Cheapest Colleges in Missouri
Sticker prices at the 36 four-year colleges we rank in Missouri run from $7,008 to $65,790 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $58,782 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 13 public colleges here charge a median of $10,050 a year, within a few percent of the national public median of $9,940. The 23 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $30,340, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Harris-Stowe State University ranks first at $7,008, ahead of Missouri Southern State University ($8,960) and Missouri State University-Springfield ($9,502).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Missouri
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Missouri has 36
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 36 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Harris-Stowe State University Saint Louis, MO Public · 4-year | $7,008 | $11,640 | $9,922 | 28% | 960 |
| 2 | Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO Public · 4-year | $8,960 | $17,080 | $12,007 | 40% | 3,019 |
| 3 | Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO Public · 4-year | $9,502 | $18,770 | $17,613 | 58% | 13,313 |
| 4 | Lincoln University (MO) Jefferson City, MO Public · 4-year | $9,796 | $17,692 | $19,092 | 22% | 1,392 |
| 5 | Truman State University Kirksville, MO Public · 4-year | $9,838 | $18,566 | $12,780 | 68% | 2,513 |
| 6 | Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 4-year | $9,903 | $9,903 | $15,882 | 57% | 6,373 |
| 7 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Public · 4-year | $10,050 | $18,600 | $14,462 | 52% | 5,648 |
| 8 | Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $10,120 | — | $23,006 | 59% | 747 |
| 9 | Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO Public · 4-year | $10,306 | $20,866 | $13,251 | 39% | 2,219 |
| 10 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO Public · 4-year | $10,611 | $17,324 | $16,244 | 56% | 4,378 |
| 11 | University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 4-year | $12,587 | $30,227 | $13,310 | 56% | 6,817 |
| 12 | University of Missouri-St Louis Saint Louis, MO Public · 4-year | $14,112 | $35,112 | $15,071 | 57% | 5,024 |
| 13 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 4-year | $14,837 | $36,056 | $20,268 | 76% | 23,929 |
| 14 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO Public · 4-year | $14,984 | $33,248 | $16,298 | 64% | 5,521 |
| 15 | Ozark Christian College Joplin, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $16,000 | — | $20,580 | 66% | 602 |
| 16 | Park University Parkville, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,500 | — | $21,032 | 34% | 4,555 |
| 17 | William Jewell College Liberty, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,610 | — | $17,562 | 64% | 924 |
| 18 | Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,600 | — | $19,638 | 50% | 4,624 |
| 19 | College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,320 | — | $6,100 | 62% | 1,444 |
| 20 | Missouri Valley College Marshall, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,700 | — | $18,086 | 23% | 1,443 |
| 21 | Columbia College (MO) Columbia, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,826 | — | $22,715 | 44% | 4,950 |
| 22 | Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,166 | — | $22,066 | 69% | 5,658 |
| 23 | Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Fayette, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,260 | — | $22,766 | 52% | 1,040 |
| 24 | Evangel University Springfield, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,548 | — | $18,669 | 65% | 1,229 |
| 25 | William Woods University Fulton, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,340 | — | $26,569 | 52% | 1,300 |
| 26 | Southwest Baptist University Bolivar, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,566 | — | $21,677 | 53% | 1,341 |
| 27 | Culver-Stockton College Canton, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,875 | — | $21,983 | 45% | 807 |
| 28 | Webster University Saint Louis, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,750 | — | $27,047 | 63% | 2,304 |
| 29 | Missouri Baptist University Saint Louis, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,612 | — | $27,006 | 48% | 1,488 |
| 30 | Westminster College (MO) Fulton, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,214 | — | $24,314 | 56% | 638 |
| 31 | Drury University Springfield, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,745 | — | $20,831 | 64% | 1,383 |
| 32 | Avila University Kansas City, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $42,000 | — | $16,053 | 47% | 1,312 |
| 33 | Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,550 | — | $27,650 | 62% | 812 |
| 34 | Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,966 | — | $25,884 | 75% | 1,580 |
| 35 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,760 | — | $24,398 | 80% | 7,267 |
| 36 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO Private nonprofit · 4-year | $65,790 | — | $21,786 | 94% | 7,857 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Missouri, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Missouri
Cheap colleges in Missouri for out-of-state students
27 schools
Community colleges in Missouri
14 schools
Best value colleges in Missouri
29 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Missouri
38 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Missouri
23 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Illinois
50 schools
Cheapest colleges in Tennessee
36 schools
Cheapest colleges in Iowa
28 schools
All 69 colleges in Missouri See the national version of this ranking