Understanding UMKC Tuition and Fees: A Comprehensive Guide
For prospective students and their families, understanding the cost of higher education is a crucial step in the college decision-making process. The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs, and this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of UMKC's tuition, fees, and financial aid opportunities.
Tuition and Fees Overview
UMKC's tuition structure differentiates between in-state and out-of-state students. For the academic year, in-state tuition is $14,038, while out-of-state tuition is $33,883. These figures encompass both tuition and fees, often referred to as the "sticker price." It's important to note that fees can vary by institution and may support essential services like library access, gym facilities, student centers, technology resources, and campus health centers.
Simplified Tuition
UMKC has implemented Simplified Tuition, which merges existing fees with tuition to provide an easy-to-understand, per-credit-hour tuition cost based on your academic program.
Cost Comparison
When comparing the costs of different institutions, considering the total cost and the net price is essential. The total cost includes the sticker price, along with expenses for food and housing, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. At UMKC, the total cost is $31,732 for in-state students and $50,632 for out-of-state students.
National and Regional Comparisons
Compared to the national average cost of in-state tuition of $12,436, UMKC's in-state tuition is slightly more expensive. For out-of-state students, UMKC's tuition is also higher than the national average of $29,815. However, when compared to other schools nationwide, in the Plains States region, and within Missouri, UMKC's in-state tuition and fees are relatively inexpensive.
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Tuition Discounts and Financial Aid
UMKC offers various ways to reduce the cost of education through automatic and competitive tuition discounts, including scholarships and grants. In a recent year, UMKC awarded more than $200 million in financial aid.
Scholarship Opportunities
- Automatic and Competitive Discounts: These discounts, including scholarships and grants, can help make attaining your dreams realistic and affordable.
- Program-Specific Awards: UMKC's schools offer program-specific awards for enrolled students.
- Outside Awards: Each year, thousands of dollars in awards from sources outside UMKC are available for eligible students.
Residency Rates
UMKC offers in-state or discounted tuition based on where you live. If you're from Missouri, Kansas, or one of 15 other Midwestern states, you may qualify for one of our residency rates for undergraduate or graduate students.
- Kansas Rate: All Kansas residents qualify for in-state undergraduate tuition and some qualify for reduced graduate tuition.
- Heartland Rate: UMKC offers tuition discounts for students from 15 Midwestern states outside of Missouri and Kansas. The Heartland Rate brings your tuition closer to in-state prices, even if you come to UMKC from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. (Note: Students admitted to the six-year medicine and Pharm.D. programs may be excluded, and some degree programs may not be eligible.)
Financial Aid
The majority of UMKC students receive funding for school in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and Federal Student Aid. Financial aid does more than cover tuition and fees.
- FAFSA and Work-Study: The majority of students receive funding for school in the form of grants, loans, work-study and Federal Student Aid.
Net Price Calculator
Domestic, undergraduate students can use UMKC's net price calculator to estimate what it will cost to attend.
Tuition Trends and Projections
Tuition and fees for in-state students at UMKC have increased with an average annual rate of 4.20% over the past five years. If this growth continues, in-state students can expect to pay $11,509 this school year. Out-of-state tuition and fees have increased by about 3.89% in the past five years. If the percentage increases stay the same, out-of-state students will be paying approximately $28,314 this year.
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Based on these rates, the estimated total cost of in-state tuition and fees for two years at UMKC is $23,501, and $49,020 for four years. For out-of-state students, the estimated cost is $57,727 for two years and $120,028 for four years.
Specific Program Costs
Law School
Attending law school requires financial support. The rates for the J.D. program are not the same as for the LL.M. programs. Below is the approximate nine-month (Fall/Winter) academic year budget for a typical first-year law school student living off-campus.
International English Program (IEP)
For most IEP students, cost is made up of tuition, instructional and educational fees, student health insurance and international student fees. As a department of UMKC, the costs of the program are established by the tuition fees of the university. All F-1 students enroll in 12 credit hours in the Fall and Spring and six credit hours in the Summer. Tuition and educational fees may change each academic year. To offset the cost of non-resident tuition, the ALI offers a partial scholarship to all students who pay undergraduate non-resident tuition, which means they pay close to what a resident pays.
All students with a J-1 or F-1 visa are required to purchase Health Insurance through UMKC. Living expenses will cost approximately $1,000-$2,000 per month, depending on personal choices about where to live and shop and how to travel around the city.
Investment in Student Success
UMKC has made recent investments in student success, resulting in increased retention and graduation rates. The university's cost per degree has fallen 11% when compared to inflation over the past five years.
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University of Missouri System
Undergraduate tuition at all four UM universities will rise 5%. Graduate and professional tuition increases will range from 3% to 5%. Even with the increases in tuition and fees, the cost of education at UM universities is significantly less than the national average. Additionally, the UM universities continue to outperform their peers related to retention and graduation rates, as well as post-graduation success, which is a measure of how many students achieve their post-graduation goals within six months of graduating. In a recent year, more than 95% of UM students graduating achieved their post-graduation goals, nearly 9 points higher than the national average.
