Seminary (5.6 miles, 1,085), the University of Kentucky (10.1 miles, 28,008), Transylvania University (11.2 miles, 1,022), Bluegrass Community and Technical College (11.3 miles, 7,363) and Midway University (14.2 miles, 1,426).
What is the closest community college to Keene, and what does it cost?
Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington, 11.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,808 a year for Kentucky residents; the federal net price, $6,113, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Kentucky cost if we live in Kentucky?
Tuition and fees are $13,502 a year in-state and $34,140 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $12,182 (under $30,000 income) to $26,781 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Keene. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →