Murray State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Murray, Kentucky. It enrolls 6,688 students (a large 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.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
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
76/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes53
Value91
Affordability73
Selectivity39
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Murray State University admits 85.7% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
85.7%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
940 – 1170
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
19 – 26
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized 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 Murray State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↑
3.8 pts
since 2019
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 $9,096 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.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$9,900
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$19,836
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,112
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,566
Books & Supplies
$940
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,622
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,492
Total Cost of Attendance
$23,485
Application fee: $40 (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
$6,242
$30,001 – $48,000
$6,347
$48,001 – $75,000
$8,104
$75,001 – $110,000
$12,811
Over $110,000
$15,450
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.
$3,49710%percentile
$6,00025%percentile
$20,500Medianpercentile
$26,00075%percentile
$34,73590%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 $15,892
↓ $4,608
No Pell $13,500
↓ $7,000
Dependent students $14,250
↓ $6,250
Independent students $17,236
↓ $3,264
Female students $14,998
↓ $5,502
Male students $15,000
↓ $5,500
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($20,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
51% of students who start here finish within six years, and 76% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. 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
51%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
76%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $44,737 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)
$44,737
Earning > $25K
75%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
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
$37,000
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$49,700
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$38,700
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$42,000
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$46,500
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $12,700, about 26% 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 ↑
14.7 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 82% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 6,688 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 34% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
6,688
Part-Time
9%
First-Generation
34%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 78.4%5,243
Black 6.1%406
International 4.1%275
Other 3.7%249
Hispanic 3.5%234
Asian 0.8%53
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Murray State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Murray State University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
95 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.
There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$11,339
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$115M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$67,922
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
438 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
97
22%
$84,156
Associate Professors
124
28%
$70,981
Assistant Professors
105
24%
$69,488
Instructors
112
26%
$49,007
Pros & Cons of Murray State University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Murray State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Murray 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 Murray State University
The questions families ask most about Murray State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Murray State University hard to get into?
Not especially. Murray State University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 85.7%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Murray State University?
85.7% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Murray State University?
Aim for 1170 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 940 and 1170 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Murray State University?
Aim for 26 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 19 and 26 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Murray State University cost?
Budget around $9,096 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 Murray State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $44,737 a year against a net price of $9,096, about 4.9 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 Murray State University known for?
Mostly Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science, Business, Animal Sciences. 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 Murray State University graduates earn?
About $44,737 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 Murray State University accredited?
Yes. Murray State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Murray State University?
6,688 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Murray State University?
51% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Murray State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Murray State University located?
Murray State University is located in Murray, Kentucky.
What programs does Murray State University offer?
95 different programs, most commonly Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science, Business, Animal Sciences. 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 Murray State University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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