Nursing Schools in Missouri (2026)

79 accredited nursing programs found

Nursing Schools

41 / 38

Public / Private

$7,603

Avg Public Tuition

55.8%

Avg Grad Rate

Missouri has 79 nursing-relevant schools in this directory, with a fairly even split of 41 public and 38 private institutions. Average in-state tuition is $17,892, with public schools averaging $7,603 and private schools averaging $27,153. The 25th-to-75th-percentile tuition band runs from $6,442 to $27,166. The cheapest tracked program is St Charles Community College at $3,000 per year, and the largest by undergraduate enrollment is the University of Missouri-Columbia at approximately 23,118.

Across Missouri programs the average graduation rate is 55.8 percent and the average retention rate is 72.3 percent — both above the national medians for this directory. Median post-graduation earnings average $43,112 and median federal debt at graduation averages $16,739. The state's healthcare employer base is concentrated around St Louis and Kansas City, with BJC HealthCare, SSM Health, and Saint Luke's anchoring most of the major hospital employment for new RN graduates.

Registered Nurse Market in Missouri

BLS wage and employment data for registered nurses

+5% projected growth

10th Percentile

$52,240

Median

$70,350

90th Percentile

$94,710

Employment

63,990

Openings

193,100

Registered Nurse Salary in Missouri

Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024

Median Salary

$70,350

Mean Salary

$72,500

Entry Level (10th %)

$52,240

Experienced (90th %)

$94,710

RNs Employed: 63,990

vs National Median: -25% (below $93,600)

Job Growth (2023-2033): +5%

Average Tuition

$17,892

Matches the Missouri average of $17,892.

Graduation Rate

55.8%

0.0%

Matches the Missouri average of 55.8%.

Median Earnings

$43,112

Matches the Missouri median of $43,112.

Tuition Overview

Avg Public Tuition	$7,603
Lowest Tuition	$3,000
Highest Tuition	$62,982
Avg Private Tuition	$27,153

Student Outcomes

Avg Graduation Rate	55.8%
Avg Earnings After Grad	$47,482
Avg Student Debt	$16,739
Total Enrollment	189,302

