Missouri Southern State University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Missouri Southern State University

Missouri Southern State University operates as a public institution located in Joplin, Missouri (city: small), with a total reported enrollment of 3,019 students of which 4,757 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Missouri Southern State University is categorized as “20” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 97.0%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,065 and an ACT midpoint of 21. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $12,007, with published in-state tuition of $8,960 and a Pell grant recipient share of 34.0%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $19,174, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 39.9%, and the first-year retention rate is 62.8%. Graduates earn a median of $42,620 ten years after enrolling, compared with $37,866 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 287100.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 57.1% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.