Missouri State University-West Plains
West Plains, Missouri · Website
$36,922
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$36,922
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Missouri State University-West Plains is a public 2-year college in West Plains, Missouri with 965 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $9,750 a year (tuition and fees $5,936 in-state, $8,106 out-of-state). 41% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $36,922 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $10,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$9,750
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$5,936
Out-of-state $8,106
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
41%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$10,000
About $106 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$36,922
Rank 3,192 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
- $9,750
- Tuition in-state
- $5,936
- Tuition out-of-state
- $8,106
- Cost of attendance
- $16,592
- Students with a need-based grant
- 29%
- Students with federal loans
- 8.6%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,115
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $8,729
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $10,540
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $10,951
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $12,298
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 $3,880 in 2015-16 to $5,936 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
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 965
- Part-time students
- 24%
- Women
- 67%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 41%
- Retention rate
- 62%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 37
- Other
- Open admission
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 3,192 of 5,094 US colleges and 77 of 120 in Missouri (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MO median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $9,750 | $17,598 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $5,936 | $14,822 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 41% | 59% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 62% | 72% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $10,000 | $16,750 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $30,926 | $37,504 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $36,922 | $41,138 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 42% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 52% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
37 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 102 | $9,625 | $28,365 | $35,742 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 58 | $14,750 | $56,681 | $68,466 | $80,813 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | $40,895 | $49,927 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Agriculture, GeneralOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,683 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,294 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,711 |
| Graphic CommunicationsAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $36,221 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,184 |
| CriminologyOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $73,593 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Food Science and TechnologyOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Plant SciencesCertificate | Certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Agriculture, GeneralOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Agricultural Production OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Animal SciencesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Food Science and TechnologyOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of West Plains and Missouri on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Missouri
- Homes: Homes for sale in Missouri
Questions and answers
How much does Missouri State University-West Plains cost?
$9,750 a year is the average net price at Missouri State University-West Plains after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $5,936 for in-state students and $8,106 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $16,592. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,115 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Missouri State University-West Plains?
Missouri State University-West Plains has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Missouri State University-West Plains graduates earn?
$36,922 a year is the median pay of former Missouri State University-West Plains students who work, 10 years after they started ($30,926 after 6 years). That ranks 3,192 of 5,094 US colleges and 77 of 120 in Missouri. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $56,681.
How much student debt do Missouri State University-West Plains graduates have?
$10,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Missouri State University-West Plains graduates, about $106 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 8.6% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Missouri State University-West Plains?
41% of first-time, full-time students at Missouri State University-West Plains finish within 3 years. 62% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Missouri State University-West Plains?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (102 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (58 associate's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (27 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 37 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.