🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $15,071/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$14,112 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Social Sciences (the two biggest majors)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1030, or ACT below 20 (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
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Total enrollment
5,024
10,000 - 19,999
In-state tuition
$14,112
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$35,112
+$21,000 vs in-state
Admit rate
57.2%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
1030–1220
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
20–27
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$53,037
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
$47,564
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,037
4-year completion
57%
Median debt (completers)
$20,000
Cost of attendance
$31,199
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
18%

💰 True ROI

8.8× 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)
$60,284
$15,071/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$64,512
vs sticker $124,796
10-yr earnings total
$530,370
$53,037/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.1 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 University of Missouri-St Louis, the average net price is $15,071/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$13,031/yr
Family income $30-48k
$12,979/yr
Family income $48-75k
$15,222/yr
Family income $75-110k
$17,598/yr
Family income $110k+
$21,608/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 University of Missouri-St Louis's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of Missouri-St Louis →

Opens on University of Missouri-St Louis'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 University of Missouri-St Louis

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
348 degrees · 38.3%
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. Social Sciences
149 degrees · 16.4%
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.
3. Education
148 degrees · 16.3%
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.
4. Health Professions
148 degrees · 16.3%
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. Psychology
115 degrees · 12.7%
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.

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 University of Missouri-St Louis

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
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 66 $72,810 $102,723
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 22 $78,941 $96,083
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. Bachelor's Degree $61,709 $89,660
Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 39 $69,638 $84,087
Civil Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 19 $81,305
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 191 $66,972 $78,608
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 90 $55,615 $72,635
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. Bachelor's Degree 21 $49,509 $66,483
Business/Commerce, General. Bachelor's Degree 333 $48,928 $65,373
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 10 $31,856 $65,331

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Missouri-St Louis

CS degrees (annual)
87
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Missouri-St Louis vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to University of Missouri-St Louis

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that University of Missouri-St Louis doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than University of Missouri-St Louis.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($15,765 less)
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($14,663 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($12,440 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($11,612 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($11,182 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Missouri Southern State University
MO · Public
97% admit rate (vs 57% here)
Missouri State University-Springfield
MO · Public
91% admit rate (vs 57% here)
Northwest Missouri State University
MO · Public
86% admit rate (vs 57% here)
Truman State University
MO · Public
80% admit rate (vs 57% here)
Southeast Missouri State University
MO · Public
78% admit rate (vs 57% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit University of Missouri-St Louis into your overall strategy:

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