University of Missouri

_

U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank Category Name #97 National Universities

More About U.S. News Rankings

Summary

University of Missouri is a public institution that was founded in 1839. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 26,024, its setting is city, and the campus size is 1,250 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Missouri's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 97. Its in-state tuition and fees are $9,257 (2012-13); out-of-state tuition and fees are $23,366 (2012-13).

Students at the University of Missouri live in a unique botanical garden, with more than 40,000 plants across campus. More than a third of high school seniors from Missouri attend Mizzou each year, and all freshmen must live on campus. As the only Division I-A sports school in the state, the Missouri Tigers teams are a big focus of campus life. The teams compete in the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference and are particularly competitive in football. The school mascot, Truman the Tiger, is named after former President Harry Truman, who was born in Missouri. Mizzou has more than 600 clubs and organizations for students. More than 20 percent of students join the school’s Greek system, which comprises 50-plus fraternities and sororities. Students also have a vast array of degree options, with more than 280 majors, nearly 50 of which can be completed online. The university’s hometown of Columbia is in central Missouri and is host to annual events like the Roots ’n Blues ’n BBQ music festival and Art in the Park, a large creative works showcase. To travel around campus and the town on the weekends, students have free access to STRIPES, a transportation service that delivers riders to their destinations from 10 p.m. to  3 a.m. Thursday through Sunday.

The University of Missouri has highly ranked graduate programs at the College of Education and Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, as well as a School of Medicine and a Tier 1 School of Law. This public research university offers opportunities for students to team up on faculty-led projects as early as their freshman year. Among the scores of notable Mizzou alumni are actors Jon Hamm and Brad Pitt, singer Sheryl Crow, and playwright Tennessee Williams, who won the Pulitzer Prize for A Street Car Named Desire.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

Founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River, the University of Missouri in Columbia is a member of the Association of American Universities, the nation's most prestigious group of 59 public and private institutions. Today MU is a $2 billion enterprise with more than 33,000 students and 262,500 alumni worldwide. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies MU among American universities that provide the most educational opportunities and the highest level of instruction. Many states fund separate research and land-grant universities, but Missouri combines those roles at its flagship institution. Mizzou is both a land-grant university with a statewide mission of service to citizens and the state's major public research university. MU offers more than 300 degree programs through 19 colleges and schools and has the largest research operation of any public university in Missouri. In fact, Mizzou has 12 major undergraduate research programs and has been recognized by the National Science Foundation as one of the top 10 universities in the country for integrating research into undergraduate education. Home to the world's first School of Journalism, MU offers many strong, unique programs on its 1,250-acre campus. Some classes in the sciences are taught in collaboration with Mizzou's medical school, and humanities classes include such areas as music composition and creative writing where students frequently win national awards. One of only six public universities nationwide with medicine, veterinary medicine and law on one campus, MU also has great strengths in agriculture, engineering and the basic sciences. Four competitive areas reflect Mizzou's major strengths and collaborative culture: Food for the Future, Media of the Future, One Health/One Medicine (the convergence of human and animal health) and Sustainable Energy. More than 30 percent of MU students come from another state or another country, and a strong international community thrives in Columbia. At the same time, Mizzou has a growing Study Abroad program, with more than 1,200 students each year completing degree requirements in 60 countries worldwide. Twenty-two percent of graduating seniors earn credit abroad. Well-known nationally for its campus writing program and learning communities, MU offers students unmatched real-world experiences such as managing a bed and breakfast, operating a floral shop, preparing income taxes for families, representing domestic violence victims in court, providing health care, working at the country's only university-owned TV network affiliate, performing at Carnegie Hall and co-writing scientific journal articles. Mizzou students also hold patents and help create startup companies. Another major asset is the Mizzou Botanic Garden, which covers the entire campus landscape with 42,000 plants and trees. Faculty from 10 academic programs use the garden as an outdoor laboratory. Service learning also is important at MU. The Office of Service Learning integrates service to others into students' academic experiences through 290 community and government partnerships. Approximately 4,000 undergraduates volunteer 150,000 hours through 250 courses each year. A member of the Southeastern Conference, Mizzou features a Division I athletic program that has more than 500 student-athletes in 20 sports, many ranked in the top 25 nationally. Columbia, Missouri, has 108,500 residents who enjoy more than a dozen annual festivals; numerous parks and trails; and The District, a thriving downtown area adjacent to campus filled with great restaurants, shopping and galleries. National media consistently list Columbia at the pinnacle of U.S. cities for an excellent quality of life.

General Information

School type	public, coed college
Year founded	1839
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	city
2011 Endowment	$586,413,339

Applying

When applying to University of Missouri, it's important to note the application deadline is rolling. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due May 1. The application fee at University of Missouri is $50. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 82.3 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	more selective
Fall 2011 acceptance rate	82.3%
Application deadline	rolling
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	May 1

More About Applying

Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at University of Missouri is 20:1, and the school has 44.7 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at University of Missouri include: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs; Health Professions and Related Programs; Engineering; and Social Sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 84.8 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	20:1
4-year graduation rate	45
Five most popular majors for 2011 graduates
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 18% Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs 13% Health Professions and Related Programs 9% Engineering 7% Social Sciences 7%

More About Academic Life

Student Life

University of Missouri has a total undergraduate enrollment of 26,024, with a gender distribution of 48.0 percent male students and 52.0 percent female students. At this school, 27.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 73.0 percent of students live off campus. University of Missouri is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at University of Missouri.

Total enrollment	33,805
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

More About Student Life

Campus Info & Services

University of Missouri offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. University of Missouri also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at University of Missouri, 55 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is not permitted for students of legal age at University of Missouri.

Students who have cars on campus	55%
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

More About Campus Info & Services

Paying for School

At University of Missouri, 50.0 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $7,438.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

In-state tuition and fees	$9,257 (2012-13)
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,366 (2012-13)
Room and board	$8,944 (2012-13)
Financial aid statistics

More About Paying for School

* Overview details based on 2011 data