Best Legal Studies Schools Near Ashland, KY (2026)

Ashland, Kentucky has 2 accredited schools offering legal studies programs. Ashland has a population of about 21,405. Median household income is $52,199 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 24.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metro area, the top-earning legal studies-related role is Lawyer at a median $98,070 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer legal studies programs near Ashland, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Ashland city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Ashland. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Morehead State University

Morehead, KY 46.7 miles from Ashland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,197
Avg net price $9,793/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY 105.6 miles from Ashland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,220
Avg net price $8,191/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY 110.8 miles from Ashland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,384
Avg net price $21,835/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY 231.9 miles from Ashland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,889
Avg net price $10,990/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 152

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Kentucky Wesleyan College

Owensboro, KY 248.2 miles from Ashland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
40.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 72%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,747
Avg net price $17,131/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,673
Out‑of‑state$34,673
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kentucky schools on the Kentucky legal studies page.


Ashland is part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metro area (BLS area code 26580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$51,880Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH$58,688
Lawyer$98,070Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH$110,939
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$46,400Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH$52,489

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Ashland at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population21,405Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$52,199Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+24.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)88.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024


Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering legal studies programs near Ashland. The closest is Morehead State University in Morehead, KY (46.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ohio University-Main Campus (66.7 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles near Ashland are: Lawyer ($98,070), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($51,880), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($46,400). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Huntington instead of Ashland?

Huntington, WV is 11.9 miles from Ashland and has its own set of local legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Ashland’s median household income of $52,199 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ashland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kentucky public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Other Programs Available in Ashland

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Ashland:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.