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Murray State University: MSU campus-074L (6059659766)
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College · Catholic life on campus

Murray State University

  • LocationMurray, KY
  • Type and sizePublic · 4-year · 9,841 students
Official website
Campus Ministry Honor Roll badge

Murray State University is not a Catholic college. This rating measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes.

The Catholic campus ministry serving Murray State is the Newman Catholic Center at Murray State University, listed at 220 N 13th Street in Murray and run through St. Leo Catholic Church. Fr. Josh McCarty is listed as chaplain, with a campus minister and a FOCUS missionary team. The published schedules show weekday and weekend Masses and weekly confession at St. Leo, and the Newman site lists Bible studies and OCIA classes.

Mass, confession, and adoration

Confirm with the parish

Mass 6

  • Saturday4:00 PMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray
  • Saturday6:00 PMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray · Spanish.
  • Sunday8:00 AMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray
  • Sunday11:00 AMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray
  • Monday, Friday12:05 PMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray
  • Wednesday, Thursday6:00 PMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray

Confession 2

  • Wednesday5:00 PMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray · Confession until 5:45 PM.
  • Saturday2:00 PMSt. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St., Murray · Confession until 3:00 PM.

Times come only from official parish, chaplaincy, or school pages, and can change with the season. Last verified Oct. 12, 2026.

Sources for these times (1)
  1. Mass Times | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/mass-times · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Saturday 4:00pm and 6:00pm Spanish Sunday 8:00am and 11:00am”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers two Saturday Masses and two Sunday Masses.
    “Saturday 4:00pm and 6:00pm Spanish Sunday 8:00am and 11:00am”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers two Saturday Masses and two Sunday Masses.
    “Saturday 4:00pm and 6:00pm Spanish Sunday 8:00am and 11:00am”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers two Saturday Masses and two Sunday Masses.
    “Saturday 4:00pm and 6:00pm Spanish Sunday 8:00am and 11:00am”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers two Saturday Masses and two Sunday Masses.
    “Monday 12:05pm Wednesday 6:00pm Thursday 6:00pm Friday 12:05pm”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers Mass on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
    “Monday 12:05pm Wednesday 6:00pm Thursday 6:00pm Friday 12:05pm”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers Mass on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
    “Wednesday 5:00pm - 5:45pm Saturday 2:00pm - 3:00pm”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers scheduled reconciliation on Wednesday and Saturday.
    “Wednesday 5:00pm - 5:45pm Saturday 2:00pm - 3:00pm”
    St. Leo Catholic Church offers scheduled reconciliation on Wednesday and Saturday.

Catholic churches nearby

Map of Murray State University, its Catholic center and nearby Catholic churches0.25 mi0.5 miSaint Leo Catholic Church: 0.5 mi1Newman Catholic Center at Murray State University: 0.4 miMurray State University (campus)N0.1 mi
CampusCatholic centerCatholic church (numbered below)Open a street map ›
  1. Saint Leo Catholic Church — 0.5 mi · 401 North 12th Street, Murray

Within 3 miles, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The map may be incomplete. Confirm with the parish or diocese.

Catholic life scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

ACatholic life on campus: Strong (grade A): 85 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.

