Cost & financial aid brief
University of Missouri-St Louis Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Missouri-St Louis cost after financial aid?
Aid reduces the published cost for the average aid recipient, though the reduction differs across family-income bands. Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $15,071 and an average sticker-to-net gap of $16,128.
The lower income bands average $13,031, $12,979, and $15,222, compared with $17,598 and $21,608 in the upper bands. The difference between the lowest and highest band averages is $8,577, a pricing pattern in which lower family-income bands receive larger average reductions from the published cost.
At University of Missouri-St Louis, the published cost of attendance is $31,199, but aid recipients’ costs differ across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,031 for the lowest family-income band, $12,979 for the lower-middle band, $15,222 for the middle band, $17,598 for the upper-middle band, and $21,608 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,577, and Azimuth ranks the university #292 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $16,128 against the sticker price.
Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,071, which is $1,003 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Published in-state tuition is $14,112, and out-of-state tuition is $35,112.
For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,000, which is $1,229 below the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size). 83.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $15,027.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at University of Missouri-St Louis, but the typical debt level sits below that of comparable colleges. 83.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,000. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the median federal debt is $21,229, making this university's median $1,229 below.
Parent borrowers are a separate population: their median Parent PLUS borrowing is $15,027.
University of Missouri-St Louis combines earnings above expectation with debt below the peer median. Graduates working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,350 four years after completion; Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $3,166 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put downside earnings at $42,955, typical earnings at $62,350, and upside earnings at $86,824. Median federal debt at completion is $20,000, $1,229 below the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and below-peer debt point in the same direction, though the scenarios show a wide range of modeled outcomes.
Parent borrowing sits apart from student debt: the median Parent PLUS amount for parent borrowers is $15,027. For federal student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $15,027
- Estimated parent payment
- $191/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $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.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $15,027
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $227/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $191/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $418/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 $62,350, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.9% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- 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.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.
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.
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.