The University of Missouri System Board of Curators voted unanimously Thursday to raise undergraduate tuition 4% across all four campuses for the 2026-27 academic year. Graduate tuition will rise 3%.

The increase hits resident undergraduates at Mizzou (Columbia), UMSL, UMKC, and Missouri S&T at a moment when families are already absorbing FAFSA changes, new federal borrowing caps on Grad Loans and Parent PLUS loans, and the rollout of the RAP plan. 

A 4% bump also runs slightly above of the national pace for public four-year schools.

What They’re Saying: UM Chief Financial Officer Ryan Rapp told curators during the hearing that tuition across the system has not kept up with inflation and noted that Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska provide more state funding to their public universities than Missouri does.

Board Chair Todd Graves said in a statement that the new rates position the UM System “for long-term success” while keeping it “competitive in both cost and quality with peer institutions regionally and nationally.”

UM President Mun Choi pointed to Mizzou’s 95% job placement rate and a 77% graduation rate (the highest in the state) and said Mizzou undergraduates receive an average of roughly $9,000 in financial aid per year, more than students at any surrounding flagship.

How This Connects: Missouri’s 4% increase outpaces the broader market. The College Board’s most recent data shows the average cost of college at four-year public universities rose 2.9% for in-state students and 3.4% for out-of-state students last year, with projections near 3.25% for 2026-27. 

Over a longer horizon, J.P. Morgan reports U.S. college tuition has climbed 914% since 1983 — roughly 5.5% per year, well above wage growth.

For Missouri residents, in-state pricing at the UM System still represents one of the stronger values in the region, but the gap between sticker price and net cost is widening as more of the burden shifts to financial aid packaging.

Bottom Line: A 4% increase looks modest in isolation, but families budgeting for fall 2026 should rerun their net cost calculations, especially with new federal student loan caps taking effect. And families need to remember that prices may rise every year, so the first year may be the cheapest.

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