Catholic life on campus

88 of 100 points on what we could document.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes (The Newman Catholic Center is named on the diocese's college-age ministry page and on its own site.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Newman Catholic Center at Murray State Universitycatholicracers.org/newman-murray · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Formation, friendship, worship, service, and belonging for Murray State students through the Newman Catholic Center at St. Leo Catholic Church.”
      The Newman Catholic Center at Murray State is the Catholic campus ministry, based at St. Leo Catholic Church.
    2. College Age Ministry Opportunities | Diocese of Owensboroowensborodiocese.org/college-age-ministry-opportunities · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Murray State Newman Center”
      The Diocese of Owensboro lists the Murray State Newman Center among its college-age ministry opportunities.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusYes (Dedicated Newman Catholic Center at the published address; distance from campus is computed from the address.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Newman Catholic Center at Murray State Universitycatholicracers.org/newman-murray · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “220 N 13th Street · Murray, KY 42071”
      The Newman Catholic Center's published address is 220 N 13th Street, Murray, KY 42071.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryFull-time priest chaplain (Fr. Josh McCarty is listed as Chaplain of the Newman Center and as Pastor of St. Leo Catholic Church, which hosts it.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Meet the Team | Newman Catholic Centercatholicracers.org/newman-murray/ministers · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Fr. Josh McCarty Chaplain fr.josh@stleoky.org”
      Fr. Josh McCarty is the chaplain of the Newman Catholic Center.
    2. Staff Members | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/staff · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Fr. Josh McCarty Pastor jmccarty@stleoky.org”
      Fr. Josh McCarty is the pastor of St. Leo Catholic Church.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministry1–4 weekdays (Four weekdays (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri) have Mass at St. Leo Catholic Church, which the Newman site says hosts the Newman Center.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Mass Times | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/mass-times · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Monday 12:05pm Wednesday 6:00pm Thursday 6:00pm Friday 12:05pm”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers Mass on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelTwo or more weekend Masses (Two Saturday Masses (4:00 PM and 6:00 PM Spanish) and two Sunday Masses (8:00 AM and 11:00 AM) at St. Leo Catholic Church.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Mass Times | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/mass-times · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Saturday 4:00pm and 6:00pm Spanish Sunday 8:00am and 11:00am”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers two Saturday Masses and two Sunday Masses.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryWeekly or more often (Scheduled confession Wednesday 5:00 to 5:45 PM and Saturday 2:00 to 3:00 PM at St. Leo Catholic Church.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Mass Times | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/mass-times · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Wednesday 5:00pm - 5:45pm Saturday 2:00pm - 3:00pm”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers scheduled reconciliation on Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)Two or more (FOCUS missionary team and Bible studies.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Meet the Team | Newman Catholic Centercatholicracers.org/newman-murray/ministers · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Our team includes our chaplain, campus minister, and FOCUS missionary team.”
      The Newman team includes a campus minister and a FOCUS missionary team.
    2. Newman Catholic Center at Murray State Universitycatholicracers.org/newman-murray · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “supports a growing Catholic student community with Mass, Adoration, Bible studies, game nights, and a future Newman Center built for the next generation.”
      The Newman Center lists Bible studies and game nights for its student community.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)Two or more kinds (OCIA investigative classes and Bible studies (small groups).)
    Sources (1)
    1. Newman Catholic Center at Murray State Universitycatholicracers.org/newman-murray · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “OCIA investigative classes are forming”
      The Newman Center lists OCIA investigative classes as forming.
      “supports a growing Catholic student community with Mass, Adoration, Bible studies, game nights, and a future Newman Center built for the next generation.”
      The Newman Center lists Bible studies and game nights for its student community.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)Within 1 mile of campusComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adoration6 to 11 times a week (10 weekly times documented: 8 Mass, 2 confession, 0 adoration.)Computed from the verified Mass, confession, and adoration times listed on this page (each day a time is offered counts once).

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

  • Weekday and weekend Masses plus scheduled confession are published for the parish that hosts the Newman Center.
    Sources (1)
    1. Mass Times | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/mass-times · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Monday 12:05pm Wednesday 6:00pm Thursday 6:00pm Friday 12:05pm”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers Mass on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
      “Saturday 4:00pm and 6:00pm Spanish Sunday 8:00am and 11:00am”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers two Saturday Masses and two Sunday Masses.
      “Wednesday 5:00pm - 5:45pm Saturday 2:00pm - 3:00pm”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers scheduled reconciliation on Wednesday and Saturday.
  • A named chaplain and a campus minister are listed, and the Newman team includes a FOCUS missionary team.
    Sources (1)
    1. Meet the Team | Newman Catholic Centercatholicracers.org/newman-murray/ministers · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Fr. Josh McCarty Chaplain fr.josh@stleoky.org”
      Fr. Josh McCarty is the chaplain of the Newman Catholic Center.
      “Our team includes our chaplain, campus minister, and FOCUS missionary team.”
      The Newman team includes a campus minister and a FOCUS missionary team.