Most Affordable Nursing Schools in Missouri

#1 Lowest

St Charles Community College

$3,000

#2 Lowest

Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City

$3,630

#3 Lowest

Saint Louis Community College

Moberly Area Community College

$4,020

Highest Graduation Rates in Missouri

Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences

100.0%

#3 Grad Rate

Saline County Career Center

100.0%

#4 Grad Rate

Lex La-Ray Technical Center

All Nursing Schools in Missouri

Institution	City	Type	Tuition (In-State)	Grad Rate	Earnings After	Enrollment
University of Missouri-Columbia	Columbia	Public	$14,130	76.2%	$63,403	23,118
Missouri State University-Springfield	Springfield	Public	$9,024	57.3%	$49,827	13,407
Saint Louis Community College	Bridgeton	Public	$3,660	17.7%	$35,325	11,174
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City	Kansas City	Public	$3,630	29.1%	$40,796	10,412
Ozarks Technical Community College	Springfield	Public	$4,184	31.9%	$36,455	8,194
Washington University in St Louis	Saint Louis	Private	$62,982	94.5%	$86,182	7,897
Saint Louis University	Saint Louis	Private	$53,244	79.8%	$70,783	7,324
University of Missouri-Kansas City	Kansas City	Public	$11,988	55.9%	$59,637	6,618
Southeast Missouri State University	Cape Girardeau	Public	$9,496	55.7%	$44,030	6,588
Maryville University of Saint Louis	Saint Louis	Private	$27,166	71.5%	$62,105	5,988
University of Central Missouri	Warrensburg	Public	$9,739	49.4%	$49,560	5,653
Columbia College	Columbia	Private	$24,326	45.7%	$45,378	5,359
Park University	Parkville	Private	$16,400	30.0%	$56,309	5,250
University of Missouri-St Louis	Saint Louis	Public	$13,440	56.9%	$53,037	5,108
St Charles Community College	Cottleville	Public	$3,000	23.0%	$42,422	5,008
Lindenwood University	Saint Charles	Private	$21,100	50.3%	$53,278	4,748
Northwest Missouri State University	Maryville	Public	$10,181	57.5%	$47,885	4,550
Missouri Southern State University	Joplin	Public	$8,400	38.3%	$42,620	3,101
Moberly Area Community College	Moberly	Public	$4,020	39.5%	$37,537	2,928
Truman State University	Kirksville	Public	$9,470	68.4%	$56,280	2,666
Crowder College	Neosho	Public	$6,180	43.3%	$35,987	2,622
Jefferson College	Hillsboro	Public	$4,500	32.3%	$40,782	2,514
State Fair Community College	Sedalia	Public	$4,104	39.9%	$35,562	2,475
Missouri Western State University	Saint Joseph	Public	$9,800	39.8%	$42,647	2,372
Webster University	Saint Louis	Private	$30,730	61.1%	$50,876	2,180
State Technical College of Missouri	Linn	Public	$7,830	79.0%	$55,901	2,023
Three Rivers College	Poplar Bluff	Public	$4,860	34.5%	$32,442	1,909
East Central College	Union	Public	$3,888	38.0%	$36,916	1,719
Rockhurst University	Kansas City	Private	$43,420	75.6%	$67,102	1,702
Mineral Area College	Park Hills	Public	$5,180	42.4%	$35,352	1,530
Missouri Baptist University	Saint Louis	Private	$33,122	48.2%	$46,660	1,452
College of the Ozarks	Point Lookout	Private	$21,290	61.3%	$41,592	1,415
Drury University	Springfield	Private	$35,235	66.0%	$40,694	1,367
Lincoln University	Jefferson City	Public	$9,290	22.1%	$39,463	1,357
Southwest Baptist University	Bolivar	Private	$28,320	51.2%	$43,112	1,339
Missouri Valley College	Marshall	Private	$23,000	24.5%	$43,221	1,274
Evangel University	Springfield	Private	$27,192	64.8%	$46,573	1,205
North Central Missouri College	Trenton	Public	$4,950	56.4%	$40,837	1,198
Avila University	Kansas City	Private	$38,672	42.6%	$52,773	1,192
Harris-Stowe State University	Saint Louis	Public	$6,442	27.4%	$31,088	1,086
William Woods University	Fulton	Private	$28,860	57.0%	$42,401	1,061
Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences	Fayette	Private	$27,140	52.5%	$48,991	1,015
Culver-Stockton College	Canton	Private	$29,915	50.2%	$46,092	884
William Jewell College	Liberty	Private	$19,890	61.6%	$59,268	868
Missouri State University-West Plains	West Plains	Public	$5,544	35.1%	$36,922	860
Cox College	Springfield	Private	$15,599	100.0%	$56,867	634
Fontbonne University	Saint Louis	Private	$28,976	56.8%	$48,825	632
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing	Saint Louis	Private	N/A	N/A	$84,393	426
St Louis College of Health Careers-Fenton	Fenton	For-Profit	N/A	74.2%	$32,217	401
Hannibal-LaGrange University	Hannibal	Private	$26,880	44.3%	$42,643	381
Stephens College	Columbia	Private	$28,200	46.5%	$43,071	353
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis	Saint Louis	Private	$31,920	75.5%	$137,047	274
Research College of Nursing	Kansas City	For-Profit	N/A	N/A	$85,910	249
Concorde Career College-Kansas City	Kansas City	For-Profit	N/A	56.9%	$35,242	240
Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center	Cape Girardeau	Public	N/A	80.6%	$44,369	212
City Vision University	Kansas City	Private	$6,400	N/A	$21,123	188
WellSpring School of Allied Health-Kansas City	Kansas City	For-Profit	N/A	59.5%	$29,839	179
Applied Technology Services	Sunset Hills	Public	N/A	9.1%	$56,508	152
Midwest Institute	Earth City	For-Profit	N/A	65.2%	$30,414	151
Bryan University	Springfield	For-Profit	$15,868	27.5%	$28,725	150
Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences	Cape Girardeau	Private	$11,691	100.0%	$60,918	146
Bolivar Technical College	Bolivar	Private	$27,125	0.0%	N/A	144
Healing Arts Center	St. Louis	For-Profit	N/A	N/A	$36,447	121
City Pointe Beauty Academy	Webb City	For-Profit	N/A	75.0%	N/A	102
Texas County Technical College	Houston	For-Profit	$19,025	25.0%	$40,843	71
Southern Missouri Technical Institute	West Plains	Public	N/A	88.9%	$31,460	58
Franklin Technology Center Adult Education	Joplin	Public	N/A	59.2%	$36,700	57
Grand River Technical School	Chillicothe	Public	N/A	88.9%	$40,665	39
Pike-Lincoln Technical Center	Eolia	Public	N/A	73.3%	$48,581	35
Four Rivers Career Center	Washington	Public	$18,345	40.0%	$48,199	24
Saline County Career Center	Marshall	Public	N/A	100.0%	$37,200	23
Warrensburg Area Career Center	Warrensburg	Public	N/A	73.3%	$37,242	23
Lex La-Ray Technical Center	Lexington	Public	N/A	100.0%	$52,142	22
Waynesville Career Center	Waynesville	Public	N/A	66.7%	$40,979	21
Kirksville Area Technical Center	Kirksville	Public	N/A	63.6%	$40,517	21
Cass Career Center	Harrisonville	Public	N/A	100.0%	$52,545	20
Clinton Technical School	Clinton	Public	N/A	71.4%	$53,451	17
Carthage R9 School District-Carthage Technical Center	Carthage	Public	N/A	75.0%	N/A	17
St. Louis Med Tech	St. Louis	Private	$10,900	N/A	N/A	9

