🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $17,613/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$9,502 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Education (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 990, or ACT below 19 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Total enrollment
13,313
20,000 and above
In-state tuition
$9,502
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$18,770
+$9,268 vs in-state
Admit rate
91.1%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%
990–1220
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
19–25
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$49,827
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$40,553
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,827
4-year completion
58%
Median debt (completers)
$21,992
Cost of attendance
$25,048
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
22%

💰 True ROI

7.1× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$70,452
$17,613/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$29,740
vs sticker $100,192
10-yr earnings total
$498,270
$49,827/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.4 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Missouri State University-Springfield, the average net price is $17,613/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$13,718/yr
Family income $30-48k
$13,529/yr
Family income $48-75k
$14,905/yr
Family income $75-110k
$18,770/yr
Family income $110k+
$20,576/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Missouri State University-Springfield's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Missouri State University-Springfield →

Opens on Missouri State University-Springfield's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Missouri State University-Springfield

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Missouri State University-Springfield actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
709 degrees · 39.0%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Education
396 degrees · 21.8%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
3. Psychology
259 degrees · 14.2%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Health Professions
247 degrees · 13.6%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
5. Social Sciences
208 degrees · 11.4%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Missouri State University-Springfield

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Construction Management. Bachelor's Degree 67 $73,731 $98,563
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 52 $64,949 $93,094
Insurance. Bachelor's Degree 24 $51,094 $84,899
Management Information Systems and Services. Bachelor's Degree $57,284 $80,753
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 110 $66,183 $79,615
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 18 $48,188 $77,471
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 138 $50,486 $72,227
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 89 $49,634 $70,614
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Bachelor's Degree $69,088
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 177 $43,641 $66,333

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Missouri State University-Springfield

CS degrees (annual)
165
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

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