Who this university is and where it stands
Truman State University is classified as a master’s university with medium-sized programs. It is a medium-sized, four-year, highly residential school: at the time of that classification, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least 8 out of every 10 attended full time. Its undergraduate profile places it in the more selective admissions group. That label does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants get in—we will look at that later—and it also does not mean this should be the only school on your child’s list.
It is in Kirksville, Missouri, in Adair County, and its setting is a remote town: it is not within a large urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this truly matters: figure out separately where your child would live and how they would get to campus. This data only identifies the school’s location; it says nothing about your own travel needs.
It is a public institution offering programs of four years or more, and it reports a post-master’s certificate as the highest level it offers. That is an institutional fact, not a promise that your child’s field of study includes that entire pathway: verify the specific program. And if you live outside Missouri, ask from the beginning which rate they are quoting you, because the price changes considerably based on that, as you will see shortly.
One piece of context worth understanding clearly: Truman State University is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this federal directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; this one has none. That says nothing about which students it serves or how your child would feel there. You find that out by asking, not guessing.
The size of the community and who makes it up
It is best to be direct here, because this is something many Latino families want to know first: among Truman State University undergraduates, 4 out of every 100 students were reported as Hispanic or Latino. That is a small number. Compared with 519 selective-admission, four-year public schools in this same census, it falls in the bottom quarter. That neither removes the school from the list nor puts it on the list. It is data that tells you who is enrolled, and nothing more. If your child would be one of the few, ask during the visit which student group or cultural center is available, or who in the admissions office speaks Spanish, and talk with a Latino student who is already there before deciding.
There are also more women than men—59 out of every 100—and almost no adult students: only 3 out of every 100 are between the ages of 25 and 64. Most entering students, 8 out of every 10, reported living in Missouri when they applied. If your family lives out of state, your child would become part of a minority on campus, at least in that geographic sense.
As for size: Truman State University had total fall enrollment of 3,636 in the official count, making it a medium-sized school on the federal scale. Compared with similar schools, it is on the smaller side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, have higher enrollment. Of that total, undergraduate enrollment is 3,302 and graduate enrollment is 334—this is primarily an undergraduate school. Being large does not mean more options, and being small does not mean more attention for your child. Always ask about the specific field of study, not the school as a whole.
How the academic year works and how broad the offerings are
The year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. It also reports accepting credit for military training, and it enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is a truth worth stating plainly: accepting AP does not mean they award credit for every exam. We do not know what scores they require, how many credits they award, or whether those credits count toward your child’s exact program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not calculate the savings until you have it in hand.
As for the range of fields of study: in the most recent year reported, the university awarded 800 bachelor’s degrees, distributed across 19 families of fields of study. None accounts for a large share—not even business and management, the largest, with only 17 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. The offerings are broad and distributed, not concentrated in two or three flagship fields. But 19 families with rows in the report do not mean there are exactly 19 individual majors: each family groups several programs, and some may report no degrees awarded that year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, by its full name.
The official student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 12 to 1, a low figure compared with similar schools—in the bottom quarter of 519 similar institutions. It is an aggregate number, not the actual size of a first-year classroom. Do not take it as a guarantee of personalized attention; take it as a reason to ask questions.
The university also reports structured opportunities worth exploring with your child: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and state-approved pathways that prepare students for teacher certification.
Getting in: what the university requires and how accessible it is
This is where many families feel the most anxiety, so let’s take it step by step. Truman State University does not have open admission: it reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, four are required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, personal essay, and an English-proficiency exam for those required to submit one. That means your child has to write. Gathering paperwork is not enough. Have them start the essay during the summer, not the week of the deadline—the first draft is never the one that gets submitted.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0, so that is not a barrier to applying.
Now for the question everyone wants to ask first: how hard is it to get in? Out of 3,263 first-time applicants in the 2023 cycle, 2,609 were offered admission. That is 80 out of every 100—seven or eight out of ten. Compared with similar schools, that is a typical figure, slightly below the midpoint of the group. That does not make admission automatic: your child has reason to apply, and also reason not to leave it until the last minute. And remember something important: that figure comes from a single cycle, not a permanent rule at the school. When it is your child’s turn, check the figure again for the relevant year.
Here is an interesting figure that deserves an explanation. Out of every 100 students admitted for the first year of 2023, only 25 ultimately enrolled. The other 75 had an acceptance letter in hand and did not attend. Receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to go. This number does not measure quality, prestige, or whether people were happy—it only counts how many admitted first-time students enrolled that fall. When your child’s admission letters arrive, this percentage does not decide anything: place the letters side by side and compare net price, field of study, and distance before the deposit deadline.
As for standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains active just the same. Among those who did submit SAT scores—only 6 out of every 100 enrolled students—the middle half scored between 573 and 648 in reading and writing, and between 553 and 670 in math. Those figures are for students who had already enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not for all applicants. That 573 is not a minimum your child must reach, and that 648 does not guarantee anything either.
As for transfers: in the fall of 2023, the university enrolled 63 undergraduate students who came from another institution. It is a headcount, not a rate, and compared with similar schools it falls in the bottom half. The rate of students who leave to transfer elsewhere is not reported here—that does not mean no one transfers, only that this data is unavailable in this report.
