For area universities, numbers, student views indicate value

Missouri Western is also in the top third (No. 1,262, with No. 1 being the best) for students who earn more than a high school graduate, on average, after 10 years. Western charges a base tuition of $230 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates. Various fees apply.

“The data indicate that Missouri Western provides a high-quality, affordable education with a high return on investment of nearly $850,000 over the course of a graduate’s career,” said Kent Heier, a university spokesman, in a written analysis of the Georgetown data.

Northwest Missouri State University, which charges a base undergraduate in-state tuition of $227.56 plus fees, prefers to cite the National College Attainment Network. The NCAN survey includes 490 public, four-year universities. According to a Wednesday news release, Northwest is within the 23% of surveyed schools that are considered “affordable.” Five such schools enjoy this status within Missouri: Northwest, Missouri Western, Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Harris-Stowe State University, also in St. Louis.

“Northwest continues to provide a high-quality educational experience at an affordable price and shows its focus on affordability by prioritizing the funding of additional scholarship dollars for students,” said Allison Hoffmann, assistant vice president of admissions and student success at Northwest. “We remain committed to affordability ...”

For Northwest and Western, data points on affordability may be less important than how this question is perceived by students. Jaelee Pittel, a student at Northwest from Kansas City, said she has not been without challenges in paying for school. That’s one reason why she became a resident assistant for those in on-campus housing, thereby obtaining room and board gratis.

“It was a big thing for me in coming here,” she said. “I had to find that ‘middle ground’ when it comes to cost and payment. I could wish for tuition overall to be on the lower side, but overall, I think it’s pretty affordable. It makes sense.”

Joshua Davis, a student and football player at Missouri Western, benefits from athletic scholarships and other aid that help with his studies in criminal justice. A native of Lee’s Summit, Davis said he feels confident Missouri Western would be a good value even if all costs were out-of-pocket.

“You definitely get your money’s worth,” he said. “The teachers are amazing, the faculty’s amazing, it’s a really good school. If you just put your head down and do the work, you won’t have any problems.”