More selective than 44% 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 $46,643. College Scorecard.
Higher than 25% of Missouri colleges we cover and 29% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 31% of Missouri colleges we cover and 20% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Stephens College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 414 applicants, Stephens College admitted 379 and 74 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Stephens College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Stephens College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Stephens College took 5.7 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 | $9,918 | $56,037 | 7.3 years |
| $30–48k | $14,796 | $83,597 | 11.0 years |
| $48–75k | $18,547 | $104,791 | 13.7 years |
| $75–110k | $25,644 | $144,889 | 19.0 years |
| $110k+ | $29,787 | $168,297 | more than 20 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 5.7 years, the average time graduates took (1% 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 ($43,071) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $7,633 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.
Stephens College majors, earnings & careers
Stephens College offers 25 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 4
- Humanities & Languages · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 3
- Science & Math · 2
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at Stephens College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Health Administration | $79,407 | $48,781 |
| Theatre | $35,235 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 25 majors
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services—
- Apparel and Textiles—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business Administration—
- Communications—
- Dance—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English—
- Film and Photography—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Graphic Communications—
- Health Administration$79,407
- Health Sciences—
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Nursing—
- Psychology—
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Theatre$35,235
- Writing—
— 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 →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Columbia
Overall prices in the Columbia, MO area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,076. Housing costs 31% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 45 inches of rain a year, 17 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Boone County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Boone County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Stephens College with similar schools
Similar private 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephens College | 77% | $23,459 | 43% | $43,071 | This school |
| Urshan University | 84% | $14,779 | 45% | — | |
| Hannibal-LaGrange University | 73% | $22,814 | 50% | $42,643 | |
| Westminster College | 79% | $24,314 | 55% | $52,199 | |
| Calvary University | 72% | $16,334 | 52% | $45,421 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Stephens College would cost you $8,680 more per year than Urshan University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Stephens College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$19,544).
- Stephens College gives aided families $20,788 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Missouri resident | Stephens College | Urshan University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $28,300 | $8,756 | +$19,544 |
| Books & supplies | $1,240 | $2,100 | −$860 |
| Housing & meals | $13,098 | $4,398 | +$8,700 |
| Personal & travel | $4,595 | $2,171 | +$2,424 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$590 | −$250 | −$340 |
| Sticker price | $46,643 | $17,175 | +$29,468 |
| Average grants | −$23,184 | −$2,396 | −$20,788 |
| You pay | $23,459 | $14,779 | +$8,680 |
“+” means Stephens College 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 Stephens College
What is the Stephens College acceptance rate?
Stephens College accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 379 of 414 applicants were admitted.
How much does Stephens College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $46,643 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,459 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,918 and families earning $110k+ pay $29,787.
How much do Stephens College graduates earn?
Former Stephens College students earn a median $43,071 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Stephens College graduation rate?
43% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.
How long does a Stephens College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Stephens College costs about $104,791 after grants ($18,547 a year for 5.7 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $43,071 ten years after starting, $7,633 more than high school graduates in Missouri ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 13.7 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: “Stephens College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/stephens-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).