Northwest Missouri
State University
Public College in Maryville, MO. Six-year graduation rate 54%. Median 10-year earnings $47,885.
Ten years after entry, the median Northwest Missouri State University student earns $47,885 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 54% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $21,500 in debt — in line with the national norm.
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
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
Northwest Missouri State University admits 86% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 5,185 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. 22% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. The score bands below rest on the 2% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 478–593 | 16 (2%) |
| SAT Math | 498–600 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–24 | 651 (66%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northwest Missouri State University →Academics
54% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 74% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in four are gone before sophomore year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Transfer-out runs to 26% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Retention drops to 47% 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 4,550 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $16,790 annually once grants are applied. Net price varies modestly by income — $13,176 at $0–30k against $20,796 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 83% of students receive grant aid, averaging $9,868 — common but not automatic. 51% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
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 · 1,020 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 | $13,176 |
| $30–48k | $13,447 |
| $48–75k | $13,959 |
| $75–110k | $17,423 |
| $110k+ | $20,796 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,316 of these 4,550 students, totalling $23,272,185 — an average of $10,048 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Nodaway 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)