[7][8] On March 21, 1906, Governor J. C. W. Beckham signed legislation which established the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School No.

Funding for the multimillion-dollar project relied heavily on public-private partnerships (P3) under the leadership of then-President Michael T. Benson.

The construction efforts mark the most significant period of campus facility development since President Robert R. Martin's tenure in the 1960s.

Among the renovations and additions are: Presidents of the institution have included:[18] The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

[8][21] Eastern Kentucky University has achieved national recognition, including mostly recently by the U.S. News & World Report 2022 rankings: EKU was also ranked by the 2019 Forbes Magazine America's Top Colleges:[23] According to 2022 data from College Scorecard, Eastern Kentucky University graduates earn a median salary of $42,000 ten years after their entry into the institution.

[24] The median salaries of graduates vary across disciplines, with criminal justice majors earning around $33,000, biology $40,000, psychology $35,000, nursing $65,000, and Computer and Information Science $72,000.