NurseSavvy ranking · Missouri · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Missouri (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 74 RN programs in Missouri that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Missouri, and what graduates earn a year out.
University of Missouri - Kansas City comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Missouri’s 74 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Missouri
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 178score
University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas CityBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,310/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,150 1 yr out
- 276score
Missouri Southern State University
JoplinBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,007/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $62,273 1 yr out
- 375score
Truman State University
KirksvilleBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Public
A 97.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.6%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,780/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,736 1 yr out
- 475score
William Jewell College
LibertyBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $17,562/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,391 1 yr out
- 573score
Missouri Western State University
St. JosephBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Public
A 95.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.4%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,251/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,938 1 yr out
- 672score
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape GirardeauBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Public
A 97% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,882/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,302 1 yr out
- 772score
College of the Ozarks
Point LookoutBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Private nonprofit
A 94.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.7%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $6,100/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $57,521 1 yr out
- 872score
Park University
ParkvilleBaccalaureate Degree Nursing· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $21,032/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $66,013 1 yr out
- 972score
Western Governors University
Kansas CityBaccalaureate Degree Nursing
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 1068score
Maryville University
St. LouisBaccalaureate Degree Nursing
A 96.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.3%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Missouri leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: University of Missouri - Kansas City (Baccalaureate Degree Nursing), 100% first-time.
- Lowest average net price: St. Charles Community College, $5,837/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Research College of Nursing, $75,705 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Ozarks Technical Community College - Table Rock Satellite Site (#14 overall) and University of Missouri - Kansas City (#1 overall).
No Missouri RN program in our data has published its own completion rate yet, so every program here scores the completion fill-in.
How we ranked Missouri’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Missouri board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Missouri’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Missouri?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, University of Missouri - Kansas City (Baccalaureate Degree Nursing, Kansas City) ranks #1 of 74 RN programs in Missouri with a score of 78 out of 100 and a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Missouri nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Missouri board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in MissouriMissouri in one page: 102 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 81,780), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in MissouriNurse practitioners in Missouri earn a median of 129,930 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in MissouriRegistered nurses in Missouri earn a median of 81,780 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.