Public universities in Missouri
The College Scorecard lists 13 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in Missouri, all compared on this page. Together they enroll 81,106 undergraduate degree-seeking students. The median average net price is $15,554 a year, higher than the $14,226 median for public universities nationwide. Former students' median earnings 10 years after starting college are $52,739 at the median institution, lower than the $58,635 median for public universities nationwide. The median graduation rate is 56.4%.
Compare all public universities in Missouri on one chart
Pick any two measures. Hover a dot to see the school; click it to open the school's page.
Each dot is one school. Dashed lines mark the median for Missouri. Showing 13 of 13 public universities in Missouri; schools missing either value are left out.
All 13 public universities in Missouri
| University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia | 23,929 | $21,142 | $15,548 | $37,820 | $69,958 | $18,743 | 76.6% | 92.7% | 78.5% |
| Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield | 13,313 | $17,270 | $10,128 | $19,760 | $52,782 | $20,400 | 59.1% | 77.3% | 90.5% |
| University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City | 6,817 | $13,778 | $13,216 | $31,738 | $63,110 | $17,000 | 56.4% | 75.4% | 72.2% |
| Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau | 6,373 | $17,110 | $10,194 | $10,194 | $48,748 | $19,500 | 60.8% | 75.8% | 73.5% |
| University of Central Missouri Warrensburg | 5,648 | $15,554 | $10,457 | $19,367 | $52,739 | $19,000 | 51.9% | 73.6% | 63.8% |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla | 5,521 | $15,772 | $15,746 | $34,934 | $85,917 | $21,500 | 67.0% | 86.6% | 72.5% |
| University of Missouri-St Louis Saint Louis | 5,024 | $14,990 | $14,812 | $36,876 | $59,899 | $20,000 | 62.2% | 73.6% | 62.7% |
| Northwest Missouri State University Maryville | 4,378 | $16,120 | $11,037 | $18,018 | $52,028 | $19,500 | 52.0% | 73.9% | 86.1% |
| Missouri Southern State University Joplin | 3,019 | $10,836 | $9,240 | $17,640 | $48,193 | $18,000 | 38.7% | 62.8% | 97.0% |
| Truman State University Kirksville | 2,513 | $12,317 | $10,220 | $19,289 | $57,751 | $19,429 | 74.1% | 84.7% | 83.8% |
| Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph | 2,219 | $16,379 | $11,056 | $20,926 | $47,624 | $19,560 | 34.8% | 53.8% | n/a |
| Lincoln University Jefferson City | 1,392 | $13,788 | $10,180 | $18,470 | $41,642 | $18,217 | 24.3% | 59.9% | n/a |
| Harris-Stowe State University Saint Louis | 960 | $11,182 | $7,008 | $11,640 | $39,919 | $23,328 | 33.2% | 68.4% | n/a |
Quick facts: public universities in Missouri
- How many public universities are in Missouri?
- The College Scorecard lists 13 public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher in Missouri.
- What do public universities in Missouri cost?
- Across the 13 schools that report it, the median average net price is $15,554 a year. Net price is what full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid pay after grants and scholarships. Reported net prices range from $10,836 at Missouri Southern State University to $21,142 at University of Missouri-Columbia.
- Which public universities in Missouri have the lowest average net price?
- By reported average net price: Missouri Southern State University ($10,836), Harris-Stowe State University ($11,182), Truman State University ($12,317), University of Missouri-Kansas City ($13,778), and Lincoln University ($13,788).
- How much is in-state and out-of-state tuition at public universities in Missouri?
- The median published in-state tuition is $10,457 a year, and the median out-of-state tuition is $19,367. Many students pay less than published tuition after aid.
- How much do former students of public universities in Missouri earn?
- At the median institution, former students who received federal aid earn $52,739 10 years after starting college (13 institutions reporting; branch campuses share one figure and count once). The highest reported medians are at Missouri University of Science and Technology ($85,917), University of Missouri-Columbia ($69,958), and University of Missouri-Kansas City ($63,110).
- What is the graduation rate at public universities in Missouri?
- The median graduation rate is 56.4%, across 13 schools reporting. It counts full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time.
- How much student debt do graduates of public universities in Missouri have?
- The median institution's graduates leave with $19,500 in federal student loans (the median balance). Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
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Other college types in Missouri
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How these numbers work
This page includes public colleges that mostly award bachelor's degrees or higher, as reported in the College Scorecard. Summary figures are medians across schools: each school counts once, whatever its size, and schools that don't report a measure are left out of that measure. The Scorecard reports earnings and debt for a whole institution, so branch campuses share one figure; for those two measures each institution counts once. Most recent data year: cost 2025, graduation and retention 2025, earnings 2022, debt 2024. More on the data.