Tuition and Fees

2025-26 Tuition

Our new Simplified Tuition structure makes the costs of a college education more predictable and transparent for UMSL students, allowing students and families to more accurately estimate and plan for college expenses. Effective Fall 2023, the new structure consolidates base tuition with the current course and supplemental fees into one flat credit hour rate based on a student’s major. This helps by removing the uncertainty of assessed tuition and fees based on the type of course enrolled. Students will pay the tier rate for their degree plan as of the last day to register for a regular session class.  If a student changes majors after that day, the billing tier will not update. See the Academic Calendar for the date.

Cost Estimator:  2025-2026

2025-26 Undergraduate Tuition

* Certificate rates are based on the College that they are associated with.

2025-26 Graduate Tuition

* Certificate rates are based on the College that they are associated with.

2025-26 Optometry Tuition

Tuition Assessment Residency Requirements  Fee Reassessment / Dropping Course(s) Download full cost schedule

 Guide to Paying Fees

 Learn all the details about paying your fees. Guides for the following semesters are available:

 Summer 2025  Fall 2025 - COMING SOON

2024-25 Tuition and Fees

Cost of attendance

Cost of Attendance is an estimate based on a two semesters of attendance at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Tuition is estimated at 14 credit hours per semester for undergraduates, 6 credit hours for graduate students, and 16 credit hours for Optometry. COA budgets reflect 2024-2025 rates. Please use the Net Price Calculator for a customized look at your annual cost.

Direct Vs. Indirect Costs

Direct Costs are costs charged directly to the student's university account. This includes tuition, housing and food (if living on campus) and any Books, course materials, supplies, or equipment charged through the campus bookstore. Indirect Costs are those not charged through the university but are included in a student's educational expenses in their cost of attendance, ex. Off campus housing, transportation costs, and personal expenses.

Examples

Tuition
Tuition are direct costs and are billed to the student each semester. For an undergraduate student, the tuition amounts used in the cost of attendance are based on an average enrollment of 14 credit hours per semester for undergraduate, 6 credit hours for graduate and 16 credit hours for Optometry students.

When planning for your actual costs, it is important to remember the University will bill you for tuition based on the number of credit hours in which you register.

Food and Housing/Room and Board
Food and Housing may be either direct costs or indirect costs depending on whether or not you live on campus. If you are living on-campus the food and housing allowances are based on a double-room, 4-person unit in University Housing. If you are living off-campus, either with parents or in your own home or apartment, your food and housing allowances are based on regional averages. The "Living with parent" budget only includes the food allowance.

If you contract for University housing and/or a meal plan, you will be billed for the semester (and meal plan if applicable) in addition to tuition.

Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment
Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment are indirect costs unless you purchase them at the University Bookstore. The books, course materials, supplies, and equipment allowances are based on full-time enrollment and average book costs. Your Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment expenses may vary based on the courses you are taking.

Miscellaneous / Personal Expenses and Transportation
Other expenses include allowances for miscellaneous/personal and transportation expenses. These expenses are indirect costs you will not be billed for but are paid by you as they occur. Indirect costs may vary greatly but are based on what are considered reasonable, but modest, costs (gas, clothing, toiletries, etc.) estimated for financial aid purposes to determine your cost of attendance / financial assistance budget.

Loan fees
Loan fees are an estimate and deducted from the loan before it is credited to the student's account. If the student does not borrow a loan, then loan fees will not be charged.

The University reserves the right to modify by increase or decrease the fees charged for attendance and other services at the University, including but not limited to tuition or educational fees, at any time when in the discretion of the governing board the same is in the best interest of the University, provided that no increases can or will be effective unless approved by the governing board not less than thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the academic term (semester, etc.) to which the fees are applicable, with all modification of fees to be effective irrespective as to whether fees have or have not been paid by or on behalf of a student prior to the effective date of the modification.