Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) vs University of Central Missouri (UCM)

Missouri Southern State University and University of Central Missouri, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Missouri, offer distinct educational experiences. Missouri Southern, located in Joplin, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. In contrast, the University of Central Missouri, situated in Warrensburg, maintains a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Missouri Southern excels in engineering and health professions, while the University of Central Missouri shines in business and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your choice of university.

	Missouri Southern State University	University of Central Missouri
Overview
Location	Joplin, Missouri	Warrensburg, Missouri
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	59.0%	71.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.9%	75.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	950 - 1170	N/A
ACT range	18 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%
Total number of applicants	1,695	5,103
Total number of admissions given out	1,642	3,867
Admitted students who chose to enroll	578	1,158
Yield rate	35.2%	29.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $19,321 Out of state: $26,913	In state: $22,192 Out of state: $29,940
Average net price	$9,703	$13,852
Tuition	In state: $7,244 Out of state: $14,836	In state: $7,747 Out of state: $15,495
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,400 Meal plan: $5,652	Room/dormitory: $5,846 Meal plan: $3,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $6,885	97.0% Average amount $7,322
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $4,602	53.0% Average amount $5,048
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,077	10.0% Average amount $8,947

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,245 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	7,577 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%
Graduate students	107 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%	2,953 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	22.1%	11.6%
International students	2.5%	13.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	735	3,993
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri Kansas Arkansas Oklahoma Texas	Missouri Kansas Illinois Arkansas Iowa

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts	Education Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	37.0%	52.5%
Dropout rate	32.2%	17.5%
Transferred out	27.4%	28.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,678 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,482 Year 3: $54,298 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,753 Year 2: $54,515 Year 3: $54,231 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,466 Year 2: $47,930 Year 3: $52,943 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,016 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $49,539 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $42,995 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,297 Year 2: $38,946 Year 3: $42,227 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,440 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $40,971 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,859 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,702 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,697 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $37,967	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,344 Year 2: $98,137 Year 3: $102,568 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,020 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $75,770 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,468 Year 2: $65,573 Year 3: $66,888 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,910 Year 2: $59,937 Year 3: $66,552 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,256 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,487 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,348 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $64,953 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,391 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,308 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,831 Year 2: $58,131 Year 3: $61,108 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,256 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $60,198 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,812 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,625

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Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) vs University of Central Missouri (UCM)

Missouri Southern State University

University of Central Missouri

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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