Getting To Know: University of Missouri-Columbia, aka ‘Mizzou’
Being a college admissions advisor, I often wonder what I would do if I could be a high school senior again. If I wanted to become a journalist, as I had considered, the University of Missouri-Columbia, aka “Mizzou,” would make my college list.
Mizzou is home to one of the first, and very best, journalism schools in the country. The University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism emphasizes the Missouri Method where students learn by doing on real-world media channels. I also saw that it was relatively easy to carry a second major like Poli Sci or two or three minors. Even better, given my academic record, I could have qualified for a Mark Twain Scholarship and paid no more than I would have to attend Rutgers-New Brunswick, my home state university, even considering the travel costs.
After attending a counselor’s briefing and watching a program on The College Tour, I wanted to take a longer look at this school.
Mizzou is not the most selective among flagship state universities. However, it is one of only 38 public members of the research-oriented Association of American Universities (AAU). Mizzou has been an AAU member since 1908, longer than 31 of those schools.
Most recently, 77 percent of all applicants for the Class of 2027 were accepted.
The average SAT was a 1230 and the average ACT Composite was a 26. Thirty-one percent deposited. There are categories of automatic admission to Mizzou and admissions are test optional; those applicants are reviewed holistically. Mizzou admits until the class is full. Their last Common Data Set (2023-24) showed that there is no wait list. This data set also mentioned that two-thirds of the Class of 2027 submitted ACT scores. The middle 50 percent scored between 23 and 29.
However, admission to various programs is a “pre-admission” status, even in programs such as business, engineering or journalism. Students must meet academic requirements to be formally admitted to the majors in these programs. It really helps to have an intended major, so that you get the advising you need to help you get into your program as a sophomore or junior.
You will also have some large classes at the start, unless you get into Honors. Eight percent of all classes taught at Mizzou in 2022-23 had over 100 students. Twenty five percent have over 40. For comparison these number at Indiana University-Bloomington, a much larger school, were seven and 28 percent. At Iowa, which has fewer undergrads, they were five and 18 percent.
Here were some surprises for data that I found.
- Undergraduate enrollment has actually gone down. In 2014 the university had 27,700 undergrads. By 2023 the number dropped to 23,600.
- The size of freshman classes dropped, too. In 2014 there were nearly 7,900 freshmen at Mizzou. By 2023 there were just over 5,600.
- But at the same time, freshman retention has gone up. It crossed 90 percent in 2022. Mizzou seems reluctant to post four-year grad rates. I went to College Navigator and found that the four-year grad rate had risen from 52 percent for the Class of 2019 to 56 percent for the Class of 2021. However, a reasonable number of students who entered in 2016 and 2017 didn’t give up. Over 75 percent of their graduates had finished their bachelors degree within six years.
- Just over half of 2022 graduates had student loan debt. Those who borrowed owed, on average, the maximum ($27,000) that they could have borrowed under the Federal Student Loan Program.
- Mizzou looks like a great place to learn to become an accountant. The pass rate for the CPA was well above the national average.
I could see why the merit scholarship program is so ambitious, given the enrollment trend and the desire to raise retention and graduation rates.
Missouri borders on two states that have more selective flagships (Illinois and Tennessee). Illinois sends the largest contingent from other states, from what I learned at the briefing. I get it, given how selective and expensive the flagship university has become, even for in-state students. The flagships in the other states adjoining Missouri have lower in-state charges.
Here are two things that I liked:
- Scholarship programs make the costs work out. Merit awards go pretty far down into a freshman class. International students can also receive merit awards, rare for a flagship public university. A fairly low (2.75) minimum GPA is required to renew a scholarship. The Stamps Scholars is the most generous award-a full ride with research stipends. Incoming students can also submit higher test scores up to July with the hopes of increasing their scholarship. However, they should meet the November 15th deadline for Early Action to get their application in.
- It’s relatively easy to change your residency status to in-state.This is a good idea if you want to attend a graduate or professional school after you receive your bachelor’s degree. Tuition and fees are reduced by over 50 percent, helpful if you did not qualify for the largest scholarships. However, any scholarship aid received prior to becoming a resident goes away after you receive in-state residency. If you win the Mark Twain 1 award, it’s best for a a non-resident to leave well enough alone.
There are some really nice academic opportunities besides the School of Journalism.
- Mizzou was the first public university to have its own honors college. My impression was that an Illinois or New Jersey resident who might be a mid-pack student at their in-state flagship school could be a strong candidate for the Honors College. There are 3,000 students in the Honors College, more than there are in the honors colleges at larger schools such as Rutgers and Penn State.
- The Trulaske School of Business has some impressive undergraduate programs including the Trulaske Edge and the Cornell Leadership Program that are tough to find at a public university this size. If you want to be an accountant, it is wise to take the accelerated path to the master’s degree. However, there are only three minors: Business (general), Accountancy and Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management.
