Missouri Western State University

Overview

Rankings

• #12 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in Missouri
• #20 Best Education Colleges in Missouri
• #20 Best Biology Colleges in Missouri
• #21 Most Affordable Colleges in Missouri
• #21 Best Psychology Colleges in Missouri
• #22 Best Bachelor's Programs in Missouri
• #22 Best Nursing Colleges in Missouri
• #24 Best Master's Programs in Missouri

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Missouri Western State University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Saint Joseph, Missouri, Missouri Western State University enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 39%.

Retention Rate

54%

Full-Time Faculty

62%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$7,902

Student–Faculty Ratio

17:1

Diversity Index

0.54

First-Gen Students

40%

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Missouri Western State University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 24% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

24%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

0%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

46%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Missouri Western State University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Missouri Western State University is $20,866, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $13,251. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $11,243 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,968 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$10,306

Out-of-State

$20,866

Avg Net Price

$13,251

Median Debt

$19,968

Pell Grant Rate

28%

Federal Loan Rate

28%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Missouri Western State University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Missouri Western State University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Missouri Western State University report median earnings of $42,647, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry

$37,499

8 Years

$40,961

10 Years

$42,647

Debt-to-Earnings

0.47x

Earning > $25K

57%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Missouri Western State University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Missouri Western State University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.51%, well above the typical college. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 10.3% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 14.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $68,300, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.51%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

14.7%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

10.3%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$92,796

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Missouri Western State University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Missouri Western State University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.56, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.56

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.01

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

8.0%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$262,958

Investment Income

$273,205

Top Programs

The fields Missouri Western State University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Health Professions 20% $68,491 early-career
• Business & Marketing 17% $48,503 early-career
• Education 9% $36,323 early-career
• Psychology 7% $32,002 early-career
• Legal Studies 5%
• Biology & Biomedical 4% $44,638 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 4% $33,980 early-career
• Criminal Justice 4% $40,390 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.