College Viability Inspection Report

Missouri Western State University

Missouri · Public

Missouri Western State University is a public institution in Missouri, enrolling 2,378 students as of 2024. It graduates 23% of students in four years, returns 54% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $13,126 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 6 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, Equity Gap, Enrollment, Endowment, and Tuition Allocation. This report benchmarks Missouri Western State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Missouri Western State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Missouri Western State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Missouri Western State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate23.0%+43.8%22nd
Six-Year Graduation Rate42.0%+27.3%26th
Full-Time Retention Rate54.0%-14.3%8th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate32.3%+20.2%21st
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap12.9pp-37.1%68th
Pell Share of Cohort51.1%-10.2%73rd

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.20×+31.1%76th
Total FTE Enrollment2,378-33.3%61st
Endowment Value$40.4M+15.3%44th
Net Assets (End of Year)$48.1M+197.1%35th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %25.2%-30.7%21st
Student Support Spending %7.8%-46.0%26th
Administrative Spending %19.6%+147.9%56th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio1.69×-73.8%22nd
Average Net Price$13,126+25.7%24th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$11,243+34.0%36th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$11,674+24.6%36th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$13,965+21.4%36th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$16,119+11.4%27th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$17,764+13.1%18th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Missouri Western State University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Missouri Western State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Missouri Western State University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 5 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Missouri Western State University's ratio fell below 1.0 in 1 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Missouri Western State University's total enrollment fell from 3,564 to 2,378 students between 2020 and 2024 (-33.3%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Missouri Western State University's endowment is $40.4M, under the $50 million threshold. A smaller endowment leaves less cushion for scholarships and for tough budget years, even though it grew +15.3% over the period.
Financial HealthTriggered
High Cost, Low Completion
Missouri Western State University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Missouri Western State University spends $1.69 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin (2024) — below the national median of $2.75 in 3 of 5 reported years.
Value for MoneyTriggered
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared