Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
University of Missouri-Columbia graduates demonstrate consistent upward earnings progression from early career through the ten-year measurement period. Median earnings begin at $52,756 six years after enrollment, advance to $58,213 at eight years, and reach $63,403 at ten years, representing steady 20.2% growth between the six-year and ten-year marks.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings align with peer institutions — outcomes are in line with similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $20,500 in debt with typical earnings.
University of Missouri-Columbia graduates carry median debt of $20,500, identical to the peer median, indicating typical borrowing patterns for public research universities. Debt levels range from $7,500 at the 25th percentile to $27,000 at the 75th percentile, showing variation in individual borrowing decisions and financial circumstances.
University of Missouri-Columbia achieves strong return on investment performance, ranking at the 77.4th percentile nationally with well above average outcomes. While graduates earn $5,793 below expectations relative to similar student demographics, absolute earnings of $63,403 place the institution at the 78th percentile nationally.
Approximately 23.6% of University of Missouri-Columbia graduates continue to graduate or professional study, based on program mix analysis with high c...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Engineering programs drive the strongest earnings outcomes, with Mechanical Engineering producing $83,864 and Artificial Intelligence delivering $79,627, both representing excellent returns on educational investment. Business programs provide consistently strong performance, with Business/Commerce General earning $68,404 while graduating the largest cohort of 707 students.
Communications programs, led by nationally ranked Broadcast Journalism at $58,169, demonstrate solid earning potential in creative fields. Health sciences and social sciences programs show more moderate earnings in the $44,000-$64,000 range, reflecting typical compensation patterns for service-oriented professions.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution at University of Missouri-Columbia spans from $42,277 at the 25th percentile to $90,496 at the 75th percentile, creating a 2.1:1 ratio between top and bottom quartiles. Low-income graduates earn $61,800, demonstrating solid mobility potential for students from lower-income backgrounds.
