College Scorecard
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $21,595. College Scorecard.
Higher than 17% of Missouri colleges we cover and 23% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 29% of Missouri colleges we cover and 19% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
MWSU acceptance rate & admissions
Test scores: College Scorecard. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
MWSU 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)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What MWSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Missouri Western State University took 4.5 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 income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,243 | $50,369 | 7.0 years |
| $30–48k | $11,674 | $52,300 | 7.3 years |
| $48–75k | $13,965 | $62,563 | 8.7 years |
| $75–110k | $16,119 | $72,213 | 10.0 years |
| $110k+ | $17,764 | $79,583 | 11.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (24% 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 ($42,647) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $7,209 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.
MWSU majors, earnings & careers
Missouri Western State University offers 47 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Science & Math · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 5
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Engineering · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at MWSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $74,875 | $25,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $68,405 | $25,000 |
| Finance | $67,011 | $21,361 |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $65,896 | — |
| Business Administration | $62,581 | $25,497 |
| Accounting | $60,025 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $57,015 | $25,950 |
| Communications | $55,059 | — |
Quick list of all 47 majors
- Accounting$60,025
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$53,505
- Biotechnology—
- Business Administration$62,581
- Chemistry—
- Communications$55,059
- Computer and Information Sciences$68,405
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Computer Science—
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$65,896
- Criminal Justice$52,709
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$39,163
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- English—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$67,011
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$41,728
- Graphic Communications—
- Health Administration$48,596
- History$40,716
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$45,251
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Linguistics—
- Marketing$57,015
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$51,174
- Music—
- Nursing$74,875
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$47,177
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$46,402
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Work$46,187
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management$46,342
— 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
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
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 St. Joseph
Overall prices in the St. Joseph, MO-KS area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,101. Housing costs 45% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 38 inches of rain a year, 21 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Buchanan County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Buchanan County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare MWSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Missouri by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Western State University | — | $13,251 | 39% | $42,647 | This school |
| Harris-Stowe State University | — | $9,922 | 28% | $31,088 | |
| Lincoln University | — | $19,092 | 21% | $39,463 | |
| University of Missouri-St Louis | 63% | $15,071 | 57% | $53,037 | |
| University of Central Missouri | 64% | $14,462 | 54% | $49,560 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Missouri Western State University would cost you $3,329 more per year than Harris-Stowe State University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Missouri Western State University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$3,298).
- Harris-Stowe State University gives aided families $3,227 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Missouri resident | MWSU | Harris-Stowe State University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $10,306 | $7,008 | +$3,298 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $800 | +$200 |
| Housing & meals | $10,975 | $10,084 | +$891 |
| Personal & travel | $2,870 | $7,914 | −$5,044 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,556 | −$4,313 | +$757 |
| Sticker price | $21,595 | $21,493 | +$102 |
| Average grants | −$8,344 | −$11,571 | +$3,227 |
| You pay | $13,251 | $9,922 | +$3,329 |
“+” means MWSU 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 MWSU
How much does Missouri Western State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $21,595 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $13,251 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,243 and families earning $110k+ pay $17,764.
How much do MWSU graduates earn?
Former Missouri Western State University students earn a median $42,647 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the MWSU graduation rate?
39% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 54% return for their second year.
How long does a MWSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Missouri Western State University costs about $62,563 after grants ($13,965 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $42,647 ten years after starting, $7,209 more than high school graduates in Missouri ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 8.7 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: “Missouri Western State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/missouri-western-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).