Missouri’s public colleges and universities follow a set of selectivity standards when considering students for admission. Institutional selectivity is standard admission criteria and includes such measures as a student’s grade point average, high school class rank, and score on their ACT or SAT, or a combination of those scores. Although many students admitted to these institutions meet the selectivity requirements, it’s important to remember that acceptance is determined on an individual basis.
Some schools have open enrollment, meaning they do not take these standards into consideration when admitting students. Public two-year colleges must provide open enrollment. Colleges and universities may also use standards to determine if students are ready for college-level courses.
Highly Selective
Truman State University and Missouri University of Science & Technology are Missouri’s only two highly selective universities. These schools admit first-time, freshman students and transfer students (with less than 24 credit hours) who have:
- Completed 23 or fewer credit hours.
- Attained a combined percentile score (from adding their high school percentile rank and the percentile rank attained on the ACT or SAT) that is greater than or equal to 140 points.
Students who achieve a score of 27 or better on the ACT or an equivalent score on the SAT are automatically admitted to highly selective institutions.
Selective
Selective institutions admit first-time freshman students and transfer students (with less than 24 credit hours) who have:
- Completed 23 or fewer credit hours.
- Attained a combined percentile score (from adding their high school percentile rank and the percentile rank attained on the ACT or SAT) that is greater than or equal to 120 points.
Students who achieve a score of 24 or better on the ACT or an equivalent score on the SAT are automatically admitted to selective institutions.
Missouri’s selective institutions include Missouri State University, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Moderately Selective
Moderately selective institutions admit first-time freshman students and transfer students (with less than 24 credit hours) who have:
- Completed 23 or fewer credit hours.
- Attained a combined percentile score (from adding their high school percentile rank and the percentile rank attained on the ACT or SAT) that is greater than or equal to 100 points.
Students who achieve a score of 21 or better on the ACT or an equivalent score on the SAT are automatically admitted to moderately selective institutions.
Missouri’s moderately selective institutions include University of Central Missouri, Missouri Southern State University, Northwest Missouri State University, and Southeast Missouri State University.
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment colleges and universities may admit any Missouri resident with a high school diploma or its equivalent as a first-time, full time degree-seeking freshman. Open access to a particular institution, however, does not guarantee access to selected programs that may have additional admission criteria.
Missouri’s open enrollment institutions include:
- Crowder College
- East Central College
- Harris-Stowe State University
- Jefferson College
- Lincoln University
- State Technical College of Missouri
- Metropolitan Community Colleges
- Mineral Area College
- Missouri State University – West Plains
- Missouri Western State University
- Moberly Area Community College
- North Central Missouri College
- Ozarks Technical Community College
- St. Charles Community College
- St. Louis Community Colleges
- State Fair Community College
- Three Rivers College