Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Morehead State University

Students comparing Morehead State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Morehead, Kentucky4,578 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 33Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Morehead State University: U.S. News ranks it #33 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #672 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #758 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,578 undergraduates, admits 77.2% of applicants, and posts a 52.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $14,980; aid recipients pay $9,793 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,197.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
77.2%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$9,793

62% below the $25,974 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$43,197

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
52.2%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$22,250

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedMorehead State University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Morehead State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (South)#33of 135Regional univ. (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#672of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#758of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Morehead State's position moves 20 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Morehead State

Morehead State University is a public institution in Morehead, Kentucky. Federal data show 65.0% first-year retention and a 14:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $9,793 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $25,974 sticker cost against $9,793 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Morehead State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$10,024

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$14,980

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$10,994

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $25,974 a year, but the average family pays $9,793 — a 62% difference. 29.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Morehead State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    65.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    4,578

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Morehead State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $14,980 and on-campus room and board is $10,994, for a published total of $25,974 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $9,793.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 77.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Bluefield State University

    Bluefield, WVPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Bluefield State University: U.S. News ranks it #39 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #341 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1188 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,042 undergraduates, admits 97.2% of applicants, and posts a 37.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $18,376; aid recipients pay $13,684 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $38,217.

    Acceptance rate
    97.2%
    Average net price
    $13,684
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $38,217
    6-yr graduation rate
    37.0%
    US News · Regional colleges (South)#39 of 131Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#341 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1188 of 2,605

    1,042 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    West Texas A & M University

    Canyon, TXPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    West Texas A & M University: U.S. News ranks it #47 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #667 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #360 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 6,917 undergraduates, admits 98.7% of applicants, and posts a 55.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $10,996; aid recipients pay $19,487 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $50,741.

    Acceptance rate
    98.7%
    Average net price
    $19,487
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $50,741
    6-yr graduation rate
    55.0%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#47 of 118Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#667 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#360 of 2,605

    6,917 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Delta State University

    Cleveland, MSPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Delta State University: U.S. News ranks it #51 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #524 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #659 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 1,620 undergraduates, admits 100.0% of applicants, and posts a 48.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $8,605; aid recipients pay $13,540 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $41,991.

    Acceptance rate
    100.0%
    Average net price
    $13,540
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $41,991
    6-yr graduation rate
    48.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#51 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#524 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#659 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    1,620 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Morehead State against these