Public · Community college

Missouri State University-West Plains

West Plains, Missouri · Remote town

13%
Transfer rate: $9,750
Avg net price: 41%
Grad / completion: $36,922
Median earnings

Missouri State University-West Plains is a public associate-granting institution in West Plains, Missouri (remote town setting), enrolling 965 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 965 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold winters

About West Plains, Missouri

West Plains is a city in and the county seat of Howell County, Missouri, United States. The history of West Plains can be traced back to 1832, when settler Josiah Howell (after whom Howell County is named) created the first settlement in the region known as Howell Valley. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 86 miles to Springfield, MO
To Great Lakes shore: 415 miles
Nearest airport: 72 miles to Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport-Forney Field (TBN)

How Missouri State University-West Plains compares

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 26% · #61 of 70 in Missouri

First-year retention62%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,922

Higher than 56% · #25 of 62 in Missouri

Average net price$9,750

Cheaper than 71% · #17 cheapest of 68 in Missouri

Median debt at graduation$10,000

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment965

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Missouri State University-West Plains with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Missouri.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women60763%
Men35837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White84%
Black3.3%
Hispanic4.3%
Asian1.6%
Other or multiracial6.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 965
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 29%
First-generation students: 49%
Students over 25: 14%
Median family income: $23,379
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $57,825

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 336 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Missouri93%
Other U.S. states5.1%
International2.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Missouri State University-West Plains draws overwhelmingly from Missouri.

2% 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: $5,936
Out-of-state tuition: $8,106
Room & board: $7,450
Books & supplies: $1,038
Total cost of attendance: $16,592
Average net price: $9,750

Outcomes

Graduated: 41%
First-year retention: 62%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,926
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,922
Median debt at graduation: $10,000
Students with federal loans: 9%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 38%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

41%

First-generation

20%

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: 120
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 12%
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes: 136 (99 men · 37 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Baseball50

Other Sports25

Basketball23

Softball16

Volleyball14

Rodeo8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$9,115

$30–48k

$8,729

$48–75k

$10,540

$75–110k

$10,951

$110k+

$12,298

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.

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.

28%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,408

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 28% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,408. 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 281 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): $36,922
Typical debt at graduation: $10,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 27%
Out-earn a HS grad: 41%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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

$30,775

Men

$41,929

Men out-earn women by $11,154 (36%) 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: 89°F
Winter low: 22°F
Annual rain: 49.4″
Annual snow: 8.7″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, W Plains, MO US station (0.9 mi from campus).

What Missouri State University-West Plains graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

102 grads$28k 1 yr$30k 5 yr$10k debt

102$28,365$30,060$9,500 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

58 grads$57k 1 yr$60k 5 yr$13k debt

58$56,681$60,237$13,000 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasAssoc.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

27———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

22 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

22———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Agriculture, GeneralAssoc.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansCert.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Graphic CommunicationsAssoc.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———CriminologyAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———

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 Missouri State University-West Plains

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Missouri State University-West Plains side by side →

Mineral Area College

Public

Park Hills, Missouri · Distant town · 56 mi to St. Louis

Students: 1,592
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $35k

East Central College

Public

Union, Missouri · Distant town · 44 mi to St. Louis

Students: 1,639
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $37k

North Central Missouri College

Public

Trenton, Missouri · Remote town · 85 mi to Kansas City

Students: 1,286
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $41k

Three Rivers College

Public

Poplar Bluff, Missouri · Remote town · 114 mi to Memphis

Students: 1,844
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $32k

Crowder College

Public

Neosho, Missouri · Distant town · 53 mi to Fayetteville

Students: 2,570
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $36k

State Fair Community College

Public

Sedalia, Missouri · Remote town · 53 mi to Columbia

Students: 2,694
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $36k

Colleges near Missouri State University-West Plains

Southern Missouri Technical Institute

West Plains, MO · Public · Certificate · 90 students

1 mi

Texas County Technical College

Houston, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 96 students

40 mi

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home

Mountain Home, AR · Public · Certificate · 925 students

41 mi

Ozarka College

Melbourne, AR · Public · Certificate · 575 students

47 mi

Black River Technical College

Pocahontas, AR · Public · Certificate · 903 students

61 mi

Williams Baptist University

Walnut Ridge, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 478 students

66 mi

University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville

Batesville, AR · Public · Certificate · 751 students

66 mi

Lyon College

Batesville, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 648 students

67 mi

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.