Public · University

University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, Missouri · Midsize city

#4 graduation rate in Missouri
78.5%
Admit rate
$20,268
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$63,403
Median earnings

University of Missouri-Columbia is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Columbia, Missouri (midsize city setting), enrolling 23,929 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 23,929 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Southeastern ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Missouri-Columbia's admitted students.

Admit rate
78.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1150–1330
Avg GPA (est.)
3.53

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Missouri-Columbia's admitted students.

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

About Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is a city in Boone County, Missouri, United States, and its county seat. Columbia's origins begin with the settlement of American pioneers from Kentucky and Virginia in an early 1800s region known as the Boonslick. The Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts and Jesse Auditorium are Columbia's largest fine arts venues. Ragtag Cinema annually hosts the True/False Film Festival. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Columbia, MO
To Great Lakes shore
318 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Columbia (COU)

How University of Missouri-Columbia compares

Selectivity78.5%

More selective than 47% · #27 most selective of 44 in Missouri

SAT average1247

Higher than 69%

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 85% · #4 of 51 in Missouri

First-year retention93%

Higher than 90%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,403

Higher than 74% · #9 of 53 in Missouri

Average net price$20,268

Cheaper than 49% · #27 cheapest of 51 in Missouri

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment23,929

Larger than 96%

Percentiles compare University of Missouri-Columbia 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

31,023students
  • Undergraduate23,92977%
  • Graduate7,09423%

Undergraduates by gender

23,929undergrads
  • Women12,99854%
  • Men10,93146%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White79%
  • Black4.8%
  • Hispanic6.2%
  • Asian2.7%
  • Other or multiracial7.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
23,929
Graduate enrollment
7,094
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
20%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$76,952
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$104,067
Endowment
$1,468,551,585

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 5,139 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Missouri66%
  • Other U.S. states33%
  • International0.6%

A regional draw: about 66% of first-years come from Missouri, the rest from elsewhere.

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.

Admissions

Admission rate
78.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1150–1330
SAT average
1247
SAT reading
580–670
SAT math
570–660
ACT composite
23–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.53

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,837
Out-of-state tuition
$36,056
Room & board
$13,700
Books & supplies
$950
Total cost of attendance
$31,713
Average net price
$20,268

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)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
56%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$52,756
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,403
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
35%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

About 19% 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
56%
Low-income (Pell)
57%
First-generation
56%

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
6,530
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
27%
Housing charge (year)
$7,715
Meal plan (year)
$3,850
Application fee
$55
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Southeastern Conference
Varsity athletes
685 (401 men · 284 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 (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)250
Football122
Swimming and Diving (combined)65
Baseball49
Wrestling40
Basketball34
Soccer30
Softball25
Gymnastics22
Volleyball22
Golf17
Tennis9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
67
Property offenses (2022–2024)
27

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 10 campuses (31,543 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.

31reported offenses a year
22 violent a year9.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
11
Fondling
5.7
Aggravated assault
5.7
Motor vehicle theft
5.7
Burglary
2.7
Arson
0.7
Robbery
0.3

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
$13,841
$30–48k
$13,378
$48–75k
$13,722
$75–110k
$19,762
$110k+
$26,304

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
$60,181

$13,722/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.

82%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,586
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 82% — get grant money from University of Missouri-Columbia itself, averaging $9,586, which softens the sticker price.

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 4,928 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)
$63,403
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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
$59,680
Men
$68,550

Men out-earn women by $8,870 (15%) 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
44.8″
Annual snow
17.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbia U OF M, MO US station (0.5 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 University of Missouri-Columbia

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

Colleges near University of Missouri-Columbia

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.