University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, MO · Public · 23,929 undergrads (large, city) · website ↗

Test-optional
$55 application fee

What you'll actually pay

Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.

Household income	Avg net price / year
Under $30,000	$13,841
$30,000 – $48,000	$13,378
$48,000 – $75,000	$13,722
$75,000 – $110,000	$19,762
Over $110,000	$26,304
All incomes (average)	$20,268

Sticker tuition and fees: $14,837 in-state, $36,056 out-of-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use University of Missouri-Columbia's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator ↗

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, on campus	$15,008
Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)	$15,008
Books and supplies	$918
Other expenses, on campus	$3,466
Other expenses, off campus	$3,466

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (4,928 of them) in 2022–23; 90% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aid	Students awarded	Average amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own	84%	$11,734
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government	19%	$5,048
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college	82%	$9,586
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans	42%	$5,250

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Admissions & outcomes

Acceptance rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1247
Median ACT: 27
Students with Pell grants: 20%
Graduation rate (6yr): 75%
Freshman retention: 93%
Median earnings @ 10yr: $63,403
Median debt at graduation: $20,500
International undergrads: 277 (1.2%)

For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.

Admission policy, test scores and teaching

SAT/ACT policy: Test-optional
Application fee: $55
Students per faculty member: 17 to 1
Faculty who are full-time: 79%
Open admission: No

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing: 580–670
SAT Math: 570–660
ACT composite: 23–30

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPA	Considered if submitted
High school class rank	Considered if submitted
High school record	Required
Completion of a college-preparatory program	Required
Recommendations	Considered if submitted
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)	Considered if submitted
English proficiency test (for applicable students)	Required
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	Not considered
Work experience	Considered if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Considered if submitted
Legacy status	Considered if submitted

First-time applicants: 21,669
Admitted: 16,690
Enrolled: 5,139

Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

Most popular fields of study

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Business18%

Health & Nursing12%

Computer Science7%

Communications & Media7%

Social Sciences5%

Biology & Life Sciences5%

Psychology5%

Engineering5%

Agriculture4%

Education3%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Bachelor's degrees (64)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business/Commerce, General	883	$59,189	$84,534national $68,407	$18,750
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General	502	$45,610	$69,333national $61,296	$19,000
Journalism	438	$49,014	$69,016national $56,278	$18,500
Psychology, General	344	$38,656	$55,839national $50,706	$18,437
Biology, General	263	$35,513	$60,424national $57,214	$18,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	245	$76,467	$83,231national $88,910	$20,413
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	221	$37,450	$44,681national $47,382	$15,219
Computer and Information Sciences, General	216	$69,769	$100,234national $92,374	$20,500
Communication and Media Studies	186	$47,814	$61,007national $56,359	$15,000
Political Science and Government	179	$45,345	$64,747national $63,293	$19,500
Mechanical Engineering	168	$76,495	$94,629national $92,135	$19,061
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	156	—	—national $86,176	$14,440
Economics	149	$52,618	$74,661national $82,686	$13,793
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General	124	—	—national $50,532	$16,372
Animal Sciences	104	$36,228	$47,983national $49,634	$19,500
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	76	$40,834	$56,003national $65,466	$21,500
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	76	$73,851	$73,861national $70,786	$18,500
Civil Engineering	74	$75,653	$83,684national $86,517	$19,500
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies	70	$45,299	$55,280national $50,983	$19,234
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations	58	$49,597	—national $59,631	$18,500
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	57	$34,984	$49,013national $55,012	$18,952
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	57	$49,555	$54,133national $55,693	$17,537
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	57	$42,884	—national $55,753	$17,250
English Language and Literature, General	56	$33,524	$47,487national $48,590	$16,000
Agricultural Business and Management	55	$57,745	$82,831national $66,647	$16,375
Area Studies	55	$54,399	$75,230national $56,625	$19,500
Fine and Studio Arts	50	$40,961	$51,254national $41,367	$21,250
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	48	—	$61,713national $58,928	$19,625
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology	47	$39,962	$55,790national $60,997	$17,500
Chemical Engineering	46	$76,123	$95,989national $98,158	$18,362
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	46	$38,933	$46,853national $48,568	$18,816
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	45	$84,884	$105,034national $100,647	$14,892
Sociology	45	$35,947	$55,098national $52,657	$19,500
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	43	$78,043	—national $93,451	$22,475
History	43	$42,321	$56,632national $50,680	$13,227
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	42	$38,261	$61,080national $49,984	$20,500
Music	42	$35,423	$39,241national $42,892	$14,595
Mathematics	37	$56,795	$81,518national $69,562	$13,500
Visual and Performing Arts, General	37	$34,992	$50,205national $41,688	$16,962
Agriculture, General	36	$45,785	$49,480national $53,676	$13,662
Plant Sciences	36	$44,702	$62,957national $56,567	$15,728
Statistics	35	$53,139	$76,037national $92,425	$17,500
Finance and Financial Management Services	35	$51,326	—national $83,343	$20,000
Chemistry	33	—	$61,884national $65,120	$19,500
Industrial Engineering	30	$74,704	$101,380national $98,442	$21,454
Anthropology	29	—	$49,351national $46,676	$22,000
Hospitality Administration/Management	28	$46,497	$61,441national $56,726	$19,500
Social Work	27	—	$56,157national $51,790	$19,500
Physics	26	—	—national $76,786	$17,500
Education, General	23	$35,271	—national $49,808	$13,250
Public Health	23	$46,386	—national $58,808	$17,125
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	22	$25,155	$49,192national $43,765	$19,826
Special Education and Teaching	21	$42,835	$51,901national $50,499	$16,250
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	18	—	$46,920national $49,429	—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	17	$43,018	$45,263national $51,389	$16,500
Geography and Cartography	17	—	$56,191national $57,853	—
Computer Engineering	13	$82,444	$112,696national $109,015	—
Agricultural Mechanization	9	$58,944	$75,958national $71,278	—
Biological/Biosystems Engineering	9	—	$86,844national $83,998	—
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	1	—	$75,060national $55,792	—
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	—	—	$55,747national $54,945	—
Housing and Human Environments	0	$55,217	$61,683national $59,550	$18,894
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	—	$51,099	$65,029national $53,072	$15,000
Accounting and Related Services	—	$70,405	$95,415national $76,194	$17,750

