Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Missouri Southern State University

Students comparing Missouri Southern State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Joplin, Missouri3,019 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 62Public universitySmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Missouri Southern State University: U.S. News ranks it #131 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Niche ranks it #1136 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,019 undergraduates, admits 97.0% of applicants, and posts a 41.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,080; aid recipients pay $12,007 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $42,620.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
97.0%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$12,007

54% below the $26,199 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$42,620

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
41.6%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,174

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1150–1420

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Missouri Southern ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#131of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1136of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Missouri Southern's position moves 36 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Missouri Southern

Missouri Southern State University is a public institution in Joplin, Missouri. Federal data show 62.8% first-year retention and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,007 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $26,199 sticker cost against $12,007 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Missouri Southern State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$8,960

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$17,080

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$9,119

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $26,199 a year, but the average family pays $12,007 — a 54% difference. 34.0% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Missouri Southern's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    16:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    62.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    3,019

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Missouri Southern: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $17,080 and on-campus room and board is $9,119, for a published total of $26,199 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,007.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 97.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Missouri Western State University

    Saint Joseph, MOPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Missouri Western State University: U.S. News ranks it #138 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Niche ranks it #1100 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,219 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 38.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,866; aid recipients pay $13,251 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $42,647.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $13,251
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $42,647
    6-yr graduation rate
    38.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#138 of 165Niche · Overall (Niche)#1100 of 2,605

    2,219 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 63 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Southwest Minnesota State University

    Marshall, MNPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Southwest Minnesota State University: U.S. News ranks it #109 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); WSJ ranks it #452 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #561 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,315 undergraduates, admits 62.2% of applicants, and posts a 45.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $10,361; aid recipients pay $15,291 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,342.

    Acceptance rate
    62.2%
    Average net price
    $15,291
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $51,342
    6-yr graduation rate
    45.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#109 of 165WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#452 of 500Niche · Overall (Niche)#561 of 2,605

    2,315 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 59 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Shawnee State University

    Portsmouth, OHPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Shawnee State University: U.S. News ranks it #109 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #983 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1081 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,247 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 48.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,358; aid recipients pay $14,381 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $39,596.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $14,381
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $39,596
    6-yr graduation rate
    48.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#109 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#983 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1081 of 2,605

    2,247 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 58 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Missouri Southern against these