Murray State vs University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK)

Murray State University and the University of Nebraska at Kearney stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. Murray State, located in Murray, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring undergraduates. In contrast, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, situated in Kearney, Nebraska, maintains a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Murray State is renowned for its strong programs in education, business, and nursing, while the University of Nebraska at Kearney excels in fields such as business, education, and aviation. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding these institutions, including their student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal university for your academic and personal growth.
Murray State University logo

Murray State University

University of Nebraska at Kearney logo

University of Nebraska at Kearney

Overview

Location Murray, Kentucky Kearney, Nebraska
Campus setting Town: Remote Town: Distant
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 75.0% 76.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 85.2% 90.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $40
Undergraduate: $45

Graduate: $45
SAT range 960 - 1200 938 - 1133
ACT range 20 - 27 18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 16.0% 4.0%
Students submitting ACT score 86.0% 86.0%
Total number of applicants 9,144 6,076
Total number of admissions given out 7,787 5,488
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,395 958
Yield rate 17.9% 17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $26,219

Out of state: $35,495
In state: $24,300

Out of state: $30,552
Average net price $11,237 $16,433
Tuition
In state: $8,040

Out of state: $17,316
In state: $6,292

Out of state: $12,498
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $5,538

Meal plan: $4,330
Room/dormitory: $5,436

Meal plan: $5,192
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

99.0%
Average amount $11,753
85.0%
Average amount $7,441
Students receiving federal student loan 47.0%
Average amount $6,997
45.0%
Average amount $4,821
Students taking out private loans 7.0%
Average amount $10,075
5.0%
Average amount $9,368

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 7,651
Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
4,427
Men 37.7% Women 62.3%
Graduate students 1,763
Men 35.1% Women 64.9%
1,848
Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students N/A 9.9%
International students 5.4% 4.2%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 3,064 2,072
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri Nebraska Colorado Kansas Iowa Wyoming

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Agriculture
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 55.9% 58.0%
Dropout rate 42.8% 11.4%
Transferred out N/A 28.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $162,817
  • Year 3: $178,780
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,792
  • Year 2: $79,473
  • Year 3: $88,757
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,448
  • Year 2: $66,969
  • Year 3: $69,761
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,888
  • Year 2: $53,775
  • Year 3: $66,008
Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,643
  • Year 2: $59,485
  • Year 3: $65,410
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,121
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $59,977
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,148
  • Year 2: $58,142
  • Year 3: $55,771
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,974
  • Year 2: $59,485
  • Year 3: $54,238
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,117
  • Year 2: $56,641
  • Year 3: $52,217
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,964
  • Year 2: $50,856
  • Year 3: $50,840
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,208
  • Year 2: $58,479
  • Year 3: $63,133
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $48,641
  • Year 3: $54,125
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,040
  • Year 2: $52,607
  • Year 3: $53,723
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,490
  • Year 2: $48,302
  • Year 3: $53,277
Biology, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,246
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $52,603
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,894
  • Year 2: $45,618
  • Year 3: $52,491
Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,665
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $51,898
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,654
  • Year 2: $38,829
  • Year 3: $51,703
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,159
  • Year 2: $49,464
  • Year 3: $51,277
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,157
  • Year 2: $45,500
  • Year 3: $49,659

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Murray State University Murray State vs Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University
Murray State University Murray State vs University of West Alabama University of West Alabama
Murray State University Murray State vs University of North Alabama University of North Alabama
Murray State University Murray State vs Troy University Troy University
Murray State University Murray State vs Arkansas State University Arkansas State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Tech University
Murray State University Murray State vs University of Central Arkansas University of Central Arkansas
Murray State University Murray State vs Henderson State University Henderson State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Murray State University Murray State vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
Murray State University Murray State vs Clayton  State University Clayton State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Columbus State University Columbus State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Georgia College & State University Georgia College & State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University
Murray State University Murray State vs Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University
Murray State University Murray State vs Morehead State University Morehead State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Grambling State University Grambling State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University
Murray State University Murray State vs University of Louisiana at Monroe University of Louisiana at Monroe
Murray State University Murray State vs Northwestern State University of Louisiana Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Murray State University Murray State vs Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University
Murray State University Murray State vs University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska at Kearney
Murray State University Murray State vs William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson University of New Jersey
Murray State University Murray State vs SUNY College at Oswego SUNY College at Oswego
Murray State University Murray State vs Lee University Lee University
Murray State University Murray State vs Angelo State University Angelo State University
Murray State University Murray State vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
Murray State University Murray State vs Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Emporia State University Emporia State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Fort Hays State University Fort Hays State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Morehead State University Morehead State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Nicholls State University Nicholls State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs University of Louisiana at Monroe University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Salem State University Salem State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota State University Moorhead
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Bryan College of Health Sciences Bryan College of Health Sciences
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Central Community College Central Community College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Chadron State College Chadron State College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Concordia University-Nebraska Concordia University-Nebraska
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Doane University Doane University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Hastings College Hastings College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Metropolitan Community College Area Metropolitan Community College Area
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Peru State College Peru State College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Southeast Community College Area Southeast Community College Area
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Union College Union College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Wayne State College Wayne State College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Western Nebraska Community College Western Nebraska Community College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs York College York College
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs SUNY College at Oswego SUNY College at Oswego
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Dickinson State University Dickinson State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs University of Mary University of Mary
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Mayville State University Mayville State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Minot State University Minot State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs North Dakota State College of Science North Dakota State College of Science
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Valley City State University Valley City State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Southwestern Oklahoma State University Southwestern Oklahoma State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion University of Pennsylvania
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Black Hills State University Black Hills State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Dakota State University Dakota State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Northern State University Northern State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs University of South Dakota University of South Dakota
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs Angelo State University Angelo State University
University of Nebraska at Kearney UNK vs University of Wisconsin-River Falls University of Wisconsin-River Falls