Undergraduate certificates (19)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	1,343	$42,440	$59,265national $57,315	$18,654
Computer and Information Sciences, General	188	—	—national $50,984	$21,500
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations	95	$62,885	$87,677national $52,001	$20,500
Finance and Financial Management Services	91	—	—national $53,418	$13,500
Data Analytics	87	—	—	$15,500
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	83	$37,125	—	$14,500
Insurance	75	—	$86,139national $80,539	$17,500
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	72	$42,699	—national $54,445	$19,125
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	59	—	—national $52,615	$19,500
Business/Commerce, General	57	$56,327	—national $60,097	$17,518
Political Science and Government	55	—	—national $72,399	$17,875
Business Administration, Management and Operations	54	$58,992	—national $47,440	$18,500
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	41	—	—national $51,561	$15,000
Philosophy	32	—	—national $55,871	$21,000
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	31	—	—national $31,135	$20,349
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	30	—	—national $28,266	$19,982
English Language and Literature, General	26	—	—national $29,202	$14,745
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	9	—	$54,680national $33,711	—
Computer Engineering	—	$64,190	—national $68,110	—

Master's degrees (23)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	138	$57,526	$67,109national $60,111	$27,770
Computer and Information Sciences, General	106	$101,696	—national $124,201	$41,594
Curriculum and Instruction	86	$49,265	$50,116national $63,399	$20,892
Library Science and Administration	83	$45,795	$58,856national $56,301	$25,683
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	76	$82,718	—national $120,193	$34,940
Public Health	74	$67,356	$70,390national $82,751	$36,270
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	69	$57,279	—national $59,571	$41,000
Public Administration	58	$74,879	$84,412national $81,408	$18,666
Business/Commerce, General	58	$105,934	$123,999national $125,988	—
Journalism	38	$59,096	$77,057national $69,034	$21,662
Economics	36	$83,386	—national $100,743	—
Health and Medical Administrative Services	31	$86,397	$108,813national $89,981	$48,500
Educational Administration and Supervision	30	$55,037	$62,405national $71,685	$20,467
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	25	—	$66,434national $74,607	—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	24	$60,216	$61,810national $67,030	$39,954
Medical Illustration and Informatics	23	—	$115,303national $101,441	—
Special Education and Teaching	22	$54,978	$51,460national $64,397	—
Human Computer Interaction	17	$61,966	—national $115,403	$23,182
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	16	$50,666	—national $58,524	—
Accounting and Related Services	12	$71,215	$98,020national $95,833	$19,029
Finance and Financial Management Services	9	$78,395	—national $110,694	—
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	7	$70,584	$83,264national $101,000	—
Taxation	—	$66,667	$94,484national $114,810	—

First professional degrees (4)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Law	131	$70,904	$86,349national $107,773	$62,421
Veterinary Medicine	120	$116,500	$121,804national $131,316	$170,194
Medicine	119	$62,912	$113,111national $112,460	$175,330
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	59	$71,440	$79,131national $81,641	$78,624

Doctoral degrees (5)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Educational Administration and Supervision	25	$75,120	$85,906national $100,573	$33,968
Curriculum and Instruction	7	—	$76,582national $83,031	—
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	7	$112,234	$116,219national $138,131	$49,199
Biology, General	4	—	$91,572national $92,983	—
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	3	—	$80,117national $82,893	—

Graduate certificates (6)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Accounting and Related Services	105	$70,964	$100,725national $82,363	$20,500
Public Health	53	$71,499	$81,684national $88,684	—
Business Administration, Management and Operations	40	—	—national $94,506	$39,000
Human Computer Interaction	18	$66,325	—national $81,928	—
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology	12	$57,374	—national $95,414	—
Public Administration	3	—	$70,885national $78,022	—

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 194 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.

Contact and accreditation

Address: 105 Jesse Hall, Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: (573) 882-2121
Institutional accreditor: Higher Learning Commission

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.

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