College profile
University of Missouri (Columbia)
Listed in federal data as “University of Missouri-Columbia”.
MO · Public · Mid-size city · 21,669 applicants 2023
A parent's read
- Top feeder high schools: Depaul College Prep (14), New Trier Township High School Winnetka (7), Prestonwood Christian Academy (4), Edina Senior High (3), Santa Margarita Catholic High School (3). Graduates per class year, from each high school's own published list. 23 high schools' lists name University of Missouri (Columbia); every one is ranked below.
- Grades and scores convert directly to dollars here. This college publishes an automatic merit grid — hit the GPA/score tiers and the discount is guaranteed, no negotiation. Check the scholarship table below before assuming the sticker.
- The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 5× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$31,713/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$63,403/yr) still runs about 5× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
- Ask the submit question deliberately. This college is test-optional — but at many such colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates. “Optional” is a strategy decision, not a pass.
Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.
Feeder high schools
Which high schools send graduates to University of Missouri (Columbia)?
The high schools sending the most graduates per class year to University of Missouri (Columbia), from each school's own published list: Depaul College Prep (14), New Trier Township High School Winnetka (7), Prestonwood Christian Academy (4), Edina Senior High (3), Santa Margarita Catholic High School (3). 23 high schools' lists name University of Missouri (Columbia).
Enrolled — from the schools' matriculation lists
All 23 schools, with the class years each list covers
How this is counted
23 high schools publish a numbered matriculation list — where their graduates actually enrolled, counted, in the school's own School Profile — and name University of Missouri (Columbia) on it. Between them they printed 75 enrolled graduates. Ranked by graduates per class year enrolling at University of Missouri (Columbia), from each school's own published list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, so a one-year list and a five-year list can sit on the same page. A list whose class years we cannot read is not divided by a guess — it is listed below with its total instead.
Is my high school on this list?
Admitted — from the schools' acceptance lists
All 8 schools, with the class years each list covers
Published, but not ranked — these schools name University of Missouri (Columbia) on a list of the colleges that admitted their graduates whose class years we cannot read ("Since 2023", or no class year printed), so their totals are shown rather than divided: Seven Lakes High School (2, not stated).
How this is counted
8 high schools publish a numbered list of college acceptances — where their graduates were admitted, not where they enrolled — and name University of Missouri (Columbia) on it. Between them they printed 26 admissions. Ranked by admissions per class year to University of Missouri (Columbia), from each school's own published acceptances list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. Admits are counted at each college a student was admitted to, the same way the UC Reach Score counts a student admitted to three UC campuses three times — so this is a count of admissions, not of students. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, and a list whose class years we cannot read is listed below with its total rather than divided by a guess.
All 30 feeder schools, ranked →
Counted from each school's own published document, linked on that school's page. A high school that is not here does not publish a numbered list we could read — that is all absence means, and it says nothing about its graduates. Where a school publishes both, the two lists are shown separately: an acceptances list is not a list of enrollments, and the two are never added together.
Parent/student verdict
AccessibleAccessible for most applicants. Major value play for in-state residents.
Best for
- Solid academic profiles — the admitted-student bands above are within reach for strong students
- Strong test/GPA students chasing merit aid — Top tier (out-of-state) or Top tier (in-state) on offer (see merit-scholarship tab below)
- In-state residents (tuition ~$14,837 — major value play)
- Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Health Professions (the two biggest majors)
- Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)
The reality
- You'd be near the bottom of their admitted class if: SAT below 1150, or ACT below 23, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (test bands are the school's own; the GPA floor is our estimate, not a published figure)
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
What are your child's odds here?
Enter their numbers once — this and every college page shows their verdict, and the UC campus cards on California school pages light up with it too. Free, no email.
Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.
Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
10% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 66% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class.
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).
The real cost
What University of Missouri (Columbia) actually costs
Which side your family lands on isn't set by any national income line — it's set by University of Missouri (Columbia)'s own aid decision: the gap between its price and your family's finances.
Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.
The payoffTen years of typical graduate pay minus four years of cost — how many dollars ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten. Check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you; median pay reflects who a college admits and what they study as much as the college itself., both ways
+$507K ahead at full price +$553K with aidSource: College Scorecard (average net price among Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates who received aid) and each college's published cost of attendance. We don't show the federal net-price-by-income brackets: their categories were fixed in 2008 and never adjusted, and none of the averages is your family's own number — the full story. Payoff = (10-yr median earnings × 10) − (4 years of cost), in dollars — how far ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten; medians travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose as much as with the college itself. Full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.
What students study here
Most popular majors at University of Missouri (Columbia)
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Missouri (Columbia) actually graduates — not just what it markets.
