Find Your Place in Bearcat Country
As you compare colleges in Missouri, you want more than a place to earn a degree. You want a university that feels personal, prepares you for your career and helps you feel like you belong. At Northwest Missouri State University, you get profession-based learning, professors who know you and a community that welcomes you, celebrates Bearcat traditions and feels like home.
As you compare colleges in Missouri, you may be asking:
Founded in 1905, Northwest Missouri State University gives you room to explore, get involved and grow with support, opportunity and a strong sense of community. Here, you can choose from 200+ majors and programs, gain experience as you learn and be known as more than a number. You’ll see the Northwest difference through:
At Northwest, profession-based learning means you do more than sit in lectures. You learn by doing through research, internships, campus opportunities and hands-on experiences built across our degree programs. You might gain broadcast experience on radio and TV stations, work with real clients through Knacktive, compete on the Northwest Mock Trial Team or learn in places like the 448-acre Wright Farm and Horace Mann Laboratory School.
With small classes, approachable professors and a doors-open culture, you can ask questions, build relationships and get support when you need it. Across the Northwest Missouri State University campus, resources like academic advising and success coaching, tutoring and career services help you stay on track, while the Office of Student Involvement connects you with clubs and organizations, leadership opportunities and other ways to find your place.
When you compare affordable colleges in Missouri, tuition is only one part of the equation. At Northwest, your investment also includes scholarships, resources and support as you plan how to pay for college. Programs like the Northwest Promise, A+ Scholarship, Bearcat Advantage and other automatic scholarships can help lower your costs. Veterans, military service members and their families can also get support built around their benefits.
If you’re searching for colleges in Maryville, Missouri, Northwest stands alone as the city’s only traditional four-year university. Here, you get a true college-town experience in a close-knit community that rallies around the school. You see it in Bearcat traditions, school spirit and the way Maryville welcomes and supports students. As a walkable city with local coffee shops, restaurants and events, Maryville helps you feel connected on campus and around town.
At Northwest, Be Every You means having the freedom to explore your interests, try new things and find the people and places that feel right for you. Student life gives you plenty of ways to get involved, build friendships and make your college experience your own. From student organizations to campus traditions, Bearcat life feels personal from the start.
With 150+ clubs and organizations, Northwest gives you plenty of ways to meet people, follow your interests and try something new. You can join a group tied to your major, take on a leadership role or discover something you didn’t expect to love. You can also build community through Living Learning Communities and other shared experiences.
At Northwest, Bearcat pride is part of everyday life. Whether you’re wearing green and white to cheer on our Division II Bearcats, taking part in Homecoming or joining in other Northwest traditions like the Bell of ’48 and the First-Gen Rally, you feel that energy across campus. It carries into Maryville, where Bearcat pride also runs deep.
At Northwest, you can step up, give back and make your mark through student leadership, campus employment and community engagement. The Office of Student Involvement and the Center for Engagement and Community Connection can help you find opportunities to lead, serve and build connections on campus and in the community.
Follow NWMOSTATE on social media for a closer look at student life, campus traditions, events and everyday moments in Bearcat Country.
At Northwest Missouri State University, your degree is meant to take you somewhere. Among colleges in Missouri, Northwest stands out for helping you build the skills and experience that lead to your career. That preparation starts with profession-based learning, faculty support and opportunities to grow your skills, make professional connections and prepare for life after graduation.
Northwest helps you turn your degree into real opportunities. Within six months of graduation, 95% of graduates are employed or continuing their education.
At Northwest, you graduate with more than coursework on your résumé. From research to work with real clients, you leave with hands-on experience you can bring into job interviews, graduate study and professional roles.
Northwest connects you to a track record of success. Our graduates work for employers like Oracle, Garmin, KPMG, Burns & McDonnell, Honeywell and the Kansas City Chiefs, while others go on to graduate, medical and law programs.
“It’s been the best four years. Northwest was definitely the best decision I made for myself.”
Chloe DeVries
B.S. in Chemistry, Biochemistry Emphasis | Class of 2025
You can read about Northwest Missouri State University, but the best way to understand it is to experience it. Visit campus to tour classrooms, meet professors, explore student life and get a feel for Maryville. You can also learn more about Northwest Missouri State University housing, including our Living Learning Communities, and other spaces where Bearcats learn, lead and connect.
