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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Missouri Southern State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Missouri Southern State University cost after financial aid?

At $19,568, Missouri Southern State University has a published sticker cost that falls to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $12,007, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. That leaves average financial aid savings of $7,561 against the sticker price.

Published in-state tuition and fees are $8,960, while out-of-state tuition and fees are $17,080; room and board are $9,119. Compared with the peer median net price of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size), the average net price is $2,061 below.

Azimuth places the university in the 90th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower after-aid price and strong affordability standing point in the same direction.

Affordability is the strongest pillar here, at the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $12,007, which is $2,061 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, families earning under $30,000 average $9,759 and those earning over $110,000 average $15,083. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,174 in federal student loans, $2,055 below the peer median.

For aid recipients at Missouri Southern State University, the after-aid price differs across the family-income range. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $9,759 in the lowest band, $10,132 in the next-lowest band, $11,233 in the middle band, $14,578 in the next-highest band, and $15,083 in the highest band.

The lowest band is financial-access context for the 34.0% of undergraduates who receive Pell Grants. Across the lowest and highest bands, the difference in average net price is $5,324.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,759

**$30–48K**
$10,132

**$48–75K**
$11,233

**$75–110K**
$14,578

**$110K+**
$15,083

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,007**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At Missouri Southern State University, the published cost of attendance is $19,568, while the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,007. For a typical aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 39% of the sticker price, an average offset of $7,561.

Average net prices vary across income bands: $9,759 for the lowest band, $10,132 for the next, $11,233 for the middle band, $14,578 for the higher band, and $15,083 for the highest. The $5,324 gap between the top and bottom bands reflects larger average aid offsets for lower-income families.

Missouri Southern State University pairs a published cost of attendance of $19,568 with lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s for families in its lower income bands. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,759 for the lowest family-income band, $10,132 for the lower-middle band, $11,233 for the middle band, $14,578 for the upper-middle band, and $15,083 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,324, and Azimuth ranks the university #148 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $7,561 against the sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $12,007, compared with a peer median of $14,068, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). That leaves the university $2,061 below its peers.

Published in-state tuition is $8,960, and out-of-state tuition is $17,080. Federal-loan borrowers who complete leave with median federal student loan debt of $19,174, and 75.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, putting the university $2,055 below that figure. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for parent borrowers is $10,400.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing shapes the cost picture at Missouri Southern State University, where 75.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $19,174.

For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229. The university’s figure is $2,055 below that median, a comparison centered on borrowers who completed.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population; their median borrowing is $10,400.

Graduates of Missouri Southern State University earn a median of $52,419 four years after completing a degree, a figure that sits at the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. They earn about $6,407 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 75th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $40,006 in a downside case to $68,911 in an upside case, with the typical scenario matching the observed median. The investment picture is shaped by what graduates borrow as much as by what they earn.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,174 in federal student loans, $2,055 below the median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month.

Among parent borrowers, a population separate from student federal-loan borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $10,400. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$10,400

**Estimated parent payment**
$132/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$19,174

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$10,400

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$218/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$132/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$350/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $52,419, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**8.8%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=missouri-southern-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.