Here Are Missouri's Best Colleges: Money Magazine

MISSOURI — Washington University in St. Louis has been named the best college for the money in Missouri by Money magazine. Money ranked 727 of the best colleges based on quality of education, affordability and outcomes. And while the usual suspects topped the list — Princeton ranked first — 14 Show-Me State colleges also made the cut.

Money pared down its rankings by only including institutions that had at least 500 students, had sufficient, reliable data that could be analyzed, and weren’t strapped for cash. The colleges also had graduation rates that were at least the median for its institutional category — public, private or historically black college or university — or had a high “value-added” graduation rate.

Here are the best colleges in Missouri and their overall ranks.

1. Washington University in St. Louis, 129
2. College of the Ozarks, 138
3. Missouri University of Science and Technology, 199
4. Saint Louis University, 325
5. Truman State University, 353
6. University of Missouri — Columbia, 410
7. Maryville University of Saint Louis, 429
8. Rockhurst University, 449
9. University of Missouri — St. Louis, 554
10. University of Central Missouri, 560
11. William Jewell College, 592
12. Missouri State University — Springfield, 598
13. Westminster College — Missouri, 671
14. Kansas City Art Institute, 700

Here’s the breakdown of the top colleges in the state:

Wash U.

• Overall rank: 129
• Median SAT/ACT score: 1490/33
• Estimated price 2018-19 without aid: $73,700
• Est. price 2018-19 with average grant: $30,900
• Percent with need who get grants: 97
• Average student debt: $19,900
• Early career earnings: $60,100

College of the Ozarks

• Overall rank: 138
• Median SAT/ACT score: 1090/23
• Estimated price 2018-19 without aid: $30,200
• Est. price 2018-19 with average grant: $14,300
• Percent with need who get grants: 100
• Average student debt: N/A
• Early career earnings: $38,300

Missouri S&T

• Overall rank: 199
• Median SAT/ACT score: 1280/28
• Estimated price 2018-19 without aid: $22,500
• Est. price 2018-19 with average grant: $14,900
• Percent with need who get grants: 92
• Average student debt: $24,600
• Early career earnings: $65,200

MONEY used research and expert advice on education quality, financing, and value to create its rankings. Princeton University in New Jersey ranked No. 1 overall with a median SAT/ACT score of 1500/34 and an estimated price without aid of $67,700. Money says every student at Princeton who needs a grant gets one, and the average recipient sees the estimated price fall to $19,000.

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Here are the top 10 colleges overall for the money, according to the magazine.

1. Princeton University - Princeton, NJ
2. University of California-San Diego - La Jolla, CA
3. University of California-Irvine - Irvine, CA
4. University of California-Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA
5. Stanford University - Stanford, CA
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, MA
7. University of California-Berkeley - Berkeley, CA
8. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College - New York, NY
9. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor - Ann Arbor, MI
10. University of Virginia-Main Campus - Charlottesville, VA

If you’re looking for early returns on your investment, you may want to try MIT or Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. MIT grads see early earnings of $81,500 and Harvey Mudd alumni are just a hair below at $81,000.

When it comes to graduating and not owing money, CUNY is the place to be, with six campuses falling in the top 10 for lowest average student debt. CUNY graduates in New York City, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens typically owe between $10,000 and $12,000. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College in New York City ranked 8th overall in Money’s rankings.

If you’re looking for the best public universities, California seems to be the place to be. The Golden State is home to the four top public colleges in the country — all campuses of the University of California — and 19 of the top 50. By comparison, no other state had more than five.

Money acknowledged that money isn’t everything when it comes to college, noting that what students actually learn remains somewhat of a mystery.

“The various assessments of college student learning are controversial, few colleges use them and very few of the ones that do release the results publicly,” the authors wrote.

The researchers said they couldn’t find “good data on basic indicators” for academic rigor, such as the number of pages of writing and reading required per assignment. The authors also highlighted that they didn’t adjust the earnings data to cost of living, so some colleges located in poorer areas or areas with low costs of living may be ranked too low.

Click here to see the full rankings.

Patch national reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this article.

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