Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsPublic

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, Missouri·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·missouriwestern.edu
6-yr Graduation
39%
-2.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Total enrollment
3,716
peer median 3,712
Avg net price
$12,638
-$2.2k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
39%-2.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
4-year graduation
23%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
39%
Full-time retention
54%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
32%
Non-Pell
37%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 71 Title IV programs, 21 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 50 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
71
Passing
21
29.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

71programs
  • Passing21 · 29.6%
  • No Data50 · 70.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
19
No data
50

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

21
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+18.7%
$39,163 vs $32,989
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+23.4%
$40,716 vs $32,989
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+26.5%
$41,728 vs $32,989
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+37.2%
$45,251 vs $32,989
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+40.0%
$46,187 vs $32,989
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+40.5%
$46,342 vs $32,989
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+40.7%
$46,402 vs $32,989
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+43.0%
$47,177 vs $32,989

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

14
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
64%
$29,429 debt · $46,187 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
59%
$22,922 debt · $39,163 earn
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
51%
$24,187 debt · $47,177 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
48%
$21,500 debt · $45,251 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
43%
$20,000 debt · $46,402 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
41%
$21,652 debt · $52,709 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
40%
$24,250 debt · $60,025 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
40%
$21,328 debt · $53,505 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1923Next review Aug 2027
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1919

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 8

  1. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
  2. Oct 2023Initial Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  3. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
  4. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
  5. Jan 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,342
$30–48k$11,014
$48–75k$12,834
$75–110k$16,231
$110k+$17,619

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,638
-$2,181vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs median $14,820
Federal loans
30.3%
In-state tuition
$9,800
Out-of-state
$17,500

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,137 students received $6.3M in Pell grants, alongside $8.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,137
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.3M
$6,304,230 total
Direct Loans
$8.4M
1,769 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.8M
770 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.1M
786 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.4M
99 loan awards
Parent PLUS$973K
106 loan awards
Grad PLUS$64K
8 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,150 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (0.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.7%
-1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,150
Defaulted
9
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.3%
2017
11.1%
2018
7.1%
2019
0.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Missouri Western State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs75
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

548 total completions
01Business
13123.9%
02Health Professions
11921.7%
03Parks/Recreation
5710.4%
04Education
5510.0%
05Biological Sciences
437.8%
06Security/Protective
336.0%
07Multi/Interdisciplinary
315.7%
08Psychology
305.5%
09Public Admin
305.5%
10Visual/Performing Arts
193.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,716
12-mo unduplicated
4,325
Undergraduate
4,067
Graduate
258

Gender split

Men
39%1,674
Women
61%2,651

Race / ethnicity composition

White
67.5%
Black
14.0%
Two or more
8.1%
Unknown
4.4%
Asian
1.8%
Hispanic
1.7%
Non-resident
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
389
227 M · 162 W
Women athletes
41.6%
Athletic aid
$3.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$8.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.7M
$1.5M
Recruiting expense
$57K
$29K
Head-coach salaries
$68K
$55K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
91 M · 72 W
$693K
Football
124 M ·
$2.3M
Baseball
46 M ·
$462K
Soccer
· 35 W
$403K
Basketball
15 M · 15 W
$1.5M
Lacrosse
· 28 W
$347K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.74
7 offenses · 4,023 students

3-year trend

1.432 yrs ago3.411 yr ago1.74Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
29
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
19
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
5
Rape
2

By location

7total
  • On campus6
  • Public property1

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
1
Stalking
6 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs021
Liquor218

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
137

Missouri Western State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Missouri Western State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMissouri Western State University
39%3,716$12,638Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Missouri Southern State University
40%97.0%4,147$11,653Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Bemidji State University
46%56.0%4,072$17,050Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Black Hills State University
43%96.3%3,346$17,001Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Northern State University
55%93.0%3,708$17,094Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
West Virginia State University
39%96.0%3,246$10,191Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Peer group median42%96.0%3,712$14,820

Frequently asked questions about Missouri Western State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Missouri Western State.

What is the graduation rate at Missouri Western State University?

Missouri Western State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 39% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Missouri Western State University?

Missouri Western State University reports a total enrollment of 3,716 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Missouri Western State University?

The average net price at Missouri Western State University is $12,638 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Missouri Western State University located?

Missouri Western State University is located in Saint Joseph, Missouri 64507.

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