More selective than 60% of Kentucky colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $21,961. College Scorecard.
Higher than 61% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 46% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 35% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 20% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Morehead State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,818 applicants, Morehead State University admitted 7,241 and 1,227 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Morehead State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Kentucky residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Morehead State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Morehead State University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Kentucky. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,150 | $30,674 | 3.2 years |
| $30–48k | $7,057 | $30,275 | 3.1 years |
| $48–75k | $8,874 | $38,069 | 3.9 years |
| $75–110k | $13,341 | $57,233 | 5.9 years |
| $110k+ | $15,164 | $65,054 | 6.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (37% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($43,197) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $9,681 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Morehead State University majors, earnings & careers
Morehead State University offers 49 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 9
- Business & Finance · 7
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Engineering · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Morehead State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $85,740 | $29,000 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $85,181 | $22,580 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $76,850 | $26,000 |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $76,568 | $28,396 |
| Biology | $65,624 | $19,250 |
| Physics | $62,865 | $27,736 |
| Management Information Systems | $59,145 | — |
| Business Administration | $55,282 | $25,558 |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Accounting$50,125
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering—
- Agricultural / Animal / Plant / Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other—
- Agricultural Production Operations—
- Agriculture$45,255
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$76,850
- Biology$65,624
- Business$50,191
- Business Administration$55,282
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- Communications$44,149
- Computer and Information Sciences$51,805
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$37,275
- Education (Subject Teaching)$47,242
- Engineering / Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians, Other—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians$76,568
- Engineering-Related Fields$85,181
- English$35,895
- Finance—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- History—
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$45,877
- Legal Studies / Paralegal$40,990
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$43,422
- Management Information Systems$59,145
- Marketing$41,206
- Mathematics$47,916
- Music$40,768
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$85,740
- Philosophy—
- Physics$62,865
- Political Science—
- Psychology$45,874
- Public Relations and Advertising$46,667
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$45,201
- Sociology$50,331
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$39,777
- Studio Art$32,257
- Systems Engineering—
- Theatre—
- Veterinary / Animal Health Technologies / Technicians$38,347
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Social Work → Social worker
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 4.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Morehead
2 bedrooms $977.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 7 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Rowan County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Rowan County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Morehead State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Kentucky by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead State University | 77% | $9,793 | 52% | $43,197 | This school |
| Murray State University | 86% | $9,096 | 61% | $44,737 | |
| Northern Kentucky University | 68% | $8,191 | 52% | $50,220 | |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 78% | $11,040 | 50% | $45,795 | |
| Kentucky State University | 96% | $8,040 | 32% | $36,382 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Morehead State University would cost you $697 more per year than Murray State University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Morehead State University, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$2,823).
- Murray State University gives aided families $2,221 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kentucky resident | Morehead State University | Murray State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $10,024 | $9,900 | +$124 |
| Books & supplies | $480 | $900 | −$420 |
| Housing & meals | $8,942 | $10,594 | −$1,652 |
| Personal & travel | $2,894 | $5,717 | −$2,823 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$379 | −$3,626 | +$3,247 |
| Sticker price | $21,961 | $23,485 | −$1,524 |
| Average grants | −$12,168 | −$14,389 | +$2,221 |
| You pay | $9,793 | $9,096 | +$697 |
“+” means Morehead State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Morehead State University
What is the Morehead State University acceptance rate?
Morehead State University accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,241 of 8,818 applicants were admitted.
How much does Morehead State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $21,961 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $9,793 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,150 and families earning $110k+ pay $15,164.
How much do Morehead State University graduates earn?
Former Morehead State University students earn a median $43,197 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Morehead State University graduation rate?
52% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 65% return for their second year.
How long does a Morehead State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Morehead State University costs about $38,069 after grants ($8,874 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $43,197 ten years after starting, $9,681 more than high school graduates in Kentucky ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 3.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Morehead State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/morehead-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).