Public · Community college
Three Rivers College
Poplar Bluff, Missouri · Remote town
- 12%
- Transfer rate
- $8,496
- Avg net price
- 33%
- Grad / completion
- $32,442
- Median earnings
Three Rivers College is a public associate-granting institution in Poplar Bluff, Missouri (remote town setting), enrolling 1,844 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Poplar Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Missouri, United States, that is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The French were the first Europeans to assert any territorial rights over the Poplar Bluff area. The French held the area until 1771 when it was ceded by treaty to Spain. Spain held the area until 1802 when it was returned to France. The largest US nail manufacturer, Mid-Continent Steel and Wire, is located in Poplar Bluff. It is one of 15 nail companies in the US, and accounted for half of US nail production as of June 2018. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 114 miles to Memphis, TN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 373 miles
- Nearest airport
- 57 miles to Cape Girardeau (CGI)
How Three Rivers College compares
Higher than 17% · #65 of 70 in Missouri
Higher than 36%
Higher than 40% · #39 of 62 in Missouri
Cheaper than 76% · #14 cheapest of 68 in Missouri
Lower than 46%
Lower than 29%
Larger than 81%
Percentiles compare Three Rivers College 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
- Women1,17964%
- Men66536%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White76%
- Black11%
- Hispanic4.2%
- Other or multiracial8.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,844
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 49%
- First-generation students
- 56%
- Students over 25
- 26%
- Median family income
- $18,333
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $45,027
- Endowment
- $14,840,683
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 564 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Missouri90%
- Other U.S. states8.9%
- International0.9%
Most first-years stay in state — Three Rivers College draws overwhelmingly from Missouri.
1% 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
- $4,950
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,180
- Room & board
- $7,002
- Books & supplies
- $1,020
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,637
- Average net price
- $8,496
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
- 33%
- First-year retention
- 66%
- Transferred to another college
- 12%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,566
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,442
- Median debt at graduation
- $10,000
- Students with federal loans
- 13%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 24%
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
- 184
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 10%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,440
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,362
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 118 (72 men · 46 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 (5)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (2,604 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.
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: 31% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,242. 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 508 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)
- $32,442
- Typical debt at graduation
- $10,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 31%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 35%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 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 $11,750 (41%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 52.2″
- Annual snow
- 5.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Poplar Bluff, MO US station (1.9 mi from campus).
What Three Rivers College 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 Three Rivers College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Three Rivers College side by side →
State Fair Community College
Sedalia, Missouri · Remote town · 53 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 2,694
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $36k
Crowder College
Neosho, Missouri · Distant town · 53 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 2,570
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $36k
Mineral Area College
Park Hills, Missouri · Distant town · 56 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 1,592
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $35k
Missouri State University-West Plains
West Plains, Missouri · Remote town · 86 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 965
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $37k
Moberly Area Community College
Moberly, Missouri · Distant town · 33 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 3,100
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $38k
East Central College
Union, Missouri · Distant town · 44 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 1,639
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $37k
Colleges near Three Rivers College
Black River Technical College
Pocahontas, AR · Public · Certificate · 903 students
Crowley's Ridge College
Paragould, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 165 students
Williams Baptist University
Walnut Ridge, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 478 students
Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center
Cape Girardeau, MO · Public · Certificate · 159 students
Renaissance Beauty Academy
Cape Girardeau, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
Trend Setters School
Cape Girardeau, MO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 65 students
Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Cape Girardeau, MO · Private nonprofit · Associate · 200 students
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO · Public · Bachelor's · 6,373 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.