---
title: Murray State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Murray, KY
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Murray State University

Murray, KY · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $44,737 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $30,046 – $66,231 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $15,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 61% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $23,485 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 68% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.34× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $16,737 | derived |

**61% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $15,000 (≈ 34% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $23,316 to $154,842 across 38 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Doctoral Degree | $154,842 | $92,445 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. | Master's Degree | $68,792 | not reported |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,448 | $24,561 |
| Engineering Physics. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,115 | $19,521 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,121 | $22,250 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,148 | $18,203 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Master's Degree | $53,643 | $28,786 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $51,117 | $42,000 |
| Information Science/Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,964 | $19,037 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $44,974 | $18,800 |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other. | Master's Degree | $44,076 | $24,104 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,888 | $23,475 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,114 | $22,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $42,436 | $22,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,996 | $18,318 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $38,530 | $20,093 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Master's Degree | $38,310 | not reported |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,777 | $17,000 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,524 | not reported |
| Community Organization and Advocacy. | Master's Degree | $36,386 | $39,986 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,133 | $21,061 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,385 | $17,500 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,844 | $18,687 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,714 | $20,801 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,374 | $21,997 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,376 | $23,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,368 | $24,033 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,268 | $21,411 |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,528 | $26,731 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,325 | $21,235 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,989 | $23,500 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,440 | not reported |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,912 | $21,750 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,553 | $22,925 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,308 | $25,000 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,130 | $21,417 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,818 | $20,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,316 | $22,500 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Murray State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?157401

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/murray-state-university-ky.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`