Access
Education within reach of Kentucky communities, in person and online.
Our Legacy
Eight decades of Kentucky careers.
Founded in 1941 to meet the workforce needs of Kentucky communities — and still evolving, still Kentucky.
Heritage at a glance
Rooted in access, relevance, and opportunity.
For more than eight decades, American National University of Kentucky has served the Commonwealth through career-focused education. Founded in 1941 to meet the workforce needs of Kentucky communities, the institution has continually evolved — expanding programs, embracing new delivery models, and strengthening academic quality — while remaining grounded in its Kentucky identity.
From its early role preparing business professionals to today's offerings in healthcare, technology, and graduate education, the Kentucky institution reflects a long-standing commitment to applied learning. Strategic collaboration with national partners has expanded resources and reach, but the mission, governance, and heritage of American National University Kentucky remain distinctly its own.
Relevance
Programs built around the work employers are actually hiring for.
Applied learning
Hands-on training, labs, and externships over abstract theory.
Kentucky identity
Mission, governance, and heritage that remain distinctly our own.
Timeline of key milestones
From National Business College to American National University of Virginia.
1941
Founded
Founded as Crump Commerce College
Established to prepare students for practical careers in business and commerce.
1952
Growth
Renamed Kentucky Business College
Reflecting expanded academic offerings and a growing student population.
1970
Recognition
Accredited as a business college
A significant step in academic recognition for the institution.
1977
Recognition
Full accreditation as a Junior College of Business
Awarded by the Association of Independent Colleges and Schools.
1979
Expansion
Renamed Kentucky Junior College of Business
Reflecting the institution's junior college accreditation status.
Late 1970s
Expansion
Expanded across Kentucky and the region
New campuses in Lexington, Danville, Erlanger, Pikeville, and Richmond.
1990s
Modernization
Modernization and facility upgrades
A period of investment to better serve students across the Commonwealth.
1999
Collaboration
Adopted the name National Business College
Reflecting a strategic collaboration with Virginia-based National Business College — while remaining an independent Kentucky institution.
Early 2000s
Collaboration
Fugazzi College joins the family
Founded in 1915 to support women entering the business workforce, Fugazzi strengthened the central Kentucky presence.
2013
University
Renamed American National University of Kentucky
Reflecting graduate-level offerings, academic diversification, and expanded online and international education.
Today
Serving learners across Kentucky, the United States, and around the world.
American National University of Kentucky continues its strategic collaboration with American National University, serving students through hybrid and distance education models with associate, bachelor's, and graduate programs.
Add your chapter.
Eighty-five years of Kentucky graduates started exactly where you are now.