Public · University

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee · Midsize city

69.1%
Admit rate
$13,359
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$48,541
Median earnings

Middle Tennessee State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (midsize city setting), enrolling 16,301 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 16,301 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 69% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Conference USACold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Middle Tennessee State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
69.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1010–1230
Avg GPA (est.)
3.25

Enter a test score to see where you land against Middle Tennessee State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Middle Tennessee State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. On October 27, 1811, the Tennessee General Assembly designated the location for a new county seat for Rutherford County, giving it the name Cannonsburgh in honor of Newton Cannon, representative to the assembly for the local area. For over 30 years, Uncle Dave Macon Days has celebrated the musical tradition of Uncle Dave Macon. This annual July event includes national competitions for old-time music and dancing. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
364 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Nashville (BNA) · major hub

How Middle Tennessee State University compares

Selectivity69.1%

More selective than 65% · #18 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1121

Higher than 38%

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 48% · #16 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention80%

Higher than 61%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,541

Higher than 35% · #19 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$13,359

Cheaper than 79% · #13 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$20,000

Lower than 75%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment16,301

Larger than 93%

Percentiles compare Middle Tennessee State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

18,747students
  • Undergraduate16,30187%
  • Graduate2,44613%

Undergraduates by gender

16,301undergrads
  • Women9,46958%
  • Men6,83242%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White63%
  • Black14%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian4.3%
  • Other or multiracial8.1%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
16,301
Graduate enrollment
2,446
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$35,325
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$87,651
Endowment
$153,635,992

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 3,126 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee91%
  • Other U.S. states9.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Middle Tennessee State University draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
69.1%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1010–1230
SAT average
1121
SAT reading
520–630
SAT math
490–600
ACT composite
20–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.25

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,266
Out-of-state tuition
$31,574
Room & board
$12,242
Books & supplies
$1,260
Total cost of attendance
$24,289
Average net price
$13,359

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,941
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,541
Median debt at graduation
$20,000
Students with federal loans
28%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

About 18% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
48%
First-generation
47%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,518
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
15%
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Conference USA
Varsity athletes
491 (307 men · 184 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)151
Football149
Baseball43
Soccer32
Basketball30
Softball25
Tennis23
Golf20
Volleyball18

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
23
Property offenses (2022–2024)
28

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (20,488 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

17reported offenses a year
7.7 violent a year9.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.7
Motor vehicle theft
4.3
Rape
3.7
Aggravated assault
2.3
Fondling
1.3
Murder
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,289
$30–48k
$10,273
$48–75k
$13,007
$75–110k
$16,935
$110k+
$19,046

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$58,502

$13,007/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

50%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,434
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 50% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,434. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,761 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$48,541
Typical debt at graduation
$20,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$45,407
Men
$52,851

Men out-earn women by $7,444 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
89°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
55.9″
Annual snow
2.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Murfreesboro 5 N, TN US station (5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Middle Tennessee State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Middle Tennessee State University side by side →

Colleges near Middle Tennessee State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.