Cost & financial aid brief
Murray State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Murray State University cost after financial aid?
The aid pattern places the lowest average prices with lower-income aid recipients, rather than offering the same discount across income bands. Against a published cost of $23,485, the average aid recipient has an average net price of $9,096, a sticker-to-net difference of $14,389.
Aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices move from $6,242 in the lowest income band to $6,347 in the next, $8,104 in the middle, $12,811 in the next-highest, and $15,450 in the highest.
That range shows aid targeting by income band as a pricing pattern, not a promise for any individual family.
Murray State University posts a published cost of attendance of $23,485. Aid recipients in the lowest family-income band see an average net price—what they pay after grants and scholarships—of $6,242, while those in the highest band average $15,450.
The three middle bands run $6,347, $8,104, and $12,811, making the full spread from lowest to highest $9,208. Azimuth ranks the university #142 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 61% of the published cost, an average offset of $14,389. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $9,096, a figure that sits $4,972 below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The university publishes in-state tuition at $9,900 and out-of-state tuition at $19,836. Federal student loan borrowers who complete carry median debt of $20,500, and 83.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
The peer median federal debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university $729 below that benchmark. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,465.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing at Murray State University is widespread, but median federal student loan debt for completers is slightly below its peer benchmark. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,500.
At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229, making the university's median $729 below that mark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,465.
Affordability is the stronger part of the picture at Murray State University, but the earnings measures are less favorable. Median earnings are $50,487 four years after completion, and Azimuth places that figure in the 19th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, are also low. Graduates earn about $9,655 less than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places that measure in the 20th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings scenarios range from $39,193 in the downside scenario to $74,176 in the upside scenario, with $50,487 as the typical scenario.
Median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,500, $729 below the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Lower borrowing sits alongside a limited payment, but both earnings measures point the other way.
The separate parent-borrower population has median Parent PLUS borrowing of $18,465. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $18,465
- Estimated parent payment
- $235/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $18,465
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $235/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $468/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 $50,487, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.0% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- 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.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.
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.
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.