Best-Value Colleges in Missouri
16 Missouri 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Missouri is Washington University in St Louis, Saint Louis - a net price of $13,360 against $86,182 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 6.5×, with a 94% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO | $13,360 | $86,182 | 6.5× | 94% | $69,594 |
| 2 | $15,772 | $82,957 | 5.3× | 64% | $15,746 | |
| 3 |  University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis Saint Louis, MO | $28,540 | $137,047 | 4.8× | 75% | $33,189 |
| 4 |  Truman State University Kirksville, MO | $12,317 | $56,280 | 4.6× | 68% | $10,220 |
| 5 |  Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences Cape Girardeau, MO | $17,829 | $60,918 | 3.4× | 100% | $11,064 |
| 6 |  Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO | $20,199 | $62,105 | 3.1× | 72% | $27,166 |
| 7 |  William Jewell College Liberty, MO | $19,678 | $59,268 | 3.0× | 62% | $21,538 |
| 8 |  University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | $21,142 | $63,403 | 3.0× | 76% | $15,548 |
| 9 |  Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO | $16,120 | $47,885 | 3.0× | 57% | $11,037 |
| 10 |  Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO | $17,270 | $49,827 | 2.9× | 57% | $10,128 |
| 11 |  Rockhurst University Kansas City, MO | $24,702 | $67,102 | 2.7× | 76% | $46,270 |
| 12 |  Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO | $29,674 | $70,783 | 2.4× | 80% | $57,960 |
| 13 |  Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, MO | $21,440 | $50,535 | 2.4× | 70% | $10,560 |
| 14 |  Westminster College Fulton, MO | $23,913 | $52,199 | 2.2× | 57% | $36,200 |
| 15 |  Conception Seminary College Conception, MO | $24,558 | $50,430 | 2.1× | 64% | $27,244 |
| 16 |  Webster University Saint Louis, MO | $26,955 | $50,876 | 1.9× | 61% | $32,690 |
How we ranked this
From every Missouri four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Missouri?+
Washington University in St Louis in Saint Louis has the highest return on investment among Missouri 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $13,360 against $86,182 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 6.5× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 94% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Missouri four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.