Disparities in College Costs in Missouri

The following are estimate for tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and spending money as provided by the Sallie Mae Education Investment website. It is a great site for comparing college costs.

The following are the costs for one year at some of Missouri's 4 year public universities.

Truman State University $15594

University of Missouri Kansas City $20194

University of Missouri Columbia (Mizzou) $19630

University of Missouri Saint Louis $19774

Missouri Institute of Science and Technology (Columbia) $20,788

Northwest Missouri State University $14949

Southeast Missouri State University $16,692

Now here are a few Missouri Private Colleges

Washington University $55979

St. Louis University $50196

Fontbonne $31677

Maryville University $33182

Westminster College $27674

Why the Disparity?

Rick and I know people in science who have been to each of these universities. All are quite competent in what they do and seem well prepared for their careers. So why the difference in costs?

One reason is the lack of federal/state money going to the private institutions, so they make up for this by charging more for tuition, fees, room and board. They also spend a lot of time shaking the alumni trees for some fat donations.

Does this mean these students are getting a better education? Based upon our experience with employees and co-workers, I really think not. As a matter of fact, the second lowest cost school, Truman State University, has been ranked by US News and World Report for twelve straight years as the # 1 public university in the midwest that offers both bachelors and masters degrees. All of the schools listed have their strong points, but some people seem to think that the expensive schools come with a name that will help them to get better jobs.

Not true. It's actually the graduate school that you attend that matters, namewise. And even that isn't that important. What is boils down to is the type of person you are, your abilities, your work ethic, being a life-long learner, recommendations and how well you interview. It is, unfortunatley, also who you know.

So do you want your four year degree to come with a cost of more than $200,000 with no better an education than a four year public school with a cost of no more than $60,000? If you are a realist like me, you'll pick the latter. I don't want my kids paying off a four year bachelors degree for the rest of their adult lives.