University of Missouri-Columbia
Public Research University in Columbia, MO. Six-year graduation rate 75%. Median 10-year earnings $63,403.
A decade after enrolling, the median University of Missouri-Columbia student earns $63,403 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. The six-year graduation rate of 75% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $20,500 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.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.32 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
78% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. With 24,490 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. About 31% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. 10% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
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 | 580–670 | 580 (10%) |
| SAT Math | 570–660 | |
| ACT Composite | 23–30 | 3,583 (66%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Missouri-Columbia →Academics
75% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. First-year retention of 93% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Retention drops to 67% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 23,118 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $22,169 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $13,841 at the $0–30k band to $26,304 at $110k+. 80% of students receive grant aid, averaging $12,995 — common but not automatic. About 36% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 5,097 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 | $13,841 |
| $30–48k | $13,378 |
| $48–75k | $13,722 |
| $75–110k | $19,762 |
| $110k+ | $26,304 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 8,330 of these 23,118 students, totalling $52,004,931 — an average of $6,243 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Boone 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)