Missouri’s nursing education landscape is anchored by major research universities in the state’s two largest metros. Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri (Mizzou), and UMKC all offer accredited nursing programs ranging from ADN through doctoral level, while regional state universities extend program access across the state. Missouri has participated in nurse licensure compacts since 2010 and joined the current enhanced NLC on January 19, 2018, making a Missouri RN license a multistate compact license recognized across the 40 implemented compact jurisdictions.
Is Missouri a compact state?
Yes. Missouri became the 24th state to join the original Nurse Licensure Compact on June 1, 2010, and transitioned into the enhanced NLC – the current version, with its uniform licensure requirements and federal criminal background check standard – on January 19, 2018. A Missouri RN license issued to a nurse whose primary state of residence is Missouri is a multistate compact license, valid for practice in the 40 implemented NLC jurisdictions without requiring separate licensure applications.
This matters in practical terms for:
- Travel nurses – A Missouri compact license eliminates the need to obtain single-state licenses in most US states, significantly reducing licensure overhead between assignments.
- Relocating nurses – Nurses moving from another compact state to Missouri can typically continue practicing while their Missouri application is processed, depending on the states involved.
- Border-area nurses – Missouri borders eight states, and seven of them are compact members: Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Illinois is the exception – it has not enacted the compact as of mid-2026, despite bills introduced across several sessions. That matters most in the St. Louis metro, where a large share of the labor market sits on the Illinois side of the river. A Missouri multistate license does not authorize practice at a hospital in Belleville or Alton; you need an Illinois single-state license for that.
To maintain a Missouri multistate license, Missouri must be your primary state of residence. If you relocate to another compact state, you would surrender the Missouri license and apply through your new state’s board.
For complete state-by-state compact status and licensing information, see nursing license by state.
Top nursing schools in Missouri
Missouri has a range of CCNE- and ACEN-accredited nursing programs, from ADN through doctoral level. The table below covers the most prominent options.
| School | Location | Program types | Accreditation | NCLEX pass rate (est.) | Annual tuition (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri (Mizzou) | Columbia | BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, DNP, PhD | CCNE | ~87% | $11,800 (in-state) |
| Saint Louis University | St. Louis | BSN, MSN, DNP | CCNE | ~88% | $46,500 |
| University of Missouri–Kansas City | Kansas City | BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, DNP | CCNE | ~86% | $10,900 (in-state) |
| Missouri State University | Springfield | BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN | CCNE | ~87% | $8,400 (in-state) |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau | BSN, RN-to-BSN | CCNE | ~85% | $8,100 (in-state) |
| Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College | St. Louis | BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, DNP | CCNE | ~89% | $30,500 |
| Chamberlain University – St. Louis | St. Louis | ADN, BSN | ACEN / CCNE | ~84% | $20,000 (est.) |
The NCLEX pass rates in this table are approximate, drawn from program reporting across recent cohorts, and they are shown for rough comparison only. Treat them as a starting point for questions, not as current figures – school-level rates move year to year, and the national first-time US-educated benchmark has risen to 91.2% (2024), so a program sitting in the mid-80s is below the current national rate rather than at it. The Missouri State Board of Nursing publishes authoritative school-by-school data annually; verify any figure here against the Board’s current report and against what the program itself will tell you for its last three cohorts.
University of Missouri (Mizzou) – Columbia Mizzou’s Sinclair School of Nursing is CCNE-accredited and one of the largest nursing schools in the state. The program spans BSN through PhD, with particular strength in family nurse practitioner and clinical research tracks. MU Health Care serves as the primary clinical training site, giving students access to a major academic medical center with a Level I trauma center and specialty services across disciplines.
Saint Louis University – St. Louis SLU’s nursing program is housed within the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing, a CCNE-accredited program with a strong Catholic academic health tradition. SLU students train at SSM Health and other St. Louis metro systems. The program offers BSN, MSN, and DNP tracks, with DNP programs in nurse practitioner and clinical nurse leader specialties.
University of Missouri–Kansas City – Kansas City UMKC’s School of Nursing and Health Studies is CCNE-accredited and well-positioned for students seeking access to Kansas City’s dense healthcare market. Major clinical partners include University Health (the academic medical center serving western Missouri) and Research Medical Center. UMKC offers BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, and DNP programs.
Missouri State University – Springfield MSU’s nursing program is CCNE-accredited and serves south-central Missouri’s healthcare workforce from its Springfield campus. The program has established clinical relationships with CoxHealth and Mercy Hospital Springfield – two of the largest health systems in the region. BSN and MSN tracks are available, with competitive in-state tuition.
Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College – St. Louis Goldfarb occupies a distinctive position in Missouri’s nursing landscape: it is embedded within the academic medical campus of Barnes-Jewish Hospital (one of the nation’s top-ranked hospitals and the teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine). CCNE-accredited, with BSN through DNP, Goldfarb graduates have direct clinical access to a nationally prominent academic medical center.
Southeast Missouri State University – Cape Girardeau SEMO’s CCNE-accredited BSN program serves southeast Missouri’s healthcare needs, with clinical placements at regional hospitals including Saint Francis Medical Center. Affordable in-state tuition and strong community health clinical training make SEMO a practical option for students in the region.
Admission requirements
Missouri nursing programs share a common prerequisite framework. The following reflects standard requirements across ADN and BSN programs in the state; individual programs may vary.
Standard prerequisites:
| Course | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| Anatomy & Physiology I & II | With lab; grade of C or better (B preferred) |
| Microbiology | With lab |
| Chemistry | Introductory level with lab (some programs) |
| English Composition | Writing-intensive; C or better |
| Psychology | General or developmental psychology |
| Statistics | Required by most BSN programs |
| Nutrition | Required by several programs |
Science prerequisites are typically required within the past 5–7 years.
Entrance exams: The ATI TEAS is the most widely used nursing entrance exam across Missouri programs. Some programs accept the HESI A2. Competitive scores for ADN programs generally start at the 60th percentile; BSN programs at research universities typically look for 70th percentile and above. For guidance on which programs use which test, see ATI TEAS vs. HESI: which exam does your school require?
GPA: Minimum GPA requirements across Missouri programs typically run 2.75–3.0 cumulative. Competitive BSN programs at Mizzou and SLU see admitted students with science GPAs of 3.2 or higher. Some ADN programs use a competitive point-based selection system based on prerequisite grades and TEAS scores rather than a hard cutoff. If your GPA falls below the threshold for your target program, see our guide on nursing schools that accept lower GPAs.
Clinical experience: CNA certification or verifiable healthcare work experience is required or strongly preferred by several Missouri programs. Even where not required, relevant patient-care experience strengthens applications at competitive programs.
Application timeline: Most Missouri programs have fall entry as the primary intake and accept applications once per year. Apply as early as the window opens – competitive programs fill quickly.
NCLEX pass rates in Missouri
The Missouri State Board of Nursing publishes school-by-school NCLEX-RN first-attempt pass rates annually. These reports are available directly from the Board’s website (pr.mo.gov/nursing). The national first-time pass rate for US-educated candidates was 91.2% in calendar year 2024 – 170,256 passes out of 186,760 first-time US-educated candidates, per NCSBN – and Missouri-educated graduates generally track near that figure. By entry credential, baccalaureate programs posted 91.9% nationally, associate degree programs 90.6%, and diploma programs 90.8%.
A word of caution while you research: aggregate NCLEX-RN pass rates in the low 70s appear in many search results and articles. Those are all-candidate figures that include repeat test-takers and internationally educated candidates, and they understate what a US-educated first-time candidate from a solid program should expect. Use the first-time US-educated rate for program comparisons.
First-attempt pass rates are the strongest publicly available quality indicator for nursing programs. When comparing Missouri schools, look at pass rate data across at least three years – single-cohort figures are affected by class size and other variables. Programs with sustained rates in the low 80s or below should be scrutinized carefully.
For school-level pass rate comparisons across states, see NCLEX pass rates by nursing school.
Nursing license in Missouri
State board: Missouri State Board of Nursing Website: pr.mo.gov/nursing
To become a licensed RN in Missouri:
- Graduate from a Missouri State Board of Nursing–approved nursing program
- Apply to the Missouri State Board of Nursing and pay the applicable licensure fee
- Submit to a criminal background check (required)
- Register for and pass the NCLEX-RN through Pearson VUE
- Receive your Missouri RN license (multistate compact license if Missouri is your primary state of residence)
Missouri RN license fees are set by the State Board and are subject to change; check the Board’s current fee schedule before applying. Processing times vary; check the Board website for current estimates.
Compact license: Missouri joined the NLC in 2018. A Missouri RN license is a multistate license valid in all current compact member states. Missouri must be your declared primary state of residence to hold and maintain the Missouri multistate license. For full compact state details, see nursing license by state.
RN salary in Missouri
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 place the median annual RN wage in Missouri at $81,780, against a national RN median of $97,550. Missouri sits well below the national figure, which reflects the state’s lower cost of living relative to coastal states and high-cost metros. The state wage distribution:
| Percentile | Missouri RN annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $63,230 |
| 25th | $76,050 |
| Median (50th) | $81,780 |
| 75th | $98,560 |
| 90th | $104,390 |
New graduates across Missouri generally start between the 10th and 25th percentiles, roughly $63,000 to $76,000, with the St. Louis and Kansas City metros at the upper end of that band and rural and critical access hospitals at the lower end. RNs with several years of experience cluster around the median. The 75th to 90th percentile range of $98,560 to $104,390 is where experienced specialty nurses land – ICU, OR, ED, cath lab, and charge or clinical-lead roles at the large metro systems.