Nursing Schools by City in Missouri

Saint Louis 10 Kansas City 8 Springfield 6 Cape Girardeau 3 Columbia 3 Bolivar 2 Joplin 2 Kirksville 2 Marshall 2 St. Louis 2 Warrensburg 2 West Plains 2

Nursing Guides & Resources

How to Become an RN RN Salary by State Most Affordable Programs Financial Aid & Scholarships BSN vs ADN Comparison Types of Nursing Degrees NCLEX Pass Rates Guide Compare Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nursing schools are in Missouri?

There are 79 nursing schools in Missouri, including 41 public and 38 private institutions.

What is the average nursing school tuition in Missouri?

Average in-state tuition across nursing schools in Missouri is $17,892. Tuition ranges from $3,000 to $62,982 where data is available.

What is the average graduation rate for nursing schools in Missouri?

The average graduation rate is 55.8%, with Cox College reporting the highest rate at 100.0%.

What is the average retention rate in Missouri?

The average retention rate across nursing schools in Missouri is 72.3%.

What do graduates from nursing schools in Missouri earn?

The median schoolwide earnings figure among these institutions is $43,112 10 years after entry. This is institution-level outcomes data rather than nursing-only wage data.

What is the average student debt at nursing schools in Missouri?

Average median debt among nursing schools in Missouri is $16,739.

How much do registered nurses earn in Missouri?

Registered nurses earn a median annual salary of $70,350, with the 10th percentile at $52,240 and the 90th percentile at $94,710.

What is the RN job outlook for Missouri?

The RN occupation shows projected growth of 5% in this state, with 63,990 registered nurses employed in the latest BLS wage data.

Missouri Nursing Market Context

BLS data for Missouri shows an RN median annual wage of $70,350 and a mean of $72,500. The 10th to 90th percentile range runs from $52,240 to $94,710. Statewide RN employment is approximately 63,990 and the projected growth rate is 5 percent.

Median program debt of $16,739 against a $70,350 RN median wage produces a tighter payback profile than higher-wage neighboring states; graduates concentrated in the higher-cost private programs should weigh that debt load carefully. The 90th-percentile figure of $94,710 sits below the national RN median of $93,600 by only a few hundred dollars, which is a useful frame of reference: experienced specialty-certified Missouri RNs reach roughly the national typical figure but rarely exceed it without crossing into nurse-practitioner or CRNA territory. Cost-of-living, especially in Columbia and Springfield, partially offsets the modest wage figure in practice.

Nursing Programs in Other States

California 286 New York 193 Florida 184 Pennsylvania 159 Texas 159 Ohio 145 Illinois 119 North Carolina 101 Georgia 78 Michigan 77