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.

PublicMidsize · 4,578 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Pioneer Football LeagueCold winters

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
To Great Lakes shore
226 miles
Nearest airport
49 miles to Tri-State Airport / Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS)

How Morehead State University compares

Selectivity77.2%

More selective than 50% · #11 most selective of 26 in Kentucky

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 45% · #14 of 30 in Kentucky

First-year retention65%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,197

Higher than 20% · #19 of 29 in Kentucky

Average net price$9,793

Cheaper than 91% · #7 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky

Median debt at graduation$22,250

Lower than 58%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment4,578

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

5,111students
  • Undergraduate4,57890%
  • Graduate53310%

Undergraduates by gender

4,578undergrads
  • 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)

All students
40%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
41%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)134
Other Sports133
Football129
Baseball39
Basketball33
Soccer31
Beach Volleyball22
Golf20
Softball18
Volleyball16
Rifle10

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.

6.0reported offenses a year
3.7 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Burglary
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7

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
$7,150
$30–48k
$7,057
$48–75k
$8,874
$75–110k
$13,341
$110k+
$15,164

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
$38,648

$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.

75%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,530
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$40,875
Men
$47,700

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

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cave Run Lake, KY US station (7 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 Morehead State University

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

Colleges near Morehead 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.