Public · University

Lincoln University

Jefferson City, Missouri · Small city

Admit rate
$19,092
Avg net price
21%
Graduation rate
$39,463
Median earnings

Lincoln University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Jefferson City, Missouri (small city setting), enrolling 1,392 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicSmall · 1,392 undergradsSmall cityNCAA Division II with football · Great Lakes Valley ConferenceCold winters

About Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. In the late 17th century, frontiersmen began to inhabit the area, including Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, Louis Jolliet, Jacques Marquette, Robert de LaSalle, and Daniel Boone, with the latter having the greatest influence on the region. Jefferson City's economy is driven by its residents, citizens of surrounding communities, and tourists. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
28 miles to Columbia, MO
To Great Lakes shore
328 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Columbia (COU)

How Lincoln University compares

Graduation rate21%

Higher than 6% · #49 of 51 in Missouri

First-year retention60%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,463

Higher than 13% · #46 of 53 in Missouri

Average net price$19,092

Cheaper than 54% · #23 cheapest of 51 in Missouri

Median debt at graduation$28,875

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment1,392

Larger than 47%

Percentiles compare Lincoln University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Missouri.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,520students
  • Undergraduate1,39292%
  • Graduate1288%

Undergraduates by gender

1,392undergrads
  • Women78656%
  • Men60644%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White29%
  • Black50%
  • Hispanic3.9%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial17%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,392
Graduate enrollment
128
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
49%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$24,957
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$50,634
Endowment
$3,270,186

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 348 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Missouri69%
  • Other U.S. states24%
  • International6.6%

A regional draw: about 69% of first-years come from Missouri, the rest from elsewhere.

7% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,796
Out-of-state tuition
$17,692
Room & board
$10,256
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$23,704
Average net price
$19,092

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
21%
Graduated on time (4 years)
10%
First-year retention
60%
Transferred to another college
36%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,185
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$39,463
Median debt at graduation
$28,875
Students with federal loans
44%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
10%
Low-income (Pell)
23%
First-generation
23%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
717
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
52%
Housing charge (year)
$6,425
Meal plan (year)
$4,127
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Varsity athletes
349 (216 men · 133 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Football69
Soccer64
Track and Field (Indoor)50
Track and Field (Outdoor)50
Softball40
Basketball29
Baseball25
Golf12
Cross Country10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,054 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

8.0reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Rape
1.0
Fondling
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$20,070
$30–48k
$19,313
$48–75k
$18,287
$75–110k
$14,466
$110k+
$19,984

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$87,015

$18,287/year × about 4.8 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

21%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,736
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 21% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,736. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 341 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$39,463
Typical debt at graduation
$28,875
Debt vs. one year's pay
73%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$38,930
Men
$40,023

Men out-earn women by $1,093 (3%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
43.6″
Annual snow
8.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jefferson City Wtp, MO US station (1.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Lincoln University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lincoln University side by side →

Colleges near Lincoln University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.