Public · University

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, Missouri · Small city

73.5%
Admit rate
$15,882
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$44,030
Median earnings

Southeast Missouri State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cape Girardeau, Missouri (small city setting), enrolling 6,373 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 6,373 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Ohio Valley ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southeast Missouri State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
73.5%
ACT (mid 50%)
15–20
Avg GPA (est.)
2.79

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southeast Missouri State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Southeast Missouri State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The "Cape" in the city name referred to a rock promontory overlooking the Mississippi River; it was later destroyed by railroad construction. As early as 1765, a bend in the Mississippi River, about 60 miles (97 km) south of the French village of Ste. Scenes for the film Gone Girl (2014), which is set in the fictional North Carthage, Missouri, were shot in Cape Girardeau. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
320 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Cape Girardeau (CGI)

How Southeast Missouri State University compares

Selectivity73.5%

More selective than 57% · #24 most selective of 44 in Missouri

SAT average950

Higher than 3%

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 57% · #17 of 51 in Missouri

First-year retention76%

Higher than 49%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,030

Higher than 21% · #34 of 53 in Missouri

Average net price$15,882

Cheaper than 69% · #14 cheapest of 51 in Missouri

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment6,373

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare Southeast Missouri 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

7,948students
  • Undergraduate6,37380%
  • Graduate1,57520%

Undergraduates by gender

6,373undergrads
  • Women3,79460%
  • Men2,57940%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White70%
  • Black8.4%
  • Hispanic3.3%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial18%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,373
Graduate enrollment
1,575
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$42,518
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$76,959
Endowment
$120,375,603

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 1,287 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Missouri76%
  • Other U.S. states18%
  • International5.4%

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

5% 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
73.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
950
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
15–20
Average GPA (estimated)
2.79

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,903
Room & board
$12,198
Books & supplies
$696
Total cost of attendance
$25,177
Average net price
$15,882

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,150
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,030
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

About 17% 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
41%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
38%

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
2,330
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
37%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Ohio Valley Conference
Varsity athletes
448 (257 men · 191 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)185
Football104
Baseball37
Basketball29
Soccer24
Softball22
Volleyball21
Gymnastics19
Tennis7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (9,501 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.

5.7reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Fondling
1.3
Aggravated assault
1.3
Rape
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
$12,704
$30–48k
$13,342
$48–75k
$15,338
$75–110k
$17,395
$110k+
$21,267

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
$68,155

$15,338/year × about 4.4 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.

85%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,367
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 85% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,367. 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 1,388 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)
$44,030
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
55%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$39,750
Men
$51,892

Men out-earn women by $12,142 (31%) 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
26°F
Annual rain
47.9″
Annual snow
7.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cape Girardeau Muni AP, MO US station (6.3 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 Southeast Missouri State University

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

Colleges near Southeast Missouri 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.