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Morehead State University: MSU campus from ADUC
Photo: Leroyky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Morehead State University

Morehead, KY · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $9,793 a year

Median debt at graduation: $22,250 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.52%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.65%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.16 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$10,768

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $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

Full cost of attendance before aid: $21,961 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
8,058
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 39% · Women 61%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
41%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
14%
Total students8,618
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$9,793
Cost of attendance (per year)$21,961
Median federal debt at graduation$22,250
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
52%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
43%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
42%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
47%
First-year retention65%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$43,197
Admission rate77%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$30
Students receiving Pell grants30%

Value: Very good · Top 34% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$85,740
Engineering-Related Fields$85,181
Allied health$76,850
Engineering Technologies/Technicians$76,568
Biology$65,624
Physics$62,865
Management information systems$59,145
Business administration$55,282
Computing and information science$51,805
Sociology$50,331
Business (general)$50,191
Accounting$50,125
Mathematics$47,916
Secondary education$47,242
Public relations$46,667
Kinesiology and exercise science$45,877
Psychology$45,874
Agriculture$45,255
Social work$45,201
Communication studies$44,149
Liberal arts$43,422
Marketing$41,206
Pre-law and legal studies$40,990
Music$40,768
Special education$39,777
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians$38,347
Teacher education$37,275
English$35,895
Fine arts$32,257

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Agricultural Production Operations, Chemistry, Finance, Geology and earth science, Global studies, History, Industrial technology, Managerial economics, Neuroscience, Other agricultural/animal/plant/veterinary science, Other engineering/engineering-related technologies/technicians, Philosophy, Political science, Romance languages, Social sciences, Systems Engineering, Theatre, Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business15%
Liberal arts and general studies13%
Education9%
Health professions8%
Agriculture7%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates8%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older7%
On-campus room and board (per year)$10,994
SportsNCAA Division I · Ohio Valley Conference
ROTCArmy
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member16 to 1
Faculty who are full-time80%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$9,934Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 40% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsTri-State Airport / Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS)About 49 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population6,8702020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreLexington-FayetteAbout 57 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January33°F1991–2020 normal, from CAVE RUN LAKE, KY US, about 7 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July75°F1991–2020 normal, from CAVE RUN LAKE, KY US, about 7 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.230.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.230.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Morehead State University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B-). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Morehead State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $9,793 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Morehead State University?
Morehead State University admitted 77% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Morehead State University’s graduates do?
52% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $43,197; the median federal debt at graduation is $22,250.

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About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 157386
  • Carnegie classification: Master's university (larger programs)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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