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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Murray State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

At Murray State University, the published cost is relatively low after aid, which fits its affordability standing. The standard published cost of attendance is $23,485, with in-state tuition and fees of $9,900.

Room and board are $11,112; out-of-state tuition and fees are $19,836. Among aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,096.

Financial aid offsets $14,389 from the published cost on average. The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, placing the university $4,972 below that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks Murray State University #142 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The low net price and below-peer comparison point in the same direction for aid recipients.

Murray State University scores highest on affordability, at the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $9,096, which sits $4,972 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

For borrowers who finish, median federal debt is $20,500, $729 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid recipients in the lowest income band average $6,242, while those in the highest band average $15,450.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are lowest for aid recipients in the lowest family-income band and increase across the remaining bands. The average net price is $6,242 in the lowest band, $6,347 in the next band, $8,104 in the middle band, $12,811 in the next-highest band, and $15,450 in the highest band.

Pell Grants reach 33.3% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,208.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$6,242

**$30–48K**
$6,347

**$48–75K**
$8,104

**$75–110K**
$12,811

**$110K+**
$15,450

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$9,096**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$18,465

**Estimated parent payment**
$235/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 13.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.2% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.0% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.9% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=murray-state-university#parent-tool). [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**
$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 $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**10.5%** 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, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 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=murray-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.