More selective than 41% 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 $31,713. College Scorecard.
Higher than 90% of Missouri colleges we cover and 85% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 88% of Missouri colleges we cover and 76% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
University of Missouri-Columbia acceptance rate & admissions
Of 21,669 applicants, University of Missouri-Columbia admitted 16,690 and 5,139 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1150–1330 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
University of Missouri-Columbia 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 University of Missouri-Columbia costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of University of Missouri-Columbia 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 | $13,841 | $59,516 | 2.1 years |
| $30–48k | $13,378 | $57,525 | 2.1 years |
| $48–75k | $13,722 | $59,005 | 2.1 years |
| $75–110k | $19,762 | $84,977 | 3.0 years |
| $110k+ | $26,304 | $113,107 | 4.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (56% 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 ($63,403) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $27,965 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.
University of Missouri-Columbia majors, earnings & careers
University of Missouri-Columbia offers 87 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 19
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 14
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Health & Medicine · 12
- Engineering · 9
- Business & Finance · 8
- Arts & Design · 5
- Education · 4
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at University of Missouri-Columbia
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $112,696 | $19,500 |
| Electrical Engineering | $105,034 | $22,499 |
| Industrial Engineering | $101,380 | $26,512 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $100,234 | $21,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $95,989 | $27,825 |
| Accounting | $95,415 | $20,707 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $94,629 | $22,250 |
| Engineering | $92,426 | $23,250 |
Quick list of all 87 majors
- Accounting$95,415
- Agricultural Business$82,831
- Agricultural Mechanization$75,958
- Agricultural Public Services—
- Agriculture$49,480
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$73,861
- Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services—
- Animal Sciences$47,983
- Anthropology$49,351
- Apparel and Textiles$63,723
- Archeology—
- Area Studies$75,230
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology$55,790
- Biochemistry$56,003
- Biological / Biosystems Engineering$86,844
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$60,424
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Business$84,534
- Chemical Engineering$95,989
- Chemistry$61,884
- Civil Engineering$83,684
- Classics$46,920
- Communications$61,007
- Computer and Information Sciences$100,234
- Computer Engineering$112,696
- Dietetics—
- Economics$74,661
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$44,681
- Education (Subject Teaching)$45,263
- Electrical Engineering$105,034
- Engineering$92,426
- English$47,487
- Environmental Science / Conservation$49,013
- Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies$74,381
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Film and Photography$49,192
- Finance—
- Food Science and Technology—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$55,747
- Forestry—
- Geography$56,191
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other—
- Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities—
- Health Sciences$69,333
- History$56,632
- Hospitality Management$61,441
- Housing and Human Environments$61,683
- Human Development and Family Studies$46,853
- Industrial Engineering$101,380
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Journalism$69,016
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$65,029
- Linguistics$61,080
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Mathematics$81,518
- Mechanical Engineering$94,629
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$54,133
- Music$39,241
- Nursing$83,231
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$55,280
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Plant Sciences$62,957
- Political Science$64,747
- Psychology$55,839
- Public Administration—
- Public Health—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$75,060
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work$56,157
- Sociology$55,098
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$51,901
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$61,713
- Statistics$76,037
- Studio Art$51,254
- Theatre—
- Veterinary / Animal Health Technologies / Technicians—
- Visual and Performing Arts$50,205
— 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 → 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
Journalism → Reporter / journalist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 5.9% 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 University of Missouri-Columbia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri-Columbia | 78% | $20,268 | 75% | $63,403 | This school |
| Missouri State University-Springfield | 91% | $17,613 | 58% | $49,827 | |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | 73% | $16,298 | 64% | $82,957 | |
| Truman State University | 84% | $12,780 | 69% | $56,280 | |
| Southeast Missouri State University | 74% | $15,882 | 58% | $44,030 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Missouri-Columbia would cost you $2,655 more per year than Missouri State University-Springfield, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of Missouri-Columbia, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$5,335).
- University of Missouri-Columbia gives aided families $4,010 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Missouri resident | University of Missouri-Columbia | Missouri State University-Springfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $14,837 | $9,502 | +$5,335 |
| Books & supplies | $950 | $1,200 | −$250 |
| Housing & meals | $13,550 | $10,230 | +$3,320 |
| Personal & travel | $3,642 | $4,594 | −$952 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,266 | −$478 | −$788 |
| Sticker price | $31,713 | $25,048 | +$6,665 |
| Average grants | −$11,445 | −$7,435 | −$4,010 |
| You pay | $20,268 | $17,613 | +$2,655 |
“+” means University of Missouri-Columbia 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 University of Missouri-Columbia
What is the University of Missouri-Columbia acceptance rate?
University of Missouri-Columbia accepts 78% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 16,690 of 21,669 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1150–1330 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
How much does University of Missouri-Columbia cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $31,713 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $20,268 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,841 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,304.
How much do University of Missouri-Columbia graduates earn?
Former University of Missouri-Columbia students earn a median $63,403 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the University of Missouri-Columbia graduation rate?
75% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year.
How long does a University of Missouri-Columbia degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of Missouri-Columbia costs about $59,005 after grants ($13,722 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,403 ten years after starting, $27,965 more than high school graduates in Missouri ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 2.1 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: “University of Missouri-Columbia: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-missouri-columbia (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).