What those majors earn here
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — University of Missouri (Columbia)'s own graduates, not national averages.
| Major (CIP) | 4-yr earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Engineering. | $112,696 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $105,034 |
| Industrial Engineering. | $101,380 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | $100,234 |
| Chemical Engineering. | $95,989 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | $95,415 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $94,629 |
| Engineering, General. | $92,426 |
| Biological/Biosystems Engineering. | $86,844 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | $84,534 |
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
Merit aidScholarship money awarded for grades or test scores, not financial need — at many colleges it's automatic at certain GPA/score levels.
What your test score unlocks at University of Missouri (Columbia)
Score-or-merit-based scholarships published by the institution. Stackable in most cases — confirm with the financial aid office.
| Award | Annual award | Score gate |
|---|---|---|
|
Top tier (out-of-state)
Top (OOS) · out_of_state
|
$21,500/yr Fall 2026 published rate · source ↗ |
1400+ SAT |
|
Top tier (in-state)
Top (resident) · in_state
|
$7,200/yr Fall 2026 published rate · source ↗ |
1400+ SAT |
See all merit scholarships across colleges + 13 national awards on /merit-scholarships →
AI program signal
AI + computing education at University of Missouri (Columbia)
Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →
Alternatives to University of Missouri (Columbia)
Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.
Or compare any college side-by-side
Deciding on University of Missouri (Columbia)?
Get the full picture in one free report — your child's Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely odds and your real net price, for University of Missouri (Columbia) and every other college on your list.
Get your child's odds at University of Missouri (Columbia) →Related reading
Scholarships · October 2026
States · October 2026
For Parents
Get alerts when University of Missouri (Columbia)'s numbers change
New admit rates, costs, and outcomes — a few alerts a year, no spam. Your email also saves your list across devices.
Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.
At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantUniversity of Missouri (Columbia) is a public four-year college in MO. It admitted 77% of applicants (21,669 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
Middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted that test: SAT 1150–1330, ACT 23–29. 10% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 66% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class.
Cost: about $20,268 a year on average with aid, $31,713 a year at full price for in-state students.
Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,403 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $552,958 ahead with aid, $507,178 ahead at full price.
Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Engineering ($112,696); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($105,034); Industrial Engineering ($101,380).
High schools that publish a numbered matriculation list and name University of Missouri (Columbia): 23, 75 enrolled students between them — ranked by graduates per class year, most often Depaul College Prep (14.0 per class year, 14 over 1 class year, Class of 2025); New Trier Township High School Winnetka (7.0 per class year, 7 over 1 class year, Class of 2025); Prestonwood Christian Academy (4.0 per class year, 4 over 1 class year, Class of 2025). Each figure is the number that school printed divided by the class years its own list covers; the totals and years are shown. These are the schools that publish such a list, not every school that sends students; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-missouri-columbia.
High schools that publish a numbered list of college acceptances naming University of Missouri (Columbia): 8, 26 admissions between them — ranked by admissions per class year, most often Chaminade College Preparatory (4.0 per class year, 4 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); Archbishop Mitty High School (2.0 per class year, 2 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); California School of the Arts — San Gabriel Valley (1.0 per class year, 1 over 1 class year, Class of 2026, counted column "Acceptances (Class of 2026)"). Admits are counted at each college, so this counts admissions, not students. These are a different set of documents from the matriculation lists above and the two are never added together; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-missouri-columbia.
Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-missouri-columbia.json
Questions families ask
What is University of Missouri (Columbia)'s acceptance rate? University of Missouri (Columbia) is a public four-year college in MO. It admitted 77% of applicants (21,669 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
Does University of Missouri (Columbia) require the SAT or ACT? University of Missouri (Columbia) is a public four-year college in MO. It admitted 77% of applicants (21,669 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
What SAT or ACT scores do University of Missouri (Columbia) students have? Middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted that test: SAT 1150–1330, ACT 23–29. 10% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score, 66% an ACT — these ranges describe students who submitted, not the whole class.
How much does University of Missouri (Columbia) cost? Cost: about $20,268 a year on average with aid, $31,713 a year at full price for in-state students.
What do University of Missouri (Columbia) graduates earn? Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,403 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $552,958 ahead with aid, $507,178 ahead at full price.
Which majors at University of Missouri (Columbia) pay the most? Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Engineering ($112,696); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($105,034); Industrial Engineering ($101,380).
Which high schools send the most graduates to University of Missouri (Columbia)? The high schools sending the most graduates per class year to University of Missouri (Columbia), from each school's own published list: Depaul College Prep (14), New Trier Township High School Winnetka (7), Prestonwood Christian Academy (4), Edina Senior High (3), Santa Margarita Catholic High School (3). 23 high schools' lists name University of Missouri (Columbia).
+38 more programs
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.