CMU - CLAS vs. Missouri Southern

Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences vs. Missouri Southern State University comparison

	Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences	Missouri Southern State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
Location	Fayette, MO	Joplin, MO
Setting	Distant Town	Small City
Enrollment	1,080	4,144
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#781	#911
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	centralmethodist.edu	mssu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
Tuition (In State)	$26,360	$8,026
Tuition (Out of State)	$26,360	$16,052
Room & Board	$8,910	$7,624
Avg Net Price	$24,828	$10,061
Avg Grant Aid	$18,044	$8,016
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,166	1,937
Admitted	1,141	1,927
Acceptance Rate	97.9%	99.5%
Enrolled %	25.8%	31.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.5	3.5
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	18/23	18/24
SAT Range	930/1090	960/1220
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 15, 2025

Academics	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (22%) Business (16%) Education (13%) Biology (9%) General Studies (8%)	Business (19%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (16%) Health Professions (15%) Education (13%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (8%)
Outcomes	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
Graduation Rate	43%	33%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,600	$36,600
Making Student Loan Payments	63%	53%
Median Student Loan Debt	$16,875	$20,831
Median Loan Payment	$174	$215

Diversity	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
% Men	48%	38%
% Women	52%	62%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	78%	77%
% Black	8%	6%
% Hispanic	3%	5%
% Native American	0%	3%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	1%
% International	4%	3%
% Unknown Race	4%	3%

Students	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
% In-State	59%	70%
% Out-of-State	27%	28%
Campus	CMU - CLAS	Missouri Southern
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Missouri Southern State University is larger than than CMU - CLAS based on total student enrollment (4,144 students vs. 1,080 students)

CMU - CLAS vs. Missouri Southern Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, CMU - CLAS or Missouri Southern?

• Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is 228.4% more expensive to attend than Missouri Southern for in-state tuition ($26,360.00 vs. $8,026.00)
• Out of state tuition is 64.2% higher at CMU - CLAS than Missouri Southern State University ($26,360.00 vs. $16,052.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Missouri Southern State University than CMU - CLAS ($10,061 vs. $24,828)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Missouri Southern State University are 16.9% lower than costs at Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences ($7,624 vs. $8,910)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences as Missouri Southern State University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences students is 125.1% larger than aid received Missouri Southern State University ($18,044 vs. $8,016)

CMU - CLAS vs. Missouri Southern Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, CMU - CLAS or Missouri Southern? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Missouri Southern or CMU - CLAS .

• The average SAT score at Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (1043) is 13 points higher than at Missouri Southern (1030)
• Incoming CMU - CLAS students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Missouri Southern (22)
• Accepted freshman CMU - CLAS students have at the same average high school GPA (3.5) as students at Missouri Southern (3.5)
• Missouri Southern has a higher acceptance rate (99.5%) than CMU - CLAS (97.9%)

CMU - CLAS vs. Missouri Southern Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, CMU - CLAS or Missouri Southern? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Missouri Southern and CMU - CLAS.

• The graduation rate at CMU - CLAS is higher than Missouri Southern State University (43% vs. 33%)
• Graduates from Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences earn on average $2,000 more per year than Missouri Southern graduates after ten years. ($38,600 vs. $36,600)
• Central Methodist University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences students graduate with a $3,956 lower median federal student loan debt than Missouri Southern graduates. ($16,875 vs. $20,831)
• CMU - CLAS graduates are paying $41 less per month on federal student loans than Missouri Southern graduates. ($174 vs. $215)
• More CMU - CLAS graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Missouri Southern students, three years after graduation. (63% vs. 53%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/