Higher Education in Missouri
Missouri's system of higher education consists of 13 public four-year college and university campuses, 19 public two-year campuses, 1 public two-year technical college, 25 independent colleges and universities, and 120 proprietary schools, serving more than 360,000 students.
Types of Missouri Institutions
Missouri Public Institutions
The public institutions of higher education are regionally accredited
and located in Missouri. These institutions receive a portion of their
operating funds directly or indirectly from state appropriations. Missouri's
public institutions include two-year colleges, four-year colleges and
universities, and a two-year technical college.
Missouri Independent Institutions
The independent institutions of higher education are accredited, nonprofit
colleges and universities directly controlled by a board or other system
of governance outside of state and/or local government. Missouri's independent
institutions include two-year colleges, four-year colleges and universities,
technical and professional institutions, theological schools, and seminaries.
Missouri Proprietary Institutions
The proprietary institutions of higher education are privately owned and
controlled, based in Missouri, and certified to operate by the Missouri
Department of Higher Education. Proprietary institutions generally offer
education and training designed to prepare graduates for direct entry
into a specific occupation or profession. In Missouri, certain types of
schools are required by law to be "certified to operate" by the Missouri
Department of Higher Education in order to offer courses of instruction
or recruit students in the state. Schools that are required to obtain
certification include:
- Missouri located, privately owned post secondary institutions that offer occupational training or collegiate level education,
- all non-Missouri post secondary institutions that offer courses or programs of instruction in the state, and
- all non-Missouri post secondary institutions that employ recruiters in the state.
The purpose of the certification program is to ensure that schools under
the Post secondary School Certification Program's 
authority are legitimate
education providers, implement appropriate policies and procedures, and
operate as represented in school publications and advertisements.