Top markets in Missouri:
- St. Louis metro – The largest healthcare labor market in the state, with major employers including Barnes-Jewish Hospital, SSM Health, Mercy Health, and BJC HealthCare. Experienced RNs in specialty roles in the St. Louis metro reach the upper end of the state distribution, around $98,000–$105,000 and above with differentials.
- Kansas City metro – Strong healthcare employment base anchored by University Health, Research Medical Center, Saint Luke’s Health System, and Children’s Mercy Kansas City. RN wages in Kansas City generally track close to St. Louis metro figures, sometimes slightly below.
- Springfield – CoxHealth and Mercy Hospital Springfield are the dominant employers; wages reflect a smaller regional market and generally sit nearer the state median than the upper percentiles.
Missouri’s lower wage floor compared to the national RN median should be contextualized. An $81,780 RN salary in Missouri carries substantially more purchasing power than the same figure would in California, New York, or Massachusetts, where housing costs consume a far larger share of gross pay. For nurses open to living in Missouri, the combination of steady employment demand and lower cost of living can represent a favorable overall position on a real-income basis, even though the headline number trails the national median by roughly $16,000.
One constraint to factor into long-range planning: Missouri grants nurse practitioners reduced practice authority, requiring a collaborative practice arrangement with a physician. If independent practice is part of your eventual plan, that is a meaningful difference from the 28 states and the District of Columbia that grant full practice authority.
How to choose a nursing school in Missouri
Accreditation. Only consider programs accredited by CCNE or ACEN. Both are nationally recognized; either is sufficient for NCLEX eligibility, graduate school admission, and employer recognition. Confirm accreditation status directly with the program before applying.
NCLEX pass rates. Request three to five years of first-attempt NCLEX-RN pass rate data for US-educated candidates and compare it against the 91.2% national first-time rate for 2024. Sustained performance at or above that benchmark indicates solid preparation. Programs with consistently lower rates should raise questions about curriculum quality, faculty stability, and clinical placement adequacy.
Program format. Traditional on-campus BSN programs offer maximum clinical access and cohort structure. Online or hybrid RN-to-BSN programs suit working RNs completing their degree. ADN programs at community colleges offer lower cost and shorter time-to-licensure.
Cost. In-state tuition at Missouri’s public universities (Mizzou, Missouri State, UMKC, SEMO) runs significantly below private options like SLU or Goldfarb. If cost is a major factor, an ADN from an ACEN-accredited program followed by an RN-to-BSN is a proven, cost-effective pathway to a BSN credential.
Location and clinical placement access. Programs in St. Louis and Kansas City have structural advantages in clinical site variety and complexity. Regional programs offer strong community health training and local employment pipelines. Choose based on where you want to practice after graduation.
For a full framework on evaluating nursing programs, see how to choose a nursing school.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 29-1141, Registered Nurses – Missouri,” May 2025 (state median $81,780; P10 $63,230, P25 $76,050, P75 $98,560, P90 $104,390).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 29-1141, Registered Nurses – National,” May 2025 (national median $97,550, mean $101,420).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses,” Employment Projections 2024–2034 (5% projected growth; approximately 189,100 annual openings), 2025.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “2024 NCLEX Examination Statistics,” NCSBN Research Brief Vol. 94, July 2025 (first-time US-educated NCLEX-RN pass rate 91.2%; baccalaureate 91.9%, associate 90.6%, diploma 90.8%).
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “Nurse Licensure Compact – Member States and Implementation Status,” nursecompact.com, accessed July 2026 (40 implemented jurisdictions of 43 enacted; Missouri implemented January 19, 2018, having joined the original compact June 1, 2010; Illinois not a member).
- Missouri State Board of Nursing, Division of Professional Registration, “Licensure by Examination, Licensure by Endorsement, and Annual Program Pass Rate Reports,” pr.mo.gov/nursing, accessed July 2026.
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners, “State Practice Environment,” aanp.org, 2026 (28 states plus the District of Columbia grant full practice authority; Missouri is a reduced practice state).
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, “CCNE-Accredited Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs,” ccneaccreditation.org, accessed July 2026.
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, “Search ACEN-Accredited Nursing Programs,” acenursing.org, accessed July 2026.
Find accredited schools in Missouri
Ready to compare specific programs? See our directory of accredited nursing schools in Missouri with locations, program types, and accreditation status.