R2 ResearchPublic

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·mtsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
54%
-2.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
20,488
peer median 16,288
Avg net price
$12,599
-$2.4k vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
14,989
14,989 candidates competed
Admitted
10,356
69.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
3,149
30.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
54%-2.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
36%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
54%
Full-time retention
80%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
48%
Non-Pell
43%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 136 Title IV programs, 67 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 69 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
136
Passing
67
49.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

136programs
  • Passing67 · 49.3%
  • No Data69 · 50.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
4
Safe
61
No data
69

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

67
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+0.6%
$33,179 vs $32,989
History
Master's Degree · History
+3.2%
$47,898 vs $46,391
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+13.0%
$37,274 vs $32,989
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+17.4%
$38,727 vs $32,989
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+19.0%
$39,268 vs $32,989
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+23.7%
$53,134 vs $42,937
Animal Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+27.2%
$41,965 vs $32,989
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+29.4%
$42,701 vs $32,989

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+0.6%
+$190
History
Master's Degree · History
+3.2%
+$1,507

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

60
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
67%
$35,686 debt · $53,134 earn
Public Health
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
67%
$31,000 debt · $46,320 earn
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
66%
$25,756 debt · $39,268 earn
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
63%
$28,437 debt · $45,464 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
62%
$20,458 debt · $33,179 earn
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
58%
$27,000 debt · $46,796 earn
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
54%
$30,750 debt · $56,781 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
54%
$24,367 debt · $45,155 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1928Next review Dec 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 9

Action history · 17

  1. Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Mar 2025Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Mar 2025Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$8,371
$30–48k$9,462
$48–75k$12,840
$75–110k$17,052
$110k+$17,620

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,599
-$2,401vs R2 Research median $15,001
Federal loans
31.1%
In-state tuition
$9,506
Out-of-state
$29,042

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 7,162 students received $40.1M in Pell grants, alongside $57.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
7,162
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$40.1M
$40,074,440 total
Direct Loans
$57.7M
9,423 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

7k
20
6k
21
6k
22
6k
23
7k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$14.5M
3,661 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$16.1M
4,022 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$13.6M
959 loan awards
Parent PLUS$10.6M
640 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.9M
141 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 5,072 borrowers who entered repayment, 120 (2.3%) defaulted within three years.

Default rate
2.3%
vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
5,072
Defaulted
120
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.3%
2017
9.7%
2018
7.6%
2019
2.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Middle Tennessee State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs108
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

4,484 total completions
01Business
1,26928.3%
02Visual/Performing Arts
60813.6%
03Multi/Interdisciplinary
50211.2%
04Transportation
4209.4%
05Biological Sciences
3567.9%
06Psychology
3507.8%
07Education
2896.4%
08Parks/Recreation
2395.3%
09Health Professions
2315.2%
10Social Sciences
2204.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
20,488
12-mo unduplicated
23,561
Undergraduate
20,377
Graduate
3,184

Gender split

Men
46%10,824
Women
54%12,737

Race / ethnicity composition

White
64.2%
Black
14.1%
Hispanic
9.7%
Asian
4.3%
Two or more
4.0%
Non-resident
2.0%
Unknown
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
349
223 M · 126 W
Women athletes
36.1%
Athletic aid
$9.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$43.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.9M
$3.7M
Recruiting expense
$507K
$198K
Head-coach salaries
$367K
$129K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
73 M · 54 W
$2.7M
Football
121 M ·
$16.2M
Baseball
40 M ·
$1.4M
Basketball
15 M · 15 W
$6.8M
Soccer
· 30 W
$1.3M
Softball
· 21 W
$1.2M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.00
20 offenses · 20,086 students

3-year trend

0.502 yrs ago0.511 yr ago1.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
42
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
34
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
7
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
8
Rape
5
Motor vehicle theft
3
Arson
1
Robbery
1
Fondling
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

20total
  • On campus17
  • Non-campus2
  • Public property1

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

7
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
5
Stalking
12 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion2
  • Sexual orientation2
  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons42
Drugs7549
Liquor929

Residence-hall fires

  • WOMACK APT. H1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 9 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
942

Middle Tennessee State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Middle Tennessee State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMiddle Tennessee State University
54%20,488$12,599R2 Research
East Tennessee State University
53%86.2%13,728$15,794R2 Research
Tennessee Technological University
58%76.1%10,511$14,207R2 Research
Tennessee State University
35%70.1%6,310$10,026R2 Research
James Madison University
80%71.5%22,740$21,816R2 Research
University of North Carolina Wilmington
71%64.2%18,848$19,472R2 Research
Peer group median56%71.5%16,288$15,001

Frequently asked questions about Middle Tennessee State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Middle Tennessee State.

What is the graduation rate at Middle Tennessee State University?

Middle Tennessee State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 54% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Middle Tennessee State University?

Middle Tennessee State University reports a total enrollment of 20,488 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Middle Tennessee State University?

The average net price at Middle Tennessee State University is $12,599 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Middle Tennessee State University?

Middle Tennessee State University's yield rate is 30.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Middle Tennessee State University located?

Middle Tennessee State University is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37132.

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