- There’s an interesting set of choices in the engineering school. These include Biological vs. Biomedical Engineering, multiple options around computing and data science and an Engineering Technology program with specialties in Manufacturing and Mechatronics. There’s also a long list of engineering minors and certificates.
- Mizzou is one of only 32 US colleges that has a veterinary school. In addition, it offers a unique bachelors in Veterinary Technology as well as the opportunity to apply advanced credits in Animal Sciences towards the DVM for those who are admitted to that program.
Mizzou is very much in a heartland in the Midwest.
Located halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City, Columbia is a true college town. The university and its medical center are its largest employers. The city is also home to two small colleges, Columbia (1,600 undergrads) and Stevens, the second-oldest women’s college in the country (400 undergrads).There’s plenty for students to do downtown. Town and gown go all out for Homecoming Week at Mizzou. I graduated from two Big Ten universities (Rutgers and Illinois) and one had a Rose Bowl-bound football team when I was there. But their homecoming calendar is nothing close to Mizzou’s. The university is known as the Home of Homecoming. The Tiger theme extends itself on campus, even into the academics. My friend, Kate Ryan, shared these photos below as well as the one up top.
Housing is a bit tight at Mizzou.
The university houses less than 30 percent of the undergraduate student body. Students who want to be close to campus after freshman year are enticed to live downtown. However, it’s possible to rent off campus for around $600/person/month, which is decent for a college town like Columbia. Greek life is fairly popular, attracting just under a quarter of the men and about 30 percent of the women. Mizzou has 34 fraternities and 20 sororities, most with their own houses.
Athletic teams are competitive, but do not appear to be dominant.
Mizzou changed conferences after the 2012 season moving from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference. The wrestling program moved to the Mid-America Conference before returning to the Big 12 in 2021. It has sustained excellence under head coach Brian Smith. But athletic successes in the other sports have been a mix bag. While Mizzou has played high-profile rivals for well over a century, it has not won a national championship in football or basketball. However, I have seen pre-season football polls that have the Tigers ranked in the top ten.
- Mizzou won two divisional titles in football in the Big 12, losing to Oklahoma both times in the conference championship game. They lost a third division title in a tiebreaker vs. Nebraska. Since joining the SEC, the Tigers won two division titles in their first two seasons in the conference. However, they lost the championship games to Auburn and Alabama. The Tigers made 10 bowl appearances in the Big 12, winning five.
- They have made seven bowl appearances since joining the SEC, winning three. The most significant win is probably their most recent, a 14-3 victory over seventh-ranked Ohio State in the 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic. That win gave the Tigers a #8 national ranking at the end of the season. Faurot Field, home to the Tigers since 1926, sold out every home game vs. SEC rivals last season. However, it did not sell out vs rivals during the previous season when the Tigers went 6-6 and lost a bowl game to Wake Forest. So, I have to wonder if fans are more fair weather here than at other SEC rival schools.
- The men’s basketball program made nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament as a member of the Big 12, including two in the Elite Eight. Since joining the SEC the Tigers had made four appearance in the Tournament. However, they advanced to the Round of 32 only once.
- Mizzou was a conference power in baseball in the Big 12, with eight NCAA College tournament appearances from 1997 to 2012. Likely Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer is Mizzou’s most prominent baseball alumnus. However, the Tigers have made no NCAA tournament appearances since joining the SEC.
- The softball program has been a power in both conferences. The Tigers made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament as a member of the Big 12. They have made 11 times since joining the SEC, missing only 2020 when the COVID pandemic cancelled the season.
Conclusions
Mizzou shares many strengths with the more selective flagship state universities across the country. It might also be less expensive than Home State U for students who come from states such as Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Texas.
To no surprise to me, the Chicago metro area has the largest contingent of alumni registered in LinkedIn.com after St. Louis and Kansas City. The communities from similarly selective schools such as the Indiana University-Bloomington or the University of Iowa will be larger. But their non-resident scholarships are not as generous as Mizzou’s. There are also over 9,600 Tigers in Texas, with nearly 4,500 based in or near Dallas. I can understand this. UT-Austin and the Texas A&M’s main campus have become more selective, and Mizzou has always had Texas rivals in the Big 12 as well as the SEC.
Mizzou’s scholarships and access to some unique academic opportunities will be attractive to cost conscious families–especially if a prospective student also wants a taste of big-school spirit and sports.
Report Card: University of Missouri-Columbia
- Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: B/A
- Freshman Retention: B+
- Curriculum: A
- Costs: A
- Comforts: B
- Community: B+
- Connections: A (Missouri/Chicago metro area)/B (Texas)/ C (elsewhere)
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