Public Graduate Strong 70/100

Morehead State University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Morehead, Kentucky

About Morehead State University

Thinking about Morehead State University, a college in Kentucky where more students graduate in Education than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Morehead State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Morehead, Kentucky. It enrolls 4,578 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
77.2%
Graduation
44%
Net Price
$9,793
Median Earnings (10yr)
$43,197
Enrollment
4,578
Student : Faculty
14:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 29
Value 88
Affordability 67
Selectivity 48

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Morehead State University admits 77.2% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
77.2%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Morehead State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 4.5 pts since 2019
77.6%201976.7%202089.8%202184%202282.1%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $9,793 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$9,793
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
30%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
34%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$10,024
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$14,980
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,994
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,416
Books & Supplies
$480
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,028
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,970
Total Cost of Attendance
$21,961

Application fee: $30 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $7,150
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $7,057
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $8,874
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $13,341
  • Over $110,000
    $15,164

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,250
10% percentile
$6,250
25% percentile
$22,250
Median percentile
$26,423
75% percentile
$36,396
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $15,382 ↓ $6,868
No Pell $12,865 ↓ $9,385
Dependent students $14,000 ↓ $8,250
Independent students $17,476 ↓ $4,774
Female students $15,000 ↓ $7,250
Male students $14,233 ↓ $8,017
Pell recipients: 17.3% (3,847 students)No Pell: 14.5% (3,218 students)Dependent students: 15.7% (3,502 students)Independent students: 19.6% (4,371 students)Female students: 16.9% (3,752 students)Male students: 16.0% (3,560 students)Overall Median$22,250
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($22,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

44% of students who start here finish within six years, and 67% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
44%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
67%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $43,197 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$43,197
Earning > $25K
72%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$36,000$38,000$40,000$42,000$44,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$32,300

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$42,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$33,000

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$37,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$44,800

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,500, about 25% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 15.3 pts across 6 years
51.9%1yr60%3yr60.7%5yr67.1%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 67% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 4,578 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 41% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
4,578
Part-Time
8%
First-Generation
41%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 83.7% 3,832
Other 4.4% 202
Hispanic 3.2% 147
Black 3.1% 141
International 2.9% 131
Asian 0.8% 35
White: 83.7% (3,832 students)Other: 4.4% (202 students)Hispanic: 3.2% (147 students)Black: 3.1% (141 students)International: 2.9% (131 students)Asian: 0.8% (35 students)Total4,578

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Morehead State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Morehead, Kentucky
Housing
Mostly residential 3,200 beds on campus
Adult Learners
7% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Morehead State University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 70 distinct programs across 23 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

5 Programs
2 Programs
8 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$11,971
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$62M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$67,997
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

287 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 74 26% $82,172
Associate Professors 76 26% $73,722
Assistant Professors 61 21% $66,349
Instructors 76 26% $49,792

Pros & Cons of Morehead State University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Morehead State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical
Best for: Based on the data, Morehead State University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low.

Frequently Asked Questions about Morehead State University

The questions families ask most about Morehead State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Morehead State University hard to get into?
Not especially. Morehead State University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 77.2%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Morehead State University?
77.2% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Morehead State University cost?
Budget around $9,793 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Morehead State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $43,197 a year against a net price of $9,793, about 4.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Morehead State University known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Biology, Teacher Education (K-12). Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Morehead State University graduates earn?
About $43,197 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Morehead State University accredited?
Yes. Morehead State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Morehead State University?
4,578 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Morehead State University?
44% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Morehead State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Morehead State University located?
Morehead State University is located in Morehead, Kentucky.
What programs does Morehead State University offer?
70 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Biology, Teacher Education (K-12). If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Morehead State University?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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