Northwest Missouri State University

Public · Moderately Selective · MO

Photo: Ashlee hendrix 1 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationMO · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads4,378

Student:faculty16:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate41.9%

6-yr grad rate54.2%

Drop-out rate26.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$17k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity20.7%

Gender diversity60.8%

International3.1%

Identity—

Overview

Northwest Missouri State University, in Maryville in northwest Missouri, is a regional public university known for an early and sustained commitment to technology in the classroom; it was among the first universities in the country to issue a computer to every student, well before that became common practice. Teacher education and agriculture are its most established academic traditions.

Academics

The School of Education has a long track record preparing teachers for Missouri and neighboring states, and agriculture programs draw on the university's working farm and the surrounding region's agricultural economy. Business and communications are also solid, career-oriented options, and the early-technology identity carries through into how courses are taught across departments.

Campus & student life

The campus itself is designated the official Missouri Arboretum, giving it a notably landscaped, tree-lined feel uncommon among public universities of its size. Maryville is a small town where the university anchors most of the local social and economic life, and Bearcat football, a longtime Division II power, is a genuine point of campus pride rather than an afterthought.

Getting in

Northwest Missouri State tends to admit on a fairly straightforward academic-record basis typical of regional public universities, with less emphasis on elaborate essays than private colleges use. Its reputation for value and its long institutional history with teacher-prep and agriculture programs are common reasons students from the region choose it deliberately rather than as a fallback.

Worth knowing

The blanket student-computer program and continued digital-learning emphasis are genuine differentiators for students interested in ed-tech, and the Bearcat football program's sustained Division II success is unusual for a school this size.

nwmissouri.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate86.1%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 976–1193 · ACT 19–24

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying