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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Morehead State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/morehead-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/morehead-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/morehead-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/morehead-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/morehead-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Morehead State University cost after financial aid?

Affordability is the clearest part of the cost picture at Morehead State University. The published cost of attendance is $21,961, with in-state tuition and fees of $10,024 and room and board of $10,994.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $14,980. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,793, and aid saves them $12,168 against the published cost on average.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, placing the university $4,275 below that benchmark. Azimuth ranks Morehead State University #158 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Its lower-than-peer net price and affordability standing point in the same direction.

At Morehead State University, costs for aid recipients are a relative bright spot, with an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—of $9,793. That is $4,275 below the $14,068 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth puts the affordability pillar in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Average net prices across the lowest-income through highest-income bands are $7,150, $7,057, $8,874, $13,341, and $15,164.

Borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $22,250, $1,021 above the $21,229 median at those comparable institutions. Lower average prices and higher borrowing pull the affordability picture in different directions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,150 for the lowest family-income band, $7,057 for the next band, $8,874 for the middle band, $13,341 for the next-highest band, and $15,164 for the highest band. Pell Grants go to 29.5% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,014.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,150

**$30–48K**
$7,057

**$48–75K**
$8,874

**$75–110K**
$13,341

**$110K+**
$15,164

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$9,793**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, so the sticker-to-net difference is substantial on average. That difference is represented by the average aid savings against the published price, not by a guaranteed grant for any one family.

The income-band pattern places the lowest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s in the lower-income bands, then moves upward through the middle and higher-income bands. This shows aid targeting by income pattern rather than a single price for all recipients.

Families should treat the band averages as a starting point: grants and scholarships can vary within each income band, and the published cost remains the common pre-aid figure.

For aid recipients, Morehead State University presents a relatively low published cost before grants are considered. The published cost of attendance is $21,961.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,150 for the lowest family-income band, $7,057 for the lower-middle family-income band, $8,874 for the middle family-income band, $13,341 for the upper-middle family-income band, and $15,164 for the highest family-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,014.

Azimuth ranks the university #158 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Across aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,793, with $12,168 in average aid savings against the sticker price. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068; Morehead State's average net price is $4,275 below that figure.

Published in-state tuition is $10,024, and out-of-state tuition is $14,980. For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,250, and 83.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229, placing the university's median $1,021 above it. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for parent borrowers is $10,050.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At Morehead State University, federal loans reach 83.3% of federal aid recipients, making borrowing a common part of the cost picture. Among completers who borrowed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $22,250.

That median is $1,021 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $21,229. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $10,050.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 72% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative principal of $22,284 per borrower. The reported figures include 71% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $19,202 per federal borrower.

They also include 11% of graduates with private loans, averaging $20,780 per private borrower.

Affordability is the pillar that stands out at Morehead State University. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $50,224, a figure in the 18th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is $7,077 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $6,524 less than the model expects for similar students.

The gap sits at the 30th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $38,408 in a downside case to $74,014 in an upside case.

The typical earnings scenario is $50,224. On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $22,250, which is $1,021 above the peer median of $21,229.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $10,050. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$10,050

**Estimated parent payment**
$128/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$22,250

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$10,050

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$253/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$128/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$381/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $50,224, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**11.0%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=morehead-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.