Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, Missouri · Also known as CMU - CLAS · Website
$48,991
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$48,991
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Fayette, Missouri with 1,040 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $22,766 a year (tuition and fees $28,260). It admits 57% of applicants and 51% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $48,991 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,619 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$22,766
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$28,260
US median $11,837
Admission rate
57%
US median 78%
Completion rate
51%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,619
About $187 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$48,991
Rank 1,561 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $22,766
- Tuition and fees
- $28,260
- Cost of attendance
- $43,635
- Students with a need-based grant
- 40%
- Students with federal loans
- 61%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $20,260
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,894
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,680
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $23,883
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $27,411
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $22,360 in 2015-16 to $28,260 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 57%
- Average SAT
- 1,048
- SAT reading, middle
- 501
- SAT math, middle
- 513
- ACT, middle
- 21
- Undergraduates
- 1,040
- Part-time students
- 0.3%
- Women
- 51%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 51%
- Retention rate
- 62%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 58
- Endowment
- $50.8M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,561 of 5,094 US colleges and 32 of 120 in Missouri (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MO median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $22,766 | $17,598 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $28,260 | $14,822 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 57% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 51% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 62% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,619 | $16,750 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $43,860 | $37,504 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $48,991 | $41,138 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 77% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
58 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $15,917 | $73,569 | $85,140 | $88,910 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $18,111 | $39,435 | $51,274 | $68,407 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $16,062 | $36,323 | $42,219 | $50,706 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $15,000 | $32,393 | $35,452 | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,389 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $23,250 | $35,416 | $46,344 | $57,214 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $22,375 | $32,499 | $51,637 | $55,693 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $18,084 | $36,223 | $45,805 | $55,378 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $15,451 | $49,629 | $59,648 | $107,009 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,468 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $16,750 | $45,023 | $52,836 | $76,194 |
| Education, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | $43,653 | $49,113 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,842 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,359 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,491 |
| Bible/Biblical StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,533 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,786 |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | $20,130 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,499 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,288 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,269 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Fayette and Missouri on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Missouri
- Homes: Homes for sale in Missouri
Questions and answers
How much does Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences cost?
$22,766 a year is the average net price at Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $28,260, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $43,635. Families earning under $30,000 pay $20,260 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?
57% of applicants are admitted to Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,048 and the middle ACT score is 21. The median admission rate of colleges in Missouri is 76%.
How much do Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduates earn?
$48,991 a year is the median pay of former Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students who work, 10 years after they started ($43,860 after 6 years). That ranks 1,561 of 5,094 US colleges and 32 of 120 in Missouri. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $95,405.
How much student debt do Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduates have?
$17,619 is the median federal student loan debt of Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduates, about $187 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 61% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?
51% of first-time, full-time students at Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences finish within 6 years. 62% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (30 bachelor's graduates), Business/Commerce, General (23 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (22 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 58 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.