Cheap Colleges in Missouri for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $6,096 and $36,056 a year in tuition and fees at the 27 public colleges and universities we rank in Missouri, a gap of $29,960 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $9,903, $2,883 (23%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $7,008, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $2,895 here, a ratio of 1.4 to 1.
St Charles Community College ranks first at $6,096, ahead of Three Rivers College ($6,180) and Saint Louis Community College ($6,990).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-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 out-of-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 27
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- 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 27 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | St Charles Community College Cottleville, MO Public · 2-year | $6,096 | $3,048 | $5,837 | 24% | 5,017 |
| 2 | Three Rivers College Poplar Bluff, MO Public · 2-year | $6,180 | $4,950 | $8,496 | 34% | 1,844 |
| 3 | Saint Louis Community College Bridgeton, MO Public · 4-year | $6,990 | $3,660 | $8,440 | 19% | 11,788 |
| 4 | Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO Public · 4-year | $7,200 | $4,512 | $6,936 | 32% | 8,165 |
| 5 | State Fair Community College Sedalia, MO Public · 2-year | $7,416 | $4,176 | $7,985 | 42% | 2,694 |
| 6 | East Central College Union, MO Public · 2-year | $7,680 | $4,272 | $13,128 | 43% | 1,639 |
| 7 | Missouri State University-West Plains West Plains, MO Public · 2-year | $8,106 | $5,936 | $9,750 | 38% | 965 |
| 8 | Crowder College Neosho, MO Public · 2-year | $8,280 | $6,180 | $9,023 | 46% | 2,570 |
| 9 | Mineral Area College Park Hills, MO Public · 2-year | $8,570 | $5,660 | $12,045 | 46% | 1,592 |
| 10 | Moberly Area Community College Moberly, MO Public · 2-year | $8,640 | $4,110 | $6,810 | 43% | 3,100 |
| 11 | North Central Missouri College Trenton, MO Public · 2-year | $8,820 | $5,370 | $13,626 | 57% | 1,286 |
| 12 | Jefferson College Hillsboro, MO Public · 2-year | $8,850 | $5,250 | $7,378 | 35% | 2,552 |
| 13 | Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 2-year | $9,600 | $3,630 | $8,398 | 31% | 10,649 |
| 14 | Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 4-year | $9,903 | $9,903 | $15,882 | 57% | 6,373 |
| 15 | Harris-Stowe State University Saint Louis, MO Public · 4-year | $11,640 | $7,008 | $9,922 | 28% | 960 |
| 16 | State Technical College of Missouri Linn, MO Public · 2-year | $14,610 | $8,160 | $15,190 | 82% | 2,123 |
| 17 | Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO Public · 4-year | $17,080 | $8,960 | $12,007 | 40% | 3,019 |
| 18 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO Public · 4-year | $17,324 | $10,611 | $16,244 | 56% | 4,378 |
| 19 | Lincoln University (MO) Jefferson City, MO Public · 4-year | $17,692 | $9,796 | $19,092 | 22% | 1,392 |
| 20 | Truman State University Kirksville, MO Public · 4-year | $18,566 | $9,838 | $12,780 | 68% | 2,513 |
| 21 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO Public · 4-year | $18,600 | $10,050 | $14,462 | 52% | 5,648 |
| 22 | Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO Public · 4-year | $18,770 | $9,502 | $17,613 | 58% | 13,313 |
| 23 | Missouri Western State University Saint Joseph, MO Public · 4-year | $20,866 | $10,306 | $13,251 | 39% | 2,219 |
| 24 | University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · 4-year | $30,227 | $12,587 | $13,310 | 56% | 6,817 |
| 25 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO Public · 4-year | $33,248 | $14,984 | $16,298 | 64% | 5,521 |
| 26 | University of Missouri-St Louis Saint Louis, MO Public · 4-year | $35,112 | $14,112 | $15,071 | 57% | 5,024 |
| 27 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 4-year | $36,056 | $14,837 | $20,268 | 76% | 23,929 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Missouri
Cheapest colleges in Missouri
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Community colleges in Missouri
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Best value colleges in Missouri
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Highest graduate earnings in Missouri
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Most affordable private colleges in Missouri
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Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in Oklahoma for out-of-state students
26 schools
Cheap colleges in Illinois for out-of-state students
23 schools
Cheap colleges in Tennessee for out-of-state students
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All 69 colleges in Missouri See the national version of this ranking