by our College Data Analytics TeamSoutheast Missouri State University is a public institution in Cape Girardeau, Missouri enrolling 6,373 undergraduates. It accepts 74% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 58%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,151 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 22%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1,151 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 22%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Southeast Missouri State University was awarded 20 badges in the 2027 rankings.
Southeast Missouri State University is ranked #1,151 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, Southeast Missouri State University holds the #28 spot on the Best Colleges in Missouri ranking.
See all of the rankings for Southeast Missouri State University.
The acceptance rate at Southeast Missouri State University is 74%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that Southeast Missouri State University is a good fit for you.
Southeast Missouri State University received ACT scores from 5% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 15 and 20.
Learn more about Southeast Missouri State University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Southeast Missouri State University is 20 to 1, which is high when compared to the national average of 15 to 1. This may indicate that some of your classes will be larger in size than they would be at other schools. However, upper level classes will probably be smaller.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Southeast Missouri State University is 68%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Southeast Missouri State University has a freshmen retention rate of 76%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Southeast Missouri State University for first-time, full-time students is 58%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Southeast Missouri State University.
In the current academic year, there are 6,373 undergraduates at Southeast Missouri State University.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Southeast Missouri State University.
The typical net cost at Southeast Missouri State University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,704 | $13,342 | $15,338 | $17,395 | $21,267 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Southeast Missouri State University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Southeast Missouri State University, approximately 33% of students took out student loans averaging $6,377 a year. That adds up to $25,508 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 9.7%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%. Get more details about paying for Southeast Missouri State University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University make about $44,030 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is about 11% less than the average pay for college graduates overall. However, graduates with your major may make more.
See which majors at Southeast Missouri State University make the most money.
Southeast Missouri State University is an public institution found in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Southeast Missouri State University.
Contact details for Southeast Missouri State University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 |
| Phone: | 5736512000 |
| Website: | www.semo.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Missouri_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.semo.edu/facebook |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/semissouristate |
In the latest year of available data, students from 26 majors graduated from Southeast Missouri State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 2,307 | NA |
| Computer Information Systems | 380 | $50,908 |
| Business Administration & Management | 199 | $42,711 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 126 | $31,882 |
| General Psychology | 103 | $28,965 |
| General Biology | 95 | $25,035 |
| Nursing | 87 | $59,369 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 76 | $21,440 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 67 | $29,430 |
| Educational Administration | 65 | $43,217 |
4,689 students took at least one online class at Southeast Missouri State University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Southeast Missouri State University.
Interested in comparing Southeast Missouri State University? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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