Top 2022 Colleges in Missouri

Missouri's 162 Colleges and Universities

Most of the colleges in Missouri are near the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Many colleges are four year public or private universities. Let’s look at some NCES stats about The Show-Me State:

  • Missouri is home to 86 four year public institutions. Many private non-for-profit colleges, 77%, offer master's or doctorate programs in addition to undergraduate degrees.
  • There are 76 two year or less colleges. 33 of them are public community college.
  • Over the past 5 years, Missouri has seen a small 13.6% increase in students. In 2017, 383,489 students were enrolled in college.
  • In total, 86,213 degrees were awarded for the 2016 - 2017 school year. Thus, about 48% of those awards were bachelor's degrees.

Salary Breakdown

College Scorecard tells us alums from Washington University in St. Louis earn among the highest average salary. 10 years after starting school, the average alum from Washington University earns $96,200. Meanwhile, the 2018 mean annual wage earned in Florida is $46,460. You do the math!

Missouri's Tuition Programs

There are several tuition savings plan to cover college expenses in Missouri. For instance, check out the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) It has tuition reduction for both public and private colleges in Missouri It enrolled 881 out-of-state students in 2016-2017. In fact, the total amount of tuition saved was over $7.8 million.

As a result, private colleges offer a 10% reduction on tuition rates. Public colleges agree to charge no more than 150% of in-state school tuition. The average savings per student was $6,609 in 2017-2018. Several other states such as Illinois and Indiana participate in this program.

In addition, Missouri offers a 529 tuition savings plan called MOST 529. This is an investment plan for your earnings and you can use the money to cover college expenses. It can cover tuition, room and board, books, fees, and other qualified higher-ed expenses.

There are tax benefits such as your earnings are tax deferred from federal and state income taxes. You can save more with state deductions up to $8,000 or $16,000 if married. Also, withdrawals are tax free. It's a great way to save up for college!

Top Missouri Colleges

Top Missouri colleges ranked by total student population. See which college is right for you below.

#1
29,843
Total Number of Students
$9,972/$27,042
Tuition & Fees
78%
Acceptance Rate
#2
23,697
Total Number of Students
$7,376/$15,326
Tuition & Fees
84%
Acceptance Rate
#3
18,157
Total Number of Students
$2,790
Tuition & Fees
Open
Acceptance Rate
#4
16,441
Total Number of Students
$9,792/26,040
Tuition & Fees
76%
Acceptance Rate
#5
16,375
Total Number of Students
$8,178/20,207
Tuition & Fees
64%
Acceptance Rate

All Colleges in Missouri

Thousands of students have rated these Missouri Colleges. Discover what they have to say. Find out about campus life, academics and more!

Source for school statistics and data is the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.