Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Missouri
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Missouri college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Missouri scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $7,200 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Missouri's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Access Missouri Grant
A need-based grant for Missouri residents with a Student Aid Index of $12,000 or less. At a public four-year university or a private college the statute sets $1,750 to $3,500 a year; funding decides where in that range.
Source: State of Missouri, Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
“Have an SAI of $12,000 or less.”
“Public 4-Year, State Technical College of Missouri, Private, and Approved Virtual School Maximum $1,700 $3,500 Minimum $500 $1,750”
“Award amounts are based on your SAI and the type of school you are attending when you receive the award.”
Bright Flight Scholarship
A scholarship for a first-time, full-time student at a Missouri college whose ACT or SAT score is in the top five percent of Missouri test takers. It pays up to $3,000 a year for an ACT of 32 or above. The $1,000 level takes an ACT of 30 or 31 for 2026 graduates and 31 for 2027 graduates.
Source: State of Missouri, Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
“Have a composite score on the ACT or SAT within the top five percent of all Missouri test takers.”
“ACT Score: 32 or above or SAT Math Score: 800 SAT Critical Reading: 800 Up to $3,000 $3,000”
“ACT Score: 30 or 31 or SAT Math Score: 800 SAT Critical Reading: 790-799 Up to $1,000 $1,000”
“ACT Score: 31 or SAT Math Score: TBD SAT Critical Reading: TBD Up to $1,000 $1,000”
“Enroll as a first-time, full-time student at a participating Missouri school”
Missouri's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into any state's 529 plan comes off your Missouri income, up to $8,000 a year, or $16,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Missouri adds it back.
Sources: Missouri Education Program, MOST 529, Tax Advantages and Missouri Revisor of Statutes, RSMo 166.435
“State tax deduction for Missouri residents (up to $8,000 per person, or $16,000 if you're married filing jointly)”
“Annual contributions made to the program held by the board, the deposit program, and any qualified tuition program established under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code up to and including eight thousand dollars per taxpayer, and up to sixteen thousand dollars for married individuals filing a joint tax return, shall be subtracted in determining Missouri adjusted gross income pursuant to section 143.121.”
Missouri also has the A+ Scholarship for community colleges and technical schools, a grant for adults and programs for survivors of public safety workers. See the Department of Higher Education's list.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Methodist University private | None published | — | $43,056 |
| Columbia College (Missouri) private | None published | — | $43,534 |
| Evangel University private | None published | — | $44,456 |
| Lincoln University (Missouri) public | None published | — | $24,604 |
| Lindenwood University private |
| — | $40,314 |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis private |
| — | $45,879 |
| Missouri Baptist University private | None published | — | $52,325 |
| Missouri Southern State University public |
| — | $21,166 |
| Missouri Valley College private | None published | — | $43,368 |
| Missouri Western State University public |
| — | $29,229 |
| Northwest Missouri State University public | None published | Northwest Promise: tuition and standard fees for Missouri students with a family income of $75,000 or less, or a Pell Grant | $28,101 |
| Rockhurst University private | None published | — | $65,015 |
| Saint Louis University private | None published | SLU Tuition Promise: full undergraduate tuition for first-time freshmen with a combined parent adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less | $80,714 |
| Southeast Missouri State University public | None published | — | $23,800 |
| Southwest Baptist University private | None published | — | $45,282 |
| Truman State University public |
| — | $26,216 |
| University of Central Missouri public |
| — | $24,213 |
| University of Missouri public | None published | — | $33,846 |
| Washington University in St. Louis private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay The WashU Pledge — free tuition, fees, housing and food for Missouri and southern Illinois students from families with $75,000 or less | $102,342 |
| Webster University private | None published | — | $48,068 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
10 more Missouri colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Missouri State University-Springfield
- University of Missouri-Kansas City
- Missouri University of Science and Technology
- University of Missouri-St Louis
- Drury University
- Avila University
- William Woods University
- College of the Ozarks
- Park University
- Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies
Across state lines
The Midwest Student Exchange Program, run by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.
Coming to Missouri from another Midwest exchange state
Students from Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin can pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at the public colleges that take part, for the programs each chooses. Private colleges take 10% off.
A student applies to the college, not to the exchange.
These 6 colleges in Missouri take part:
- Missouri Southern State University
- Missouri Western State University
- Truman State University
- University of Central Missouri
- University of Missouri–Kansas City
- University of Missouri–St. Louis
Going from Missouri to another Midwest exchange state
A Missouri student can use it the other way, at the colleges that take part in the other seven states. Each college's exchange contact explains how to apply.
Source: Midwestern Higher Education Compact, Midwest Student Exchange Program
“Through the MSEP, participating public institutions agree to charge students no more than 150% of the in-state resident tuition rate for selected programs, and private institutions offer a 10% reduction on their tuition rates.”
“Eight of MHEC’s member states participate in this voluntary program: Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.”
“You must be a legal resident of one of these eight states and enrolling as a non-resident at a participating institution in one of the other participating states.”
“You apply directly to the school, not to the MSEP.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $7,200 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Missouri scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Missouri at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Missouri's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Missouri.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.