How much debt do UMSL teacher education graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,375, which ranks 7th lowest of 19 teacher education bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $248 a month over 10 years.

Is a teacher education degree from UMSL worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 65% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 61%. Compare the cost with other Missouri programs before deciding.

UMSL Teacher Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UMSL teacher education graduates stay in Missouri?

Most do. 91% (155 of 171) were working in Missouri one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Public university
Saint Louis, MO
About 107 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMSL teacher education graduates earn less than graduates of most teacher education programs nationally, $35,731 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,375 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,075. Several Missouri programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$35,73114th percentile of 655 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$38,6718% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,3757th lowest of 19 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings65%Missouri median 70%, national 61%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Missouri and national columns are the medians across all teacher education bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	UMSL	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,731	$34,324	$41,955
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$38,671	$38,298	$46,679
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,375	$25,616	$26,075
Debt as share of first-year pay	65%	70%	61%
Programs compared		20	655

Five years out, UMSL graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Missouri median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri teacher education program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Missouri medians.

UMSLOther Missouri programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 8% between the first and fifth year.

UMSL grads, year 1$35,731

UMSL grads, year 5$38,671

All Missouri teacher education grads, year 5$38,298

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $25,378 against $17,875.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$35,399Median debt $25,378

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,125Median debt $17,875

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $248 a month, or 8.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (210 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5–9%
Paying down the balance	35–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
In default	5% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 29 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $14,774.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (155 of 171) were working in Missouri one year after graduating. Prices in the St. Louis area are about 5% below the national average, so a $35,731 salary here buys what about $37,577 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to teacher education, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

$50,910

Median pay in Missouri. 33,180 people work in this job in Missouri. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 87,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,980Top 10%: $78,820

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$59,240

Median pay in Missouri. 24,380 people work in this job in Missouri. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $40,540Top 10%: $79,300

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$59,310

Median pay in Missouri. 11,330 people work in this job in Missouri. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 38,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $43,760Top 10%: $91,130

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$36,090

Median pay in Missouri. 5,580 people work in this job in Missouri. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $29,030Top 10%: $54,610

About UMSL

In-state tuition and fees	$14,112 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$35,112 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,071 / year
Admission rate	63%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	5,024

Teacher Education ranks 15th of 25 bachelor's programs at UMSL by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($78,941), Computer Science ($72,810), and Mechanical Engineering ($69,638).

Other teacher education bachelor's programs near Saint Louis

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMSLSaint Louis, MO · public		$35,731	$23,375
Missouri Baptist UniversitySaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit	9 mi	$33,531	$27,000
Lindenwood UniversitySaint Charles, MO · private nonprofit	11 mi	$37,314	$27,000
Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsville, IL · public	18 mi	$38,830	$26,250
McKendree UniversityLebanon, IL · private nonprofit	28 mi	$43,707	$20,500
Greenville UniversityGreenville, IL · private nonprofit	50 mi	$36,911	$22,103

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,731 one year after graduating and $38,671 five years after. The median across teacher education bachelor's programs in Missouri is $34,324.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Missouri comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the teacher education program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Teacher Education bachelor's programs in Missouri, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Teacher Education bachelor's programs in the US, ranked655 programs by pay and debt All UMSL programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt