Public · University
Morehead State University
Morehead, Kentucky · Remote town
- 77.2%
- Admit rate
- $9,793
- Avg net price
- 52%
- Graduation rate
- $43,197
- Median earnings
Morehead State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Morehead, Kentucky (remote town setting), enrolling 4,578 undergraduates.
About Morehead, Kentucky
Morehead is a home rule-class city located along US 60 (the historic Midland Trail) and Interstate 64 in Rowan County, Kentucky, in the United States. The first European settlers came to Rowan County from Virginia following the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783. In 1854, Morehead became the third community to be settled in the county. Colonel John Hargis founded the city after purchasing land in the area. In 1974, tourism was boosted by the impoundment of Cave Run Lake, the largest lake in Eastern Kentucky. Cave Run Lake is also known as the Musky Capitol of the South. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 59 miles to Lexington, KY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 226 miles
- Nearest airport
- 49 miles to Tri-State Airport / Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS)
How Morehead State University compares
More selective than 50% · #11 most selective of 26 in Kentucky
Higher than 45% · #14 of 30 in Kentucky
Higher than 20%
Higher than 20% · #19 of 29 in Kentucky
Cheaper than 91% · #7 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky
Lower than 58%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Morehead State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kentucky.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate4,57890%
- Graduate53310%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,82762%
- Men1,75138%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White84%
- Black3.1%
- Hispanic3.2%
- Asian0.8%
- Other or multiracial9.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,578
- Graduate enrollment
- 533
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 30%
- First-generation students
- 41%
- Students over 25
- 7%
- Median family income
- $35,407
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $70,092
- Endowment
- $70,848,750
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 1,227 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kentucky83%
- Other U.S. states14%
- International3.3%
Most first-years stay in state — Morehead State University draws overwhelmingly from Kentucky.
3% came from outside the U.S. 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
- 77.2%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $10,024
- Out-of-state tuition
- $14,980
- Room & board
- $10,994
- Books & supplies
- $480
- Total cost of attendance
- $21,961
- Average net price
- $9,793
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)
- 52%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 40%
- First-year retention
- 65%
- Transferred to another college
- 6%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,131
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,197
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,250
- Students with federal loans
- 34%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 39%
About 12% 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)
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
- 3,200
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 70%
- Application fee
- $30
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FCS
- Football conference
- Pioneer Football League
- Varsity athletes
- 585 (292 men · 293 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 (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 7
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,791 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$8,874/year × about 4.4 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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 75% — get grant money from Morehead State University itself, averaging $8,530, which softens the sticker price.
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 1,190 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)
- $43,197
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 52%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 48%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $6,825 (17%) 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
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 50.8″
- Annual snow
- 12.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cave Run Lake, KY US station (7 mi from campus).
What Morehead State University graduates study — and earn
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 Morehead State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Morehead State University side by side →
Indiana University-South Bend
South Bend, Indiana · Midsize city · 2 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 3,933
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- 1081
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $45k
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, Oklahoma · Distant town · 88 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 3,018
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 1087
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $45k
University of South Carolina Aiken
Aiken, South Carolina · Large suburb · 16 mi to Augusta
- Students
- 2,962
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $46k
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, Louisiana · Small city · 72 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 5,005
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1087
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $46k
Murray State University
Murray, Kentucky · Distant town · 91 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 6,688
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- 1133
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $45k
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina · Midsize city · 51 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 5,762
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 959
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Morehead State University
Kentucky Welding Institute
Flemingsburg, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 143 students
Kentucky Christian University
Grayson, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 429 students
Maysville Community and Technical College
Maysville, KY · Public · Certificate · 2,284 students
Kentucky Mountain Bible College
Jackson, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 69 students
South Eastern Beauty Academy
Paintsville, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 45 students
Shawnee State University
Portsmouth, OH · Public · Bachelor's · 2,247 students
Paramount Beauty Academy
Portsmouth, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 51 students
Ashland Community and Technical College
Ashland, KY · Public · Certificate · 1,631 students
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.












