Missouri State
University-West Plains
Public Community College in West Plains, MO. Six-year graduation rate 41%. Median 10-year earnings $36,922.
Ten-year median earnings of $36,922 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 41%, meaning about three in five students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $10,000, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 41%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 62% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. 13% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Retention drops to 21% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 860 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $9,340 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $9,115 at $0–30k against $12,298 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 81% get grants averaging $6,666, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 17% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
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 · 302 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 | $9,115 |
| $30–48k | $8,729 |
| $48–75k | $10,540 |
| $75–110k | $10,951 |
| $110k+ | $12,298 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 147 of these 860 students, totalling $736,320 — an average of $5,009 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Howell County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation (Other - Provide unlisted or multiple justifications); School has an accreditation issue
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)