The price: what it costs and what families actually pay
At Truman State University, among 50 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $7,322. Among 51 students from the same population whose EFC family income was between $48,001 and $75,000, it was $11,125; among 85 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $15,816. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (50 students) and the highest-income band (85 students) is $8,494. Among first-time students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $12,798.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Truman State falls in the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families, after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a piece of information that matters when you build the list of schools to apply to.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
Financial aid and options for paying
Here is a figure worth emphasizing: 91 out of every 100 degree- or certificate-seeking students received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is common here, not the exception. Compared with similar schools, it falls in the quarter where grants and scholarships reach more students, with an average of $9,825 among recipients.
But two things that sound similar and are not the same need to be separated. Pell Grants—federal aid for low-income families—went to only 19 out of every 100 students. That means at least 72 out of every 100 received non-Pell aid from another source: the university itself, the state, or another program. The report combines all that aid without saying where it came from, so it cannot tell you exactly what your child would receive. Ask directly: who awards the grant or scholarship, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
And here is a truth that should not be softened: a high number of students receiving grants or scholarships is not a promise for your child. It is what happened with other students in a specific year. Ask in writing which applications must be completed, what the deadlines are, and what happens to the grant or scholarship if grades decline.
As for loans: 28 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan, with an average of $5,938 per borrower. Compared with similar schools, this proportion is on the low side—seven out of ten similar schools had a higher proportion of students with loans. Some students here make it through the year without debt, and some borrow. This percentage does not determine which group your child would fall into: the financial aid letter they receive in writing does. And that average of $5,938 covers only federal loans in the student’s name for one year—it does not include Parent PLUS loans, bank debt, or the total debt someone has upon graduation.
The university also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan as an option for managing the cost.
Campus life, learning format, and available support
Truman State has its own housing, with a reported capacity of 1,403 students. It is not mandatory for all first-time, full-time students—the institution indicated that it does not impose that universal requirement, although this does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the selected plan. The existence of rooms does not guarantee an available bed; ask in writing for the rate for the year, the housing application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
ROTC is available, and the only branch confirmed in writing is the Army. The Navy and Air Force are not marked as available. If your child is interested in another branch, it is not confirmed in this report—that does not make it impossible, only something you need to ask about directly, including whether the program is offered on this campus or another one.
The university competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That membership belongs to the school, not your child: if your child is interested in competing, write directly to the coach for that sport and ask whether there is a place on the team, which division they compete in, and whether that sport awards athletic scholarships.
As for learning format: the university offers distance education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the fall count, 15 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance, and 85 took at least one in-person class. It also reports offering at least one complete program that can be taken entirely at a distance, although this does not confirm that it is specifically an undergraduate program or in the field your child is interested in. Confirm the exact level and field of study before building a plan around it.
The library has paid staff, annual spending above the threshold tracked by the federal government, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. Among the support services the institution reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services after program completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military service members, and a published webpage about services for students with disabilities.
Persistence and graduation: who stays and who finishes
Now we come to one of the most important questions a family can ask: if my child enrolls here, will they stay? Will they finish?
From a cohort of 697 first-time, full-time students who entered in the fall of 2022, 582 met the official retention criterion one year later—they were still enrolled or had already graduated. That is 84 out of every 100. Compared with similar schools, this figure falls in the upper part of the group: more stayed than left. But the data does not separate how many are still studying from how many have already finished, or explain the exact outcome for the rest. And one important point: not returning to this school is not the same as dropping out of higher education. In this figure, someone who transferred and continues studying elsewhere is counted the same as someone who stopped studying altogether.
As for graduation: out of 1,319 first-time, full-time students who began a bachelor’s degree in 2017, 902 had graduated from that same institution within six years. That is 68 out of every 100. The four-year figure is lower: 57 out of every 100, eleven points less. Compared with 518 similar schools, this six-year rate falls in the top quarter—three out of every four similar schools reported an equal or lower proportion.
Here is a hard truth without embellishment: the available data does not allow us to fully reconstruct what happened to the remaining 32. Missing data does not become zero, and it does not justify saying that they transferred, that they are still studying after taking a break, or that they dropped out. We simply do not know from this source.
There is an even longer view: tracking a cohort of 1,541 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, as of August 2023—eight years later—71 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Most had completed something. Within that same group, among students who received a Pell Grant, the figure falls to 62 out of every 100—12 points less than among those who did not receive Pell. This is a historical cohort; it does not determine whether your child will graduate here or how long it would take. But if your family might qualify for Pell, it is worth asking the school what concrete support is available for those students: an assigned counselor, emergency aid, and whether the institution’s grant or scholarship is renewed each year. And have them answer in writing.
What this information cannot tell you
None of the information above tells you whether your child will be happy in Kirksville, whether they will find their people, or whether the specific field they are interested in has the academic strength they are looking for. Institutional averages do not predict one person’s experience. What you can do with all this information is enter the conversation with your child, and eventually review the admission letter, knowing what to ask: the actual equivalency of their AP credits, the residency rate that would apply, the net price based on your family’s income, what support exists for Latino students on campus, and what happens to their grant or scholarship if their grades decline.
You now have an in-depth understanding of one of the pieces you need to make a decision. Combine it with what your child wants to study, what they have accomplished so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. The plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
Source note: the information in this article comes from data reported by the institution to the US Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Truman State University or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help you understand it.