Small colleges in Missouri are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
Tuition costs in Missouri fall below the national average, allowing students access to many affordable options. For example, at Missouri State University, the second largest public school, tuition fees are around $7,000. Students of actor John Goodman’s alma mater can major in fields like religious studies, history, and business, and even have the option of earning an associate degree in arts or a bachelor’s in business at the university’s sister school in China. Missouri also offers more than 40 private schools.
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Tuition and student populations vary greatly among these schools, but students who attend these higher education institutes also have the option to attend classes at other campuses. For example, Saint Louis University, a college with Jesuit roots, has campuses in both St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Additionally, Missouri offers special loan forgiveness programs for nurses and other health professionals, including dentists, psychiatrists, and primary care physicians, who work in designated, high-need areas.
When you aren’t exploring one of its 6,000 caves, chowing down on some barbecue, or taking in a live jazz performance, Missouri can serve as the perfect place to begin a road trip. The Show Me State is bordered by eight other U.S. states, making it ideal for students love travelling and planning weekend getaways. During the week days, students can continue on their road to success by pursuing their degree at one of Missouri’s 72 higher education institutes.
See where Missouri’s many roads can take you while earning your degree at one this state’s top learning institutions.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Missouri is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 23 small colleges in Missouri. The list below of the best small colleges in Missouri. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
72%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1205/27
Truman State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
65%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1150/23
William Jewell College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
55%
Student body
1K
William Woods University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Evangel University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
74%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/23
Rockhurst University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
60%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/25
Drury University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
53%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/22
Stephens College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
47%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1010/20
Central Methodist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
61%
Student body
1K
Fontbonne University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
36%
Student body
3K
Missouri Western State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
37%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
975/21
Missouri Southern State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
52%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1051/22
Southwest Baptist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
26%
Student body
2K
Lincoln University, Missouri’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
39%
Student body
1K
Avila University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
52%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/22
Westminster College, Missouri’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
49%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1020/20
Culver–Stockton College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
25%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
947/17
Missouri Valley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/23
College of the Ozarks’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
41%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
945/20
Missouri Baptist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
19%
Student body
1K
Harris–Stowe State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
67%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/21
Cottey College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
39%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/21
Hannibal–LaGrange University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Graduation
65%
Student body
2K
Ranken Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.