Why Private Support Is Needed
As a public institution for higher education, the University of Missouri-St. Louis is dedicated to providing a quality, affordable education to all eligible students.
Historically, the university primarily relied on state support for more than 60 percent of its budget. Today, that support has declined to less than 30 percent of the university's budget. Keeping tuition and fees affordable for our students requires the university to look to private donors for the support needed to maintain the university's excellence.
At the same time that state support has declined, higher education costs have risen dramatically. The need for new instructional technologies in addition to increased utility costs and the need for new student services all contribute to the rising cost of tuition. The list of needs continues to grow, but there are few new sources of revenue to meet those challenges. The only area of support with the potential for long-term growth is private support.
When you give to UMSL, your gift can be distributed to the college, department or program of your choice. In this way, you help to ensure that the university continues to maintain its position as a first-class environment for teaching and learning.
Tomorrow's leaders in virtually every walk of life are today's students at UMSL, and their education will continue to flourish thanks to the generous private support given by corporations, friends and alumni.
The university is home to dozens of nationally-recognized programs, including:
- International Business Program - ranked 20th the in U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 list of best undergraduate international business programs in the country.
- Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice - the doctoral degree program was ranked fourth in the country in 2010 by U.S. News & World Report.
- College of Business Administration - ranked among the nation's best business schools by The Princeton Review.
- College of Optometry - the university operates Missouri's only optometry program, and nearly 50 percent of all practicing optometrists in Missouri are UMSL graduates. Half of the college's 800 graduates practice in Missouri, with others practicing in 42 states and many foreign countries.
- Department of Communication - ranked fifth nationally by the Journal of Communication for faculty productivity.
- College of Business Administration - carries the prestigious accreditation of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In addition, the College of Business Administration is the only college in St. Louis to carry separate AACSB accreditations for its business and accounting programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Department of Philosophy - The Philosophical Gourmet, the leading guide to graduate study in philosophy, ranks the university's master's degree in philosophy among the top eight in the country.
- Center for International Studies - through its study abroad and exchange programs, the center provides students with educational and cultural opportunities in 33 countries.
- UMSL/Washington University Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program - designed to accommodate nontraditional students, the accredited program is the first of its kind in the United States.
- Graduate School - enrolls about 3,100 students, which accounts for about 20 percent of total student enrollment.