Cost of Attending College in Missouri: Tuition and Living Costs
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 04, 2026 • US States & Cities
Part of the guide Cost of Attending College by State: Tuition and Living Costs Compared
A Missouri resident at Mizzou pays about $31,942 to $36,070 a year including housing and dining for 2026-27, and a non-resident pays $55,104 to $59,232. At Missouri State, resident tuition alone runs about $317 per credit hour versus $678 for non-residents, before fees and housing.
💵 Mizzou resident total (tuition, fees, housing, dining): $31,942-$36,070/year
Mizzou non-resident total: $55,104-$59,232/year
🏠 Mizzou housing and dining alone: $15,780/year
Missouri State resident tuition: $317/credit hour, non-resident $678/credit hour
What Missouri public tuition costs
Sticker prices at Missouri's public universities split sharply between residents and non-residents, and total cost depends heavily on where you live while you study. Here is what two of the state's largest public campuses charge for 2025-26 and 2026-27.
University of Missouri (Mizzou), Columbia
For the 2026-27 year, Mizzou lists resident tuition and fees at $16,162 to $20,290 a year, depending on your major, according to the Mizzou admissions office . Add housing and dining at $15,780 a year and your total billed cost as a resident lands between $31,942 and $36,070.
Non-resident tuition and fees run $39,324 to $43,452 a year. With the same $15,780 housing and dining figure, a non-resident's total billed cost runs $55,104 to $59,232 a year, roughly triple the resident rate.
International students pay tuition and fees of $39,688 to $43,816 a year, plus a one-time $300 enrollment fee and $4,000 per dependent for a spouse or child. Mizzou's total yearly estimate for international students, calculated over 12 months rather than two semesters, runs $62,124 to $66,252.
These figures assume 12 to 18 credit hours per semester and exclude books, supplies and personal spending money.
Missouri State University, Springfield
Missouri State charges by the credit hour instead of a flat yearly rate. For 2026-27, resident undergraduates pay $317 per credit hour and non-residents pay $678 per credit hour for standard courses, according to the university registrar . At a full-time load of 15 credit hours a semester, that comes to about $9,510 a year in resident tuition alone, or about $20,340 for non-residents, before mandatory fees.
On top of tuition, Missouri State adds college-specific enrollment fees of roughly $40 to $65 per credit hour, plus a flat $630-per-semester Student Services fee, a $200 Athletic fee and an $85 Technology fee, about $915 total per semester for a full-time student. Online, internet-based courses charge the resident rate regardless of where you live.
Quick comparison
| Mizzou (Columbia) | Missouri State (Springfield) | |
|---|---|---|
| Resident tuition and fees | $16,162-$20,290/year | About $9,510/year tuition at 15 credit hours a semester, plus fees |
| Non-resident tuition and fees | $39,324-$43,452/year | About $20,340/year tuition at 15 credit hours a semester, plus fees |
| Housing and dining | $15,780/year | Not independently confirmed for this article |
| Resident total (tuition, fees, housing) | $31,942-$36,070/year | Not independently confirmed for this article |
The resident versus non-resident gap
At Mizzou, non-resident status roughly triples your tuition and fee bill compared to resident status. At Missouri State, non-resident credit hours cost about double the resident rate.
Missouri offers reduced non-resident tuition through the Midwest Student Exchange Program at more than 70 participating Midwest schools, and establishing legal residency before you enroll removes the gap entirely, so weigh both routes if you plan to study in Missouri from out of state.
Other Missouri campuses
UMKC, Missouri S&T, UMSL, Truman State and the other independent public universities each publish their own tuition and cost of attendance pages, and each follows the same basic pattern: a lower resident rate, a higher non-resident rate, and separate mandatory fees on top. Check each campus's financial aid or admissions cost page directly before you compare, since specific dollar figures move year to year and by program.
Community college as a lower-cost start
Missouri's public community colleges, including St. Louis Community College, Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, and Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, charge a fraction of university tuition per credit hour. Starting your first two years at a community college and transferring keeps early costs down, especially paired with the A+ Scholarship Program for students who qualify.
Budgeting beyond tuition
Plan for costs outside the tuition bill regardless of campus: textbooks and course materials, a laptop, transportation if you live off campus, health insurance if it is not bundled into fees, and personal expenses. Mizzou's housing and dining figure of $15,780 a year gives a reasonable benchmark for on-campus living costs at a Missouri four-year university.
Cut your real cost with state and federal aid
The sticker prices above rarely match what you pay after aid. Filing the FAFSA triggers federal grants and loans plus Missouri's Access Missouri need-based grant automatically.
Students who complete the A+ Program in high school get community college tuition covered, and Bright Flight pays qualifying test scorers directly with no separate application. Run your numbers after aid, not before, when you compare what a Missouri campus costs you.
Off-campus living
Living off campus often lowers your housing cost compared to a university dining and residence hall package, but it adds costs a dorm bundles in, such as utilities, internet, furniture and a security deposit. Factor in a commute cost too, whether that means a car payment, gas and parking, or a bus pass, before you assume off-campus housing saves money overall.