2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Missouri
There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its Best Missouri Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking as one tool you can use to help make this decision.
Our analysis looked at 41 schools to determine which ones were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Missouri. It's important to note that this isn't just a listing of colleges and universities with the lowest sticker price. Instead, this ranking identifies schools that offer a high quality educational experience at a lower-than-expected price. So it is possible that College A may rank better than College B, while College B is less expensive to attend.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
When determining average cost, we look at total expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. This gives a rough estimation of how much money you can expect to pay out-of-pocket or through loans each year.
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Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Missouri
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Our analysis found Truman State University to be the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Missouri in this year’s ranking. Located in Kirksville, Missouri, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,216 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Truman State graduates in less than 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $21,932 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Truman State is $92,992. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. In addition to its great value ranking, Truman State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Missouri list.
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Out of the 41 schools in Missouri that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Rolla, Missouri, and it awarded 1,388 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Missouri University of Science and Technology about 4.8 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $23,933 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology is about $114,160. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Missouri University of Science and Technology did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Colleges in Missouri list.
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A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list means University of Missouri - Columbia is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 6,314 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Mizzou is 4.4 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $27,197 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Mizzou is about $118,851. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Mizzou is ranked #5 for overall quality in Missouri.
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A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list means Missouri State University - Springfield is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Missouri State is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,756 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Missouri State graduates in less than 4.5 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $21,859 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State is $99,021. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list means Northwest Missouri State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Northwest is a public institution located in Maryville, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,101 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Northwest graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $20,235 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Northwest be around $91,058. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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College of the Ozarks ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. College of the Ozarks is a small private not-for-profit school located in Point Lookout, Missouri that handed out 362 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Hard Work U graduates in less than 4.2 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $30,764 per year to attend the school. This means that the average student pays around $129,516 to get a bachelor’s degree from Hard Work U. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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University of Central Missouri came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri ranking. UCM is a fairly large public school situated in Warrensburg, Missouri. It awarded 2,021 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at UCM graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $20,705. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UCM be around $93,172. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large public school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 1,921 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UMSL about 4.5 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $26,999 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $120,686 to get a bachelor’s degree from UMSL. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Southeast Missouri State University landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking. Located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the fairly large public school handed out 1,711 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Southeast Missouri State University about 4.5 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $22,406 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University is $101,499. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 1,827 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At UMKC, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.6 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $27,049 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMKC be around $124,696. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Ozark Christian College landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking. Joplin, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 120 students in 2018-2019.
At Ozark Christian College, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.6 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,078 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Ozark Christian College is about $106,159. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Cottey College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri ranking. Located in Nevada, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 53 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Cottey College, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $33,204 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Cottey College is $139,125. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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With a ranking of #13, Missouri Western State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. Western is a public institution located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 759 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Western graduates in less than 4.7 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $19,604 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Western is $91,551. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Calvary University landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 33 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Calvary to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $19,053 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Calvary is $84,405. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Missouri Southern State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking, coming in at #15. Joplin, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 979 students in 2018-2019.
At Missouri Southern, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.7 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $18,591 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Southern is $87,750. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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With a ranking of #16, Saint Louis University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 1,867 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at SLU to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $62,868 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from SLU is about $259,016. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. SLU also took the #3 spot in our Best Colleges in Missouri rankings.
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With a ranking of #17, Columbia College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. Columbia College Missouri is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 2,323 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Columbia College Missouri is 4.0 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $24,968. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College Missouri is about $100,621. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Drury University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri ranking. Drury University is located in Springfield, Missouri and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 347 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes the average student at Drury University about 4.3 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $42,109. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Drury University is $181,911. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Fontbonne University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. Fontbonne University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 251 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Fontbonne University is 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $43,190 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $183,126 to get a bachelor’s degree from Fontbonne University. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #20, Lindenwood University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Charles, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,829 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Lindenwood University graduates in less than 4.4 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $31,300 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Lindenwood University is $137,720. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Rockhurst University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 463 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Rockhurst to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $54,515. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Rockhurst is $223,511. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great value ranking, Rockhurst is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Missouri list.
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With a ranking of #22, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,407 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at WUSTL graduates in less than 4.1 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $76,910 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from WUSTL is $314,562. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. WUSTL also made our Best Colleges in Missouri list, coming in at #1.
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William Jewell College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Liberty, Missouri, and it awarded 323 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At William Jewell, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $49,248 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the William Jewell is $203,394. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Lincoln University landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Missouri ranking. This small public school is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, and it awarded 375 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at LU Missouri graduates in less than 4.8 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $20,244 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from LU Missouri be around $96,766. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Park University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Missouri list. Park University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Parkville, Missouri that handed out 1,797 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Park University is 4.8 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $21,939 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Park University be around $105,746. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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