Lincoln University

Lincoln University is a public university in Jefferson City, Missouri. It graduates 21% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $39,463 ten years after starting college, more than 14% of the Missouri colleges we cover.

Show numbers for my family

Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
Not reported

College Scorecard

What your family pays
$19,092 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $23,704. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
21%

Higher than 4% of Missouri colleges we cover and 6% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$39,463

Higher than 14% of Missouri colleges we cover and 12% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Lincoln University acceptance rate & admissions

First-year students who return60%
Pell Grant recipients49%
First-generation students38%
Women / men58% / 42%

Test scores: College Scorecard. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Lincoln University tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for Missouri residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees, in-state$9,796
Tuition & fees, out-of-state$17,692
Housing & meals, on campus$10,552
Books & supplies$2,000
Total cost of attendance, in-state$23,704

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$19,000
Loan default rate16.5%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What Lincoln University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Lincoln University took 4.8 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Missouri. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$20,070$95,935more than 20 years
$30–48k$19,313$92,316more than 20 years
$48–75k$18,287$87,412more than 20 years
$75–110k$14,466$69,14717.2 years
$110k+$19,984$95,524more than 20 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.8 years, the average time graduates took (10% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($39,463) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $4,025 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Missouri for your income →

Lincoln University majors, earnings & careers

Lincoln University offers 31 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Science & Math · 6
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
  • Business & Finance · 4
  • Humanities & Languages · 4
  • Education · 3
  • Health & Medicine · 3
  • Arts & Design · 1
  • Communications & Media · 1
  • Engineering · 1
  • Technology & Computing · 1
  • Non-degree / basic skills · 1

Highest-earning majors at Lincoln University

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Nursing$79,520$28,500
Information Science / Studies$52,071—
Criminal Justice$48,315$37,171
Business Administration$48,276$36,636
Psychology$45,868$31,000
Health-Related Knowledge and Skills$45,788$29,995
Liberal Arts / General Studies$40,887$43,382
Education (Elementary / Secondary)$36,835$30,259
Quick list of all 31 majors
  • Accounting—
  • Agricultural Business—
  • Agriculture—
  • Biology—
  • Business Administration$48,276
  • Chemistry—
  • Civil Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
  • Criminal Justice$48,315
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$36,835
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • English—
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
  • General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
  • Health-Related Knowledge and Skills$45,788
  • History—
  • Information Science / Studies$52,071
  • Journalism—
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies$40,887
  • Mathematics—
  • Medical Laboratory Science—
  • Nursing$79,520
  • Physics—
  • Political Science—
  • Psychology$45,868
  • Public Administration—
  • Social Work—
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Special Education—
  • Studio Art—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Nursing → Registered nurse

$85,010
Jefferson City
$81,780
Missouri
$97,550
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Business Administration → Management analyst

$72,430
Jefferson City
$97,270
Missouri
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Jefferson City

Cost of living
12% below the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Jefferson City, MO area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$735/mo

2 bedrooms $962. Housing costs 38% below the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
40° / 88°

January and July average highs. 46 inches of rain a year, 9 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Low

No hazard rated high.

FEMA National Risk Index, Cole County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)1,799
First-year students from Missouri69%
Next most common home statesIllinois, Arkansas, Kansas
AthleticsNCAA Division II with football · 7 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2490% bachelor's · 10% associate
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyBlack 50% · White 29% · Hispanic 4% · Two or more 4%International 8%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Cole County at a glance

Population77,032
Median household income$74,876
Adults with a bachelor's degree39%
Median age40

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Lincoln University with similar schools

Similar public colleges in Missouri by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Lincoln University—$19,09221%$39,463This school
Harris-Stowe State University—$9,92228%$31,088
Missouri Western State University—$13,25139%$42,647
University of Missouri-St Louis63%$15,07157%$53,037
Ozarks Technical Community College—$6,93633%$36,455

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Lincoln University would cost you $9,170 more per year than Harris-Stowe State University, on average.

  • Higher sticker price at Lincoln University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$2,788).
  • Harris-Stowe State University gives aided families $6,959 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Missouri residentLincoln UniversityHarris-Stowe State UniversityDifference
Tuition & fees$9,796$7,008+$2,788
Books & supplies$2,000$800+$1,200
Housing & meals$10,552$10,084+$468
Personal & travel$3,554$7,914−$4,360
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,198−$4,313+$2,115
Sticker price$23,704$21,493+$2,211
Average grants−$4,612−$11,571+$6,959
You pay$19,092$9,922+$9,170

“+” means Lincoln University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about Lincoln University

How much does Lincoln University cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,704 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $19,092 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $20,070 and families earning $110k+ pay $19,984.

How much do Lincoln University graduates earn?

Former Lincoln University students earn a median $39,463 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Lincoln University graduation rate?

21% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 60% return for their second year.

How long does a Lincoln University degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Lincoln University costs about $87,412 after grants ($18,287 a year for 4.8 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $39,463 ten years after starting, $4,025 more than high school graduates in Missouri ($35,438), so repaying the cost would take more than 20 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Lincoln University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lincoln-university-mo (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).