10-yr median earnings
$63,403
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Columbia, Missouri
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution in Columbia, Missouri. Graduates earn a median of $63,403 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $20,268/yr.
- $63,403
- 10-yr median earnings
- $20,268
- Avg net price / yr
- 78.5%
- Acceptance rate
- 75.5%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
University of Missouri-Columbia pairs top-10% graduate earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 10%
- graduate earnings, US
- 78.5%
- acceptance rate
- 75.5%
- 4-yr completion
- +20%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: R1
University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution in Columbia, Missouri enrolling 23,929 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 78.5% with an average SAT of 1,247. Graduates earn a median of $63,403 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $20,268. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Missouri-Columbia operates as a public institution located in Columbia, Missouri (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 23,929 students of which 25,628 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; University of Missouri-Columbia is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
64/100
University of Missouri-Columbia
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A
$63,403
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price F
$20,268
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$20,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
80.0%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A
92.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$20,268
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
75.5%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 75.5%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - University of Missouri-Columbia vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How University of Missouri-Columbia ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
University of Missouri-Columbia: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$63,403 Top 10% higher than 90% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
23,929
Total enrollment
78.5%
Acceptance rate
1,247
SAT average
75.5%
4-yr graduation rate
$63,403
10-yr median earnings
92.7%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 78.5% |
| SAT Average | 1,247 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 570 – 660 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 580 – 670 |
| ACT Average | 27 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 23 – 30 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $14,837 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $36,056 |
| Average Net Price | $20,268 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $13,841 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $13,378 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $13,722 |
| Over $110,000 | $26,304 |
20.1%
Pell Grant Rate
35.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$20,500
Median Debt
$217/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
54.3%
Female
20.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
75.5%
4-Year Completion Rate
92.7%
Retention Rate
$52,756
Median Earnings (6yr)
$63,403
Median Earnings (10yr)
75.6%
Earning Over $25K
80.0%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at University of Missouri-Columbia by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other
$135,569 median earnings
- Business/Commerce, General
Business/Commerce, General
$123,999 median earnings
- Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary Medicine
$121,804 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$116,219 median earnings
- Medical Illustration and I…
Medical Illustration and Informatics
$115,303 median earnings
- Medicine
Medicine
$113,111 median earnings
- Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering
$112,696 median earnings
- Health and Medical Adminis…
Health and Medical Administrative Services
$108,813 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | Master's | - | $135,569 | $38,346 |
| Business/Commerce, General | Master's | 39 | $123,999 | $35,202 |
| Veterinary Medicine | First Professional | 116 | $121,804 | $160,825 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Doctoral | 12 | $116,219 | $28,485 |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | Master's | 21 | $115,303 | - |
| Medicine | First Professional | 109 | $113,111 | $197,576 |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's | 17 | $112,696 | $19,500 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's | 42 | $108,813 | $33,421 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's | 38 | $105,034 | $22,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's | 28 | $101,380 | $26,512 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Graduate Certificate | 102 | $100,725 | $16,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's | 172 | $100,234 | $20,906 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's | 182 | $98,020 | $16,250 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's | 39 | $95,989 | $25,804 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's | 141 | $95,415 | $20,600 |
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other public institutions in Missouri
Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield, MO
13,313 students Earn $49,827 90.5% admit
Saint Louis Community College
Bridgeton, MO
11,788 students Earn $35,325
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
10,649 students Earn $40,796
Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield, MO
8,165 students Earn $36,455
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
6,817 students Earn $59,637 72.2% admit
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO
6,373 students Earn $44,030 73.5% admit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at University of Missouri-Columbia? ▼
University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution in Columbia, Missouri. The acceptance rate is 78.5%. The average SAT score is 1,247. Total enrollment is 23,929 students.
How much do University of Missouri-Columbia graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of University of Missouri-Columbia earn a median of $63,403 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $52,756.
How much does University of Missouri-Columbia cost? ▼
The average net price at University of Missouri-Columbia is $20,268. In-state tuition is $14,837 and out-of-state tuition is $36,056. Median student debt at graduation is $20,500.
What is the graduation rate at University of Missouri-Columbia? ▼
University of Missouri-Columbia has a 4-year completion rate of 75.5%. The first-year retention rate is 92.7%.
Is University of Missouri-Columbia worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at University of Missouri-Columbia is $20,500, while graduates earn a median of $63,403 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 32% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 80.0% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $217.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for University of Missouri-Columbia
- University of Missouri-Columbia's graduates land in the 10th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $20,268 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in Missouri.Browse Missouri
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.