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University of Central Missouri
P. O. Box 800
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Tel: (660) 543-4111

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Rankings and Recognition

Recognized for Results

At the University of Central Missouri, top national rankings from U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal and The Princeton Review tell a clear story: UCM is where students find exceptional value, achieve real success and make tangible impact.

Backed by institutional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission and specialized industry credentials, UCM consistently meets the highest educational standards—proving our commitment to student success, social mobility and proven results that employers trust. These targeted accolades help students, families and community partners grasp the full scope of what UCM offers—not just promises, but proven results that translate into career readiness and meaningful contribution.

 

National Rankings

The Princeton Review 

Named a 2026 Best College in the Midwestern Region, UCM has earned this designation consecutively since 2004. The publication noted that a "top-notch education comes with a very low price tag" at the University of Central Missouri. Institutions are primarily recognized for their excellent academic programs, with selections based on data from each institution, school visits, and opinions of independent and high school-based college advisers whose recommendations are invited.  Additionally, UCM was named to The Princeton Review's 2026 Best Online Nursing School Master's Programs.

 

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal named UCM one of America's Best Colleges 2026. Rankings for the top 400 colleges used information from their student and alumni survey that included topics such as degree completion, learning environment and tuition, as well as student outcome metrics such as the number of years to pay off net price and graduation rates.

 

U.S. News & World Report 

U.S. News & World Report named the University of Central Missouri to its regional list of Best Public Colleges and Universities in its 2026 Best Colleges Guidebook, along with other notable rankings. 

Overall Rankings

  • Best Regional Universities (Midwest) (#59) - 2026
  • Top Public School in the Midwest Region (#19) - 2026
  • Best Colleges for Veterans (#27) - 2026
  • Best Value School (#57) - 2026
  • Top Performers on Social Mobility, a category based on success in helping economically disadvantaged students to finish college (#85) - 2026

Bachelor's Rankings

  • Best Online Bachelor's in Business Programs (#125) - 2026
  • Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (No Doctorate) (#197) - 2026 (since 2024)
  • Best Online Bachelor's Programs - (#263-348) - 2026, 2025
  • Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs (#340) - 2026 (since 2022)
  • Best Undergraduate Business Programs (#414) - 2026 (since 2022)
  • Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (#470-#601) - 2026 (since 2023)
  • Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs (#367) - 2026, 2025

Master's Rankings

  • Best International Business MBA Programs (#120, one of only 4 Missouri universities) - 2026
  • Best Marketing MBA Programs (#184, one of only 5 Missouri universities) - 2026
  • Best Speech-Language Pathology Masters Programs (#188, one of only 9 Missouri universities) - 2026 (since 2022)
  • Best Management MBA Programs (#212, one of only 6 Missouri universities)  - 2026
  • Best Business Analytics MBA Programs (#233, one of only 7 Missouri universities)  - 2026
  • Best Accounting MBA Programs (#317, one of only 10 Missouri universities)  - 2026
  • Best Part-time MBA (#208, one of only 8 Missouri universities) - 2026 (since 2022)

Money Magazine

UCM is named on Money's list of Best Colleges in America, as well as their list of Best Computer Science Master’s Programs for Your Money in 2025.

 

Military Recognition


VIQTORY named UCM as a Top 10 Military Friendly® School as well as a Top 10 Military Friendly® Spouse School for 2026-2027. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. 

Military Times named UCM a 2024 Best for Vets College. UCM ranked 15 out of 304 colleges nationally, and was named the top Missouri university included on the list.

U.S. Veterans Magazine named UCM a 2025 Top Veteran-Friendly School, something we were recognized for in 2024 as well.

Abound ranked UCM among its Best Military & Veterans Colleges in 2025 (since 2022).

 

Transfer Excellence

Phi Theta Kappa  has named UCM as one of its 275 colleges recognized nation wide on their 2026 Transfer Honor Roll. In order to earn honor roll placement, institutions are assessed on how well they support transfer students from admission through graduation. This assessment includes five areas critical to transfer student success: campus engagement and support; transfer success outcomes; credit mobility and degree applicability; financial support; and recruitment and admissions practices.

 

Overall Excellence

  • Best Colleges for Adult Learners by Abound - 2026
  • Best Online Colleges by Abound - 2026
  • Best Value Colleges (#5), Best Colleges (#7) and Most Popular Colleges (#14) inMissouri by Research.com - 2026
  • Best Value Colleges (#56), Best Colleges (#73) and Most Popular Colleges (#115)  in Midwest by Research.com - 2026
  • Best Public Colleges (#224), Best Value Colleges (#237), Best Colleges (#281) and Most Popular Colleges (#564) in the U.S.  by Research.com - 2026
  • Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Missouri (#6) by Academic Influence - 2026
  • Kansas City's Largest Colleges and Universities List by the Kansas City Business Journal (University of Central Missouri Lee's Summit) - 2025
  • Missouri’s Best Public Colleges by Academic Influence - 2025, 2024
  • Best Bachelors Colleges in Missouri by University HQ - 2024, 2022
  • Best Masters Colleges in Missouri by University HQ - 2024
  • Best Colleges for Adults by Abound - 2024 and 2022
  • Best Colleges in Missouri (#20) by Intelligent - 2024

Affordability

  • Most Affordable Colleges in Missouri (#3) by Research.com - 2026
  • Most Affordable Colleges in the Midwest (#45) by Research.com - 2026
  • Most Affordable Colleges in the U.S. (#234) by Research.com - 2026
  • Most Affordable Online Master's Degree Programs (#36) by OnlineMaster.com - 2026
  • 10 Most Affordable Colleges in Missouri (#7) by Academic Influence - 2024, 2022
  • Most Affordable 42 Online Master’s Degree Programs (#29) by Intelligent - 2024
  • Best Bachelor's Degree Colleges for the Money by College Factual - 2024, 2022
  • Best Online Colleges in Missouri (#3) by Affordability by OnlineU - 2024

Graduate School Excellence

  • Most Affordable Online Master's Degree Programs (#36) by OnlineMaster.com - 2026, 2023
  • Best Online Master's Programs in Missouri by Online Masters Colleges - 2025
  • Best 250 Graduate Schools by Abound - 2024 and 2023

Online Excellence

  • Best Online Colleges by Abound - 2026 (since 2024)
  • Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Missouri by Academic Influence - 2026
  • Best Online Colleges in Missouri (#3) by Affordability by OnlineU - 2024
  • 100 Best Online Colleges by Abound - 2024 and 2022
  • Best Online Colleges in Missouri (#8) by Intelligent - 2024

International Student Excellence

Study Abroad Aide has recognized UCM in the top 27% of the 2026-2027 edition of Best Value Universities Worldwide. The Best Value University Ranking for International Students is calculated using 75% of the weight toward academic quality and the remaining 25% toward the cost of education. 

Open Doors® awarded UCM the 75 Years Seal of Excellence and recognized UCM as a Top Three institutions nationwide for international enrollment at a master’s degree level in 2024

Program-Specific Rankings

Ranking Archive (3 or More Years Old)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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