$44,737
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Murray State University is a public 4-year college in Murray, Kentucky with 6,688 undergraduates and 2,169 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $9,096 a year (tuition and fees $9,900 in-state, $19,836 out-of-state). It admits 86% of applicants and 61% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $44,737 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$9,096
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$9,900
Out-of-state $19,836
Admission rate
86%
US median 78%
Completion rate
61%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,500
About $217 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$44,737
Rank 2,046 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $9,096
- Tuition in-state
- $9,900
- Tuition out-of-state
- $19,836
- Cost of attendance
- $23,485
- Students with a need-based grant
- 33%
- Students with federal loans
- 35%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $6,242
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,347
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $8,104
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $12,811
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,450
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,608 in 2015-16 to $9,900 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 86%
- Average SAT
- 1,133
- SAT reading, middle
- 550
- SAT math, middle
- 530
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 6,688
- Graduate students
- 2,169
- Part-time students
- 8.8%
- Women
- 61%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 61%
- Retention rate
- 76%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 141
- Endowment
- $128.6M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,046 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 70 in Kentucky (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | KY median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $9,096 | $16,512 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,900 | $11,652 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 86% | 81% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 61% | 53% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 76% | 69% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,500 | $13,521 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $38,473 | $31,816 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $44,737 | $36,235 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 57% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 68% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
141 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, OtherOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 125 | $17,000 | $45,096 | $57,686 | $65,543 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 117 | $28,786 | $65,188 | $96,691 | $125,988 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 109 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 92 | $20,801 | $36,871 | $38,132 | $47,382 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 90 | $18,318 | $42,322 | $64,269 | $76,194 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 85 | $18,203 | $68,608 | $72,462 | $88,910 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $23,500 | $34,304 | $41,797 | $53,072 |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, OtherOnlineMaster's | Master's | 78 | $24,104 | $57,089 | $58,618 | $58,313 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 72 | $17,500 | $37,285 | $51,818 | $68,407 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 67 | $20,500 | $23,674 | $44,800 | $55,695 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 59 | $20,500 | $43,320 | $56,263 | $83,343 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 58 | $22,500 | $47,734 | $50,821 | $63,707 |
| Social WorkOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 55 | $23,500 | $31,692 | $41,165 | $51,790 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | $24,561 | $66,418 | $84,705 | $86,525 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 47 | $18,800 | $53,881 | $60,155 | $71,685 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $24,033 | $25,914 | $48,370 | $57,214 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $21,235 | $38,054 | $58,265 | $63,560 |
| Public AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 43 | Withheld | $53,876 | Withheld | $81,408 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 39 | $20,093 | $44,467 | $44,101 | $59,916 |
| Engineering PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $19,521 | $58,025 | $86,713 | $89,154 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralDoctoral | Doctoral | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $124,201 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $21,417 | $28,751 | $43,844 | $45,338 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $22,250 | $58,970 | $87,573 | $76,549 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Murray and Kentucky on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Kentucky
- Homes: Homes for sale in Kentucky
Questions and answers
How much does Murray State University cost?
$9,096 a year is the average net price at Murray State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,900 for in-state students and $19,836 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $23,485. Families earning under $30,000 pay $6,242 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Murray State University?
86% of applicants are admitted to Murray State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,133 and the middle ACT score is 24. The median admission rate of colleges in Kentucky is 81%.
How much do Murray State University graduates earn?
$44,737 a year is the median pay of former Murray State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($38,473 after 6 years). That ranks 2,046 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 70 in Kentucky. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral) at $185,872.
How much student debt do Murray State University graduates have?
$20,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Murray State University graduates, about $217 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 35% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Murray State University?
61% of first-time, full-time students at Murray State University finish within 6 years. 76% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Murray State University?
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other (125 bachelor's graduates), Business/Commerce, General (117 master's graduates), Animal Sciences (109 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 141 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.