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Stephens College: Columbia hall Stephens college
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Regional university

#4 Colleges that spend the most on teaching in Missouri

Stephens College

Columbia, MO · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $23,459 a year

Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

In Missouri

Academic Excellence

B+Academic Excellence: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Very good · Top 32%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.43%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.78%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.8 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$17,955

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$9,918
$30,001–$48,000$14,796
$48,001–$75,000$18,547
$75,001–$110,000$25,644
Over $110,000$29,787

Full cost of attendance before aid: $46,643 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
354
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 4% · Women 96%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
31%
Total students532
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$23,459
Cost of attendance (per year)$46,643
Median federal debt at graduation$27,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
43%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
30%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
30%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
60%
First-year retention78%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$43,071
Admission rate77%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
No application fee
Students receiving Pell grants45%

Value: Solid (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Health administration$79,407
Theatre$35,235

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Apparel and Textiles, Arts management, Biology, Broadcasting, Business administration, Communication studies, Dance, Design, English, Family and human development, Film and video, Graphic communications, Health sciences, Hospitality management, Interdisciplinary studies, Liberal arts, Marketing, Nursing, Psychology, Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations, Teacher education, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Visual and performing arts27%
Health professions24%
Education12%
Biology9%
English8%

Campus life

School colors
SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates3%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older11%
On-campus room and board (per year)$13,366
SportsNAIA · American Midwest Conference
ROTCAir Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member8 to 1
Faculty who are full-time100%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$112,704IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 92% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceColumbia Regional Airport (COU)About 11 miles away
Nearest major airportSt. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)About 106 miles away
Town population128,548Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreSt. LouisAbout 114 miles away
Typical weather31°F in January · 79°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Columbia U Of M, MO

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.000.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Stephens College’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Stephens College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $23,459 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Stephens College?
Stephens College admitted 77% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Stephens College’s graduates do?
43% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $43,071; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.

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