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.

PublicMidsize · 2,219 undergradsSmall cityNCAA Division II with football · Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

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
To Great Lakes shore
402 miles
Nearest airport
32 miles to Kansas City (MCI) · major hub

How Missouri Western State University compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 20% · #43 of 51 in Missouri

First-year retention54%

Higher than 8%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,647

Higher than 19% · #38 of 53 in Missouri

Average net price$13,251

Cheaper than 80% · #6 cheapest of 51 in Missouri

Median debt at graduation$19,968

Lower than 76%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment2,219

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

2,444students
  • Undergraduate2,21991%
  • Graduate2259%

Undergraduates by gender

2,219undergrads
  • 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)

All students
23%
Low-income (Pell)
30%
First-generation
30%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)133
Football125
Baseball45
Soccer31
Basketball28
Softball26
Lacrosse25
Volleyball22
Golf16
Tennis7

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.

6.3reported offenses a year
5.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.7
Fondling
2.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.3

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
$11,243
$30–48k
$11,674
$48–75k
$13,965
$75–110k
$16,119
$110k+
$17,764

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
$64,399

$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.

80%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,089
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$38,504
Men
$48,470

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Joseph Rosecrans AP, MO US station (7.4 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 Missouri Western State University

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

Colleges near Missouri Western State 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.