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We are practitioners of the healing arts defining the standard for excellence in optometric education and vision care.
Our D.O. medical school is nationally ranked and recognized for a reputation of excellence in rural medicine and family healthcare. UPIKE’s osteopathy program gives you a clear path to success in the medical field.
Explore our online undergraduate and graduate programs and learn more about earning your degree at UPIKE.
The University of Pikeville is the leading higher education institution of Central Appalachia. Founded in 1889, UPIKE remains steadfast in our commitment to preparing students for the future while creating intellectual, cultural and economic opportunities for Appalachia. Maintaining our commitment to Christian principles, UPIKE recognizes the infinite worth of each person, respecting a variety of religious expressions.
UPIKE has 4 academic colleges and 2 professional schools.
Choose from more than 30 majors and programs.
More than 1,950 students attend UPIKE.
For undergraduate students, UPIKE's student to faculty ratio is 13:1.
99% of UPIKE freshmen receive some form of financial aid.
38% of our undergrads are first-generation college students.
“She was raised in Swampton, Kentucky. Six curves down the road from Salyersville, and up a little hollow on the right known as the right fork, but not officially named by anyone who mattered. Her life was simple. School, cleaning, cooking and helping her tired mother wrangle four younger brothers kept her days busy and helped her sleep well at night. All that changed the day her father told the family he had been transferred. Moved up north, away from the mountains and into the snow. She wasn’t sure about the move, but thought it would turn out OK. Things usually did. Years later, as I sit at a desk in the President’s office at the University of Pikeville, I have come to appreciate this short story in ways I had never anticipated before. This young woman, Lucy Allen, would grow to womanhood, meet a man named Vernon, and together they would start a family. My family. Lucy and Vernon raised five children, all of whom graduated from college. In the Allen and Salyer families, these would be the first children to do so. Just as my path is intertwined with theirs, if you dig deeply enough, chances are that your story shares similar roots. Most roads into America lead through the mountains of Appalachia. At the University of Pikeville, we seek to understand this thing we call place. For us, place is much deeper than the first definition you might find in an online dictionary. Place is about location, but also about history, connection to the land, connection to people, and understanding of our own unique calling. Together we live, learn and grow as we explore our place in the world. It is an exploration that never ends. In a world where it seems that everyone is trying to get away from something. We challenge you to know your world and to find your unique place in it. Welcome to the University of Pikeville – find your place, build your story.” Burton J. Webb, Ph.D./ President
“She was raised in Swampton, Kentucky. Six curves down the road from Salyersville, and up a little hollow on the right known as the right fork, but not officially named by anyone who mattered. Her life was simple. School, cleaning, cooking and helping her tired mother wrangle four younger brothers kept her days busy and helped her sleep well at night. All that changed the day her father told the family he had been transferred. Moved up north, away from the mountains and into the snow. She wasn’t sure about the move, but thought it would turn out OK. Things usually did.
Years later, as I sit at a desk in the President’s office at the University of Pikeville, I have come to appreciate this short story in ways I had never anticipated before. This young woman, Lucy Allen, would grow to womanhood, meet a man named Vernon, and together they would start a family. My family. Lucy and Vernon raised five children, all of whom graduated from college. In the Allen and Salyer families, these would be the first children to do so. Just as my path is intertwined with theirs, if you dig deeply enough, chances are that your story shares similar roots. Most roads into America lead through the mountains of Appalachia.
At the University of Pikeville, we seek to understand this thing we call place. For us, place is much deeper than the first definition you might find in an online dictionary. Place is about location, but also about history, connection to the land, connection to people, and understanding of our own unique calling. Together we live, learn and grow as we explore our place in the world. It is an exploration that never ends.
In a world where it seems that everyone is trying to get away from something. We challenge you to know your world and to find your unique place in it.
Welcome to the University of Pikeville – find your place, build your story.”
Burton J. Webb, Ph.D./ President
The University of Pikeville is located in Pikeville, a vibrant community in Eastern Kentucky. Pikeville is a growing town nestled in the mountains of Appalachia, experiencing rebirth thanks to progressive thinking and leaders that believe in what Pikeville can be for the 21st century.
UPIKE’s growing campus is situated in the heart of downtown Pikeville. Popular dining options and most academic buildings and residence halls are located at the top of “The 99,” an iconic series of stairs leading up to campus from the city. UPIKE’s state-of-the-art osteopathic medicine and optometry colleges add a dynamic mix of professional students to campus life.