Concerns

  • The times listed are those of St. Leo Catholic Church.
    Sources (2)
    1. Newman Catholic Center at Murray State Universitycatholicracers.org/newman-murray · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Formation, friendship, worship, service, and belonging for Murray State students through the Newman Catholic Center at St. Leo Catholic Church.”
      The Newman Catholic Center at Murray State is the Catholic campus ministry, based at St. Leo Catholic Church.
    2. Mass Times | St. Leo Catholic Churchstleoky.org/mass-times · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Monday 12:05pm Wednesday 6:00pm Thursday 6:00pm Friday 12:05pm”
      St. Leo Catholic Church offers Mass on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

Newman Catholic Center at Murray State University

  • Address: 220 N 13th Street, Murray, KY 42071
  • Distance from campus: 0.4 mi (straight line from the campus point in federal IPEDS data)

View on map ↗

Source: catholicracers.org, verified Oct. 12, 2026, catholicracers.org, verified Oct. 12, 2026

Catholic clubs and student life

4 groups and regular activities · 0 on campus, 0 off campus, 4 location not published

Faith formation 2

  • Bible studies
    Bible studies listed by the Newman Center; the Newman site has a Bible Study Interest Form.
    catholicracers.org, catholicracers.org
  • OCIA investigative classes
    Classes for adults exploring the Catholic faith, listed as forming on the Newman site.
    catholicracers.org

Clubs and groups 1

  • FOCUS missionary team
    FOCUS team director and missionaries listed with the Newman Center. FOCUS lists Murray State among its campuses.
    catholicracers.org, focus.org

Social life 1

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (2)
  1. Newman Catholic Center at Murray State Universitycatholicracers.org/newman-murray · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Formation, friendship, worship, service, and belonging for Murray State students through the Newman Catholic Center at St. Leo Catholic Church.”
    The Newman Catholic Center at Murray State is the Catholic campus ministry, based at St. Leo Catholic Church.
    “Formation, friendship, worship, service, and belonging for Murray State students through the Newman Catholic Center at St. Leo Catholic Church.”
    The Newman Catholic Center at Murray State is the Catholic campus ministry, based at St. Leo Catholic Church.
    “220 N 13th Street · Murray, KY 42071”
    The Newman Catholic Center's published address is 220 N 13th Street, Murray, KY 42071.
  2. College Age Ministry Opportunities | Diocese of Owensboroowensborodiocese.org/college-age-ministry-opportunities · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Murray State Newman Center”
    The Diocese of Owensboro lists the Murray State Newman Center among its college-age ministry opportunities.

Reach out

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Academic Excellence

CAcademic Excellence: Mixed (grade C): 55 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
63 of 100
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.61%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.76%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,133 · ACT 22.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.17 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$10,232

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

Cost and value

Federal data, shown separately. Cost, debt, and earnings are never part of any grade.

Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
7,878
Total students9,841
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$9,096
Cost of attendance (per year)$23,485
Median federal debt at graduation$20,500
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
61%
First-year retention76%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$44,737
Admission rate86%
Students receiving Pell grants33%
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1133
SAT reading & writing480–600
SAT math460–570
ACT composite19–26
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value index: 64 / 100 (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Local Church

Diocese of Owensboro

The Most Reverend William F. Medley, Bishop of Owensboro

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: owensborodiocese.org, owensborodiocese.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

Diocese estimated from the nearest Catholic schools using NCES Catholic school records. Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

  • IPEDS unit ID 157401
  • Carnegie classification: Master's university (larger programs)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
  • Report an error or a newer source

Questions families ask

Is Murray State University a Catholic college?
No. Murray State University is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by Newman Catholic Center at Murray State University.
What is Murray State University’s Catholic Life Score?
82 out of 100 (grade A). It measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes, together with academics.
Where is Mass celebrated at Murray State University?
Mass is listed at St. Leo Catholic Church, 401 N. 12th St. and Murray. Days and times are on this page; please confirm with the parish or campus ministry before you go.
Is Murray State University Compass Recommended?
Yes. Murray State University meets the Compass Recommended standard for Catholic life on campus.

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