# Murray State University

Public college in Murray, KY. IPEDS ID 157401.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/murray-state-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/murray-state-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 86% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $9,096 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 61%; beats 82% of KY colleges and 64% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $44,737; beats 46% of KY colleges and 25% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $6,242 |
| 30-48k | $6,347 |
| 48-75k | $8,104 |
| 75-110k | $12,811 |
| 110k+ | $15,450 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.28 years on average (48% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $44,737 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in KY (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $23,485 in-state; about $33,421 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $9,900 in-state, $19,836 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $10,594; books: $900

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 480–600; SAT math: 460–570; ACT: 19–26 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 11,038 applicants, 9,511 admitted, 1,659 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 86%, ACT 19–26 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 86%, ACT 19–26 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (63 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $58,970 | $87,573 | $22,500 |
| Engineering Physics | $58,025 | $86,713 | $19,521 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies / Technicians | $66,418 | $84,705 | $25,000 |
| Nursing | $68,608 | $72,462 | $25,082 |
| Computer Science | $36,938 | $67,173 | $25,000 |
| Information Science / Studies | $43,178 | $66,204 | $24,000 |
| Accounting | $42,322 | $64,269 | $18,750 |
| Business Administration | $40,804 | $63,679 | $21,061 |
| Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $53,085 | $58,862 | $22,612 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $38,054 | $58,265 | $22,250 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | not reported | $57,764 | $22,500 |
| Agricultural / Animal / Plant / Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other | $45,096 | $57,686 | $18,500 |
| Marketing | $45,042 | $56,780 | $21,997 |
| Finance | $43,320 | $56,263 | $21,500 |
| Public Health | $38,753 | $51,848 | $26,000 |
| Business | $37,285 | $51,818 | $18,200 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $51,771 | not reported |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | not reported | $50,387 | $24,184 |
| Criminal Justice | $32,041 | $48,437 | $22,875 |
| Biology | $25,914 | $48,370 | $24,475 |
| History | $27,831 | $46,739 | $25,500 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $28,041 | $45,127 | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | $23,674 | $44,800 | $20,500 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | $28,751 | $43,844 | $21,500 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $34,304 | $41,797 | $28,162 |
| English | $25,543 | $41,383 | $26,000 |
| Social Work | $31,692 | $41,165 | $28,000 |
| Veterinary / Animal Health Technologies / Technicians | $33,536 | $40,839 | $24,250 |
| Studio Art | $21,715 | $38,192 | $24,619 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $36,871 | $38,132 | $22,324 |
| Music | $34,098 | $36,697 | $26,731 |
| Special Education | $36,197 | $36,657 | $20,775 |
| Animal Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Journalism | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graphic Communications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians | $79,974 | not reported | $28,500 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Outdoor Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | $48,334 | not reported | $25,000 |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Services | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Relations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Political Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | $25,000 |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dietetics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher: median wage not reported (metro), $60,610 (KY), $63,970 (U.S.)
- Social Work → Social worker: median wage not reported (metro), $59,100 (KY), $59,550 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).