More selective than 49% of Missouri colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $25,177. College Scorecard.
Higher than 65% of Missouri colleges we cover and 59% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 37% of Missouri colleges we cover and 22% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Southeast Missouri State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 7,462 applicants, Southeast Missouri State University admitted 5,858 and 1,287 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Southeast Missouri State 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)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Southeast Missouri State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Southeast Missouri State University took 4.3 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 | $12,704 | $55,262 | 6.4 years |
| $30–48k | $13,342 | $58,038 | 6.8 years |
| $48–75k | $15,338 | $66,720 | 7.8 years |
| $75–110k | $17,395 | $75,668 | 8.8 years |
| $110k+ | $21,267 | $92,511 | 10.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (39% 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 ($44,030) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $8,592 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.
Southeast Missouri State University majors, earnings & careers
Southeast Missouri State University offers 60 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Science & Math · 7
- Engineering · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at Southeast Missouri State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | $106,797 | $24,250 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $93,795 | $22,948 |
| Nursing | $85,155 | $26,000 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $80,820 | $24,489 |
| Finance | $78,407 | $21,591 |
| Accounting | $69,868 | $19,250 |
| Political Science | $66,799 | $19,500 |
| Agricultural Business | $63,078 | $14,000 |
Quick list of all 60 majors
- Accounting$69,868
- Agricultural Business$63,078
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Animal Sciences$41,706
- Apparel and Textiles—
- Biology$45,207
- Business Administration$59,834
- Chemistry—
- Communications$47,813
- Computer and Information Sciences$93,795
- Criminal Justice$47,934
- Dietetics—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$37,245
- Education (Subject Teaching)$37,112
- Engineering Physics—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians$62,781
- Engineering-Related Fields—
- English$36,356
- English Language and Literature / Letters, Other—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences$41,619
- Finance$78,407
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Administration$57,260
- Health Sciences—
- Historic Preservation and Conservation—
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Hospitality Management$53,527
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$80,820
- Information Technology$106,797
- International / Global Studies$41,481
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$51,828
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$45,383
- Marketing$61,400
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Nursing$85,155
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$40,266
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Plant Sciences$56,265
- Political Science$66,799
- Psychology$44,580
- Public Relations and Advertising$58,082
- Social Sciences$42,761
- Social Work$43,260
- Special Education$41,163
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$51,817
- Studio Art$36,531
- Systems Engineering—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts$33,293
— 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 →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
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
Living in Cape Girardeau
Overall prices in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,012. Housing costs 44% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 8 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Cape Girardeau County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Cape Girardeau County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Southeast Missouri State 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.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Missouri State University | 74% | $15,882 | 58% | $44,030 | This school |
| University of Missouri-Kansas City | 72% | $13,310 | 55% | $59,637 | |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | 73% | $16,298 | 64% | $82,957 | |
| University of Central Missouri | 64% | $14,462 | 54% | $49,560 | |
| University of Missouri-St Louis | 63% | $15,071 | 57% | $53,037 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Southeast Missouri State University would cost you $2,572 more per year than University of Missouri-Kansas City, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Southeast Missouri State University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$2,684).
- University of Missouri-Kansas City gives aided families $2,715 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Missouri resident | Southeast Missouri State University | University of Missouri-Kansas City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,903 | $12,587 | −$2,684 |
| Books & supplies | $684 | $800 | −$116 |
| Housing & meals | $11,486 | $12,118 | −$632 |
| Personal & travel | $5,616 | $4,660 | +$956 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,512 | −$4,845 | +$2,333 |
| Sticker price | $25,177 | $25,320 | −$143 |
| Average grants | −$9,295 | −$12,010 | +$2,715 |
| You pay | $15,882 | $13,310 | +$2,572 |
“+” means Southeast Missouri State 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 Southeast Missouri State University
What is the Southeast Missouri State University acceptance rate?
Southeast Missouri State University accepts 74% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 5,858 of 7,462 applicants were admitted.
How much does Southeast Missouri State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $25,177 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,882 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $12,704 and families earning $110k+ pay $21,267.
How much do Southeast Missouri State University graduates earn?
Former Southeast Missouri State University students earn a median $44,030 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Southeast Missouri State University graduation rate?
58% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year.
How long does a Southeast Missouri State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Southeast Missouri State University costs about $66,720 after grants ($15,338 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,030 ten years after starting, $8,592 more than high school graduates in Missouri ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 7.8 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: “Southeast Missouri State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/southeast-missouri-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).