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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Missouri-St Louis Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Missouri-St Louis cost after financial aid?

University of Missouri-St Louis pairs a published cost of attendance of $31,199 with an affordability standing that is relatively strong in Azimuth’s national comparison. Its listed charges include $14,112 for in-state tuition and fees, $35,112 for out-of-state tuition and fees, and $13,502 for room and board.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,071, with average financial-aid savings of $16,128 from the published cost. That average is $1,003 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #292 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The aid savings and affordability standing point in the same direction.

Aid recipients face costs above peers. Their average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what they pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,071.

That figure is $1,003 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $14,068. Azimuth places affordability in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Median federal student loan debt among completers who borrowed is $20,000, $1,229 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The average net price is $13,031 in the lowest income band and $21,608 in the highest. Lower debt but higher net price than peers give mixed signals.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $13,031 in the under-$30,000 band, $12,979 in the $30,001–$48,000 band, $15,222 in the $48,001–$75,000 band, $17,598 in the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $21,608 in the over-$110,000 band. 18.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,577.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$13,031

**$30–48K**
$12,979

**$48–75K**
$15,222

**$75–110K**
$17,598

**$110K+**
$21,608

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,071**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $15,027.

University of Missouri-St Louis combines earnings above the model's 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$15,027

**Estimated parent payment**
$191/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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=university-of-missouri-st-louis#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.