Missouri State University

Missouri State University is a public institution that was founded in 1906. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 18,837 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 225 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Missouri State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #342. Its in-state tuition and fees are $8,604; out-of-state tuition and fees are $17,144.

Missouri State University (MSU) is located in the southwest region of the state in the city of Springfield, about 215 miles from St. Louis. Students at Missouri State can explore nearly 100 bachelor’s degrees and more than 40 master’s degrees, including in the fields of business and health. The university offers much to do outside the classroom as well. Students can join more than 300 campus organizations, pledge with numerous fraternities and sororities, and help others through the school’s community service programs, such as Bears Bringing Hope, which fund-raises to help natural disaster victims, among other activities.

MSU also offers many campus events throughout the year for students to attend, such as poetry slams, concerts, and free bowling nights. Student athletes can play at the intramural level or try out for one of the many Missouri State Bears varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Notable Missouri State alumni include actor John Goodman, who entered the school on a football scholarship and walked out with a theater degree. He went on to star in the television show Roseanne and has appeared in movies such as The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Raising Arizona.