This KC-area college is one of the best in the U.S. for value, new study says
Three of the United States’ best colleges in terms of value are located in Missouri, according to a new study One of them is based in the Kansas City area.
Financial advice website SmartAsset analyzed over 1,000 U.S. colleges and universities with undergraduate enrollments of less than 5,000 students to find the best values among small schools. The website looked at the median cost of attendance for all qualifying institutions, and ranked them using a composite score based on:
- The school’s graduation rate six years after first enrollment
- The median earnings of students who received federal financial aid 10 years after first enrollment
Its rankings found that William Jewell College, a private university in Liberty, is the 23rd-best value college in the country.
SmartAsset’s data collected in March says the school has an enrollment of 924 students, and its cost of attendance is $35,785 per student. The school’s graduation rate is 64%, and its alumni have median earnings of $59,268.
What other Missouri colleges and universities made the list?
William Jewell is the top school for value in the Kansas City area, but it’s not the top school in Missouri. Truman State University, a public college in Kirksville three hours north of Kansas City, was ranked No. 21 on SmartAsset’s list.
The public school has 2,513 students enrolled, and their cost of attendance is $25,115. Its graduation rate is 69% and its alumni have a median earning of $56,280.
Evangel University, a private university three hours south of Kansas City in Springfield, was ranked No. 73. The school has 1,229 students, and its cost of attendance is $39,956. It also has a graduation rate of 65%, and the median earnings for alumni are $46,573.
