Best Photography Schools Near Lexington, KY (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Lexington, Kentucky has 3 accredited schools offering photography programs, with tuition ranging from $4,808 to $53,879 per year for indexed programs. Lexington has a population of about 312,495. In the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area, the top-earning photography-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $58,880 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Photography Schools to Lexington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer photography programs near Lexington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lexington 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 Lexington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Graduation rate 61%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,737

Avg net price $9,096/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

218 Wells Hall Murray, KY 42071-3318
(270) 809-3011
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 76%
Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

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

Photography Wages Near Lexington

Lexington is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area (BLS area code 30460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Photographer	$47,170	Lexington-Fayette, KY	$50,775
Graphic Designer	$58,880	Lexington-Fayette, KY	$63,380

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.

Lexington at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	92.9 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Lexington-Area Cities With Photography Programs

Nicholasville, KY – 12.0 mi away (30,052 pop)
Georgetown, KY – 13.5 mi away (35,353 pop)
Winchester, KY – 14.9 mi away (25,961 pop)
Richmond, KY – 23.8 mi away (39,267 pop)
Frankfort, KY – 24.4 mi away (39,034 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited photography schools are near Lexington, KY?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering photography programs near Lexington. The closest is Jefferson Community and Technical College in Louisville, KY (71.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Shawnee State University (92.1 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying photography roles near Lexington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying photography-related roles near Lexington are: Graphic Designer ($58,880), Photographer ($47,170). 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 Nicholasville instead of Lexington?

Nicholasville, KY is 12.0 miles from Lexington and has its own set of local photography programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

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.

Learn More About Photography Programs

Other Programs Available in Lexington

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

Data verified: August 25, 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.

Back to Best Photography Schools in Kentucky: Online Programs (2026)