COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO

Is Southeast Missouri State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Southeast Missouri State University degree clears +$836K in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, priced as a Missouri resident — earnings rolled up from 34 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Southeast Missouri State University · Cape Girardeau, MO

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$836K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$47,380
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Missouri resident
$9,495
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$83,924
FREOPP program coverage
34 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Southeast Missouri State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Missouri’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 34 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Southeast Missouri State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Southeast Missouri State University clears +$836K in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $83,924 and median earnings of $47,380 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Southeast Missouri State University?
Southeast Missouri State University's annual sticker tuition is $9,495 for Missouri residents, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $83,924 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Southeast Missouri State University?
Over 4 years, Southeast Missouri State University's sticker cost of attendance is $83,924 — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Missouri prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $47,380.
How long until a Southeast Missouri State University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$836K ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Southeast Missouri State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Southeast Missouri State University as a Missouri resident — non-resident tuition is a different trade (see the out-of-state tax in Missouri). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Southeast Missouri State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/southeast-missouri-state-university