University of Missouri System Board of Curators The vote was unanimous on Thursday To increase undergraduate tuition by 4% on all four campuses for the 2026-27 academic year. Graduate tuition will increase by 3%.
This increase impacts resident graduates at Mizzou (Columbia), UMSL, UMKC, and Missouri S&T at a time when families are already absorbing FAFSA changes, new federal borrowing limits on grad loans and Parent PLUS loans, and the rollout of the RAP plan.
The 4% jump for public four-year schools is slightly above the national pace.
What they are saying: Ryan Rapp, UM’s chief financial officer told the curator during the hearing Tuition systemwide has not kept pace with inflation and noted that Kansas, Kentucky and Nebraska provide more state funding to their public universities than Missouri.
Board Chairman Todd Graves said in a statement That the new rates position the UM System “for long-term success” while also keeping it “competitive in both cost and quality with peer institutions regionally and nationally.”
UM President Mun Choi pointed to Mizzou’s 95% job placement rate and 77% graduation rate (the highest in the state) and said that Mizzou graduates receive an average of nearly $9,000 per year in financial aid, more than students from any nearby major.
How it connects: Missouri’s 4% growth outperformed the broader market. The most recent data from the College Board shows that the average cost of college at four-year public universities has increased by 2.9% for in-state students and 3.4% for out-of-state students, with the projection for 2026-27 closer to 3.25%.
Over the longer term, JPMorgan reports that US college tuition has increased 914% since 1983 – about 5.5% per year, which is well above wage growth.
For Missouri residents, in-state pricing in the UM system still represents one of the strongest values ​​in the region, but the gap between sticker price and net cost is growing as more of the burden is shifted to financial aid packaging.
Ground level: A 4% increase in separations seems modest, but families budgeting for fall 2026 should re-think their net cost calculations, especially with the new federal student loan limits taking effect. And families need to remember that prices can increase every year, so the first year may be the cheapest.
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