Spotlight: The University of Missouri Columbia

By: Dorian Jenkins

The University of Missouri Columbia, or “Mizzou,” is a public institution that was founded in 1839. In 2013, the university had a total undergraduate enrollment of 26,965 and the campus size is 1,262 acres. The University of Missouri's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges and National Universities, is 99 out of every college in America. The fall acceptance rate is at 78.6% and your ACT/SAT scores must be turned in by May 1 of the year you will be enrolling.

At the University, 47.7% of full time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid; the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $8,263. Mizzou’s in-state tuition and fees are $9,433 per year (2014-15) and out-of-state tuition and fees are $24,460 (2014-15).

Students applying at Mizzou must have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA in high school. Transfer applicants who do not meet Mizzou’s freshman requirements must have completed at least 24 college-level credits and one of the following: A college algebra course with a grade of C- or better or the equivalent of Mizzou's English 1000 with a grade of C- or better. Transfer students with an associate of arts degree from a regionally accredited Missouri community college are admissible to Mizzou.

Mizzou offers a number of student services, including tutoring, a women's center, placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. The University of Missouri also offers campus safety and security services, like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transportation services, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access. Of the students at University of Missouri, 55% have cars on campus. Alcohol is not permitted for students of legal age at Mizzou’s campus either.

The campus housing is very nice for the social environment and makes it easy to get to classes (meaning everything is close together and not hard to find). However, the rooms are very small, depending on which hall you live in. Also, the pricing is really expensive and the dorms fill up quickly; therefore, students are often put on the waiting list. Living off the campus generally proves to be a better solution to the housing problem.

The sports at Mizzou are what the school is really famous for though. Almost everyone at Mizzou is involved in some type of sport, especially during homecoming, since Mizzou invented homecoming. Football will become a bigger part of your life by attending Mizzou and going to the games can be a wonderful experience. All the sports at Mizzou are very popular, from attending and cheering on varsity athletics, to joining an intramural sports team, or even just taking advantage of the awesome facilities that the university offers. Mizzou has a wonderful recreation center available for the students as well.