Public · University
Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, Missouri · Small city
- —
- Admit rate
- $13,251
- Avg net price
- 39%
- Graduation rate
- $42,647
- Median earnings
Missouri Western State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Saint Joseph, Missouri (small city setting), enrolling 2,219 undergraduates.
About Saint Joseph, Missouri
St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. St. Joseph was founded on the Missouri River by Joseph Robidoux, a local fur trader of French Canadian descent. It was officially incorporated in 1843. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 47 miles to Kansas City, MO
- To Great Lakes shore
- 402 miles
- Nearest airport
- 32 miles to Kansas City (MCI) · major hub
How Missouri Western State University compares
Higher than 20% · #43 of 51 in Missouri
Higher than 8%
Higher than 19% · #38 of 53 in Missouri
Cheaper than 80% · #6 cheapest of 51 in Missouri
Lower than 76%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 60%
Percentiles compare Missouri Western State 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
- Undergraduate2,21991%
- Graduate2259%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,37362%
- Men84638%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black14%
- Hispanic1.3%
- Asian1.5%
- Other or multiracial18%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,219
- Graduate enrollment
- 225
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 40%
- Students over 25
- 9%
- Median family income
- $36,641
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $71,118
- Endowment
- $40,378,556
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $10,306
- Out-of-state tuition
- $20,866
- Room & board
- $12,311
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $21,595
- Average net price
- $13,251
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)
- 39%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 23%
- First-year retention
- 54%
- Transferred to another college
- 28%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,499
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,647
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,968
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 41%
About 16% 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)
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
- 1,239
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 56%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,540
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,116
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- Varsity athletes
- 458 (262 men · 196 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 (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 15
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,716 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$13,965/year × about 4.6 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.
Modest institutional aid: 80% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,089. 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 564 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)
- $42,647
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,968
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 47%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 52%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $9,966 (26%) 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
- 17°F
- Annual rain
- 34.8″
- Annual snow
- 21.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Joseph Rosecrans AP, MO US station (7.4 mi from campus).
What Missouri Western State University graduates study — and earn
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 Western State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Missouri Western State University side by side →
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, Arkansas · Remote town · 61 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 2,708
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1047
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $42k
Auburn University at Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama · Midsize city · 7 mi to Montgomery
- Students
- 2,542
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1093
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $44k
Delta State University
Cleveland, Mississippi · Remote town · 105 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 1,620
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $42k
University of West Alabama
Livingston, Alabama · Remote rural · 102 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 2,974
- Admission
- 43%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1015
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $44k
University of North Carolina Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina · Small city · 2 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 2,910
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1251
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $44k
Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, Missouri · Small city · 65 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 3,019
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1065
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Missouri Western State University
Benedictine College
Atchison, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,272 students
Highland Community College
Highland, KS · Public · Certificate · 1,279 students
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, KS · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 925 students
Conception Seminary College
Conception, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 40 students
Park University
Parkville, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,555 students
William Jewell College
Liberty, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 924 students
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Kansas City, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 747 students
Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO · Public · Bachelor's · 4,378 students
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.












