Missouri Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 13 public colleges in Missouri with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. University of Missouri St Louis leads the list by accepting 63% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of Missouri Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Saint Louis, Missouri

63%

Warrensburg, Missouri

64%

Kansas City, Missouri

72%
73%

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

74%

Columbia, Missouri

78%

Kirksville, Missouri

84%
86%
91%
97%

Saint Louis, Missouri

100%

Jefferson City, Missouri

100%

Saint Joseph, Missouri

100%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.