Lincoln University
Public College in Jefferson City, MO. Six-year graduation rate 21%. Median 10-year earnings $39,463.
Ten-year median earnings of $39,463 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Completion is the weak point: 21% graduate within six years. Median debt at graduation reaches $28,875, heavy enough to shape the years right after the degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.73 — elevated (above 0.60)
- ! Graduation rate 21% — below national average
Academics
Only 21% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential. 60% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about two in five are gone before sophomore year. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. With 37% transferring out, this functions substantially as a stepping stone. The 11:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,357 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $14,002 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $20,070 at $0–30k against $19,984 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Most students get help: 100% receive grants worth $8,145 on average. 55% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 303 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,070 |
| $30–48k | $19,313 |
| $48–75k | $18,287 |
| $75–110k | $14,466 |
| $110k+ | $19,984 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 746 of these 1,357 students, totalling $5,890,826 — an average of $7,897 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cole County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)