More selective than 44% 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 $23,485. College Scorecard.
Higher than 82% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 64% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 46% of Kentucky colleges we cover and 25% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Murray State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,038 applicants, Murray State University admitted 9,511 and 1,659 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 940–1170 on the SAT or 19–26 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Murray 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 Murray State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Murray 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 | $6,242 | $26,716 | 2.4 years |
| $30–48k | $6,347 | $27,165 | 2.4 years |
| $48–75k | $8,104 | $34,685 | 3.1 years |
| $75–110k | $12,811 | $54,831 | 4.9 years |
| $110k+ | $15,450 | $66,126 | 5.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (48% 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 ($44,737) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,221 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.
Murray State University majors, earnings & careers
Murray State University offers 63 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Science & Math · 8
- Business & Finance · 7
- Engineering · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 4
- Communications & Media · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Education · 3
Highest-earning majors at Murray State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $87,573 | $22,500 |
| Engineering Physics | $86,713 | $19,521 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians | $84,705 | $25,000 |
| Nursing | $72,462 | $25,082 |
| Computer Science | $67,173 | $25,000 |
| Information Science / Studies | $66,204 | $24,000 |
| Accounting | $64,269 | $18,750 |
| Business Administration | $63,679 | $21,061 |
Quick list of all 63 majors
- Accounting$64,269
- Agricultural / Animal / Plant / Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other$57,686
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Animal Sciences—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biology$48,370
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$45,127
- Business$51,818
- Business Administration$63,679
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering—
- Civil Engineering Technologies / Technicians$87,573
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$67,173
- Criminal Justice$48,437
- Dietetics—
- Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians$58,862
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$38,132
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians—
- Engineering Physics$86,713
- English$41,383
- Finance$56,263
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Graphic Communications—
- History$46,739
- Human Services—
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Science / Studies$66,204
- Information Technology—
- International Business—
- International Relations—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$57,764
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$41,797
- Linguistics—
- Marketing$56,780
- Mathematics$51,771
- Music$36,697
- Nursing$72,462
- Outdoor Education—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology (Research)$44,800
- Public Health$51,848
- Public Relations and Advertising$58,265
- Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians$84,705
- Social Work$41,165
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$36,657
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$50,387
- Studio Art$38,192
- Theatre—
- Veterinary / Animal Health Technologies / Technicians$40,839
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management$43,844
- 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 →Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
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
Living in Murray
2 bedrooms $1,155.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 58 inches of rain a year, 7 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Calloway County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Calloway County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Murray 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray State University | 86% | $9,096 | 61% | $44,737 | This school |
| Morehead State University | 77% | $9,793 | 52% | $43,197 | |
| Northern Kentucky University | 68% | $8,191 | 52% | $50,220 | |
| Western Kentucky University | 94% | $10,990 | 56% | $43,889 | |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 78% | $11,040 | 50% | $45,795 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Murray State University would cost you $697 less per year than Morehead State University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Murray State University, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$2,823).
- Murray State University gives aided families $2,221 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Kentucky resident | Murray State University | Morehead State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,900 | $10,024 | −$124 |
| Books & supplies | $900 | $480 | +$420 |
| Housing & meals | $10,594 | $8,942 | +$1,652 |
| Personal & travel | $5,717 | $2,894 | +$2,823 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,626 | −$379 | −$3,247 |
| Sticker price | $23,485 | $21,961 | +$1,524 |
| Average grants | −$14,389 | −$12,168 | −$2,221 |
| You pay | $9,096 | $9,793 | −$697 |
“+” means Murray 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 Murray State University
What is the Murray State University acceptance rate?
Murray State University accepts 86% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 9,511 of 11,038 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 940–1170 on the SAT or 19–26 on the ACT.
How much does Murray State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,485 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $9,096 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $6,242 and families earning $110k+ pay $15,450.
How much do Murray State University graduates earn?
Former Murray State University students earn a median $44,737 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Murray State University graduation rate?
61% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year.
How long does a Murray State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Murray State University costs about $34,685 after grants ($8,104 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,737 ten years after starting, $11,221 more than high school graduates in Kentucky ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 3.1 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: “Murray State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/murray-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).