Is College of the Ozarks Worth It?

College of the Ozarks runs on a work-college model that keeps your net price under $8,000 a year, and that low cost is the whole financial story. With median earnings ten years out sitting near $41,600, the return works because you pay so little to get there, not because the paydays are large. An 88% retention rate and a 61% graduation rate mean most people who start actually finish, which is what protects you from the worst outcome: debt with no degree.

Your major decides everything here. Computer science graduates clear roughly $58,700, and nursing pulls about $52,100 , both strong against a sub-$8,000 annual cost. Business administration lands right at the school median. The agriculture and communication tracks are where the math turns thin: agricultural business and management pays around $30,400, below what the typical graduate earns, and public relations sits near $32,400. In rural southwest Missouri, an ag business degree fits the regional job market, but the pay reflects that market too.

The specific risk is earnings ceiling, not cost. If you pick a low-paying program, the low price cushions you but does not turn a $30,000 salary into a good return. Point Lookout is rural, so the higher-paying paths often mean leaving the area for nursing or tech work.

The net price tiers stay flat and cheap up to $48,000 in family income, then step up once you cross $75,000, roughly $10,300, and past $110,000, about $11,400. Even the top tier stays affordable for a private four-year school. This is a strong fit if you commit to computer science or nursing and want to graduate with little debt. Look elsewhere if you want a high-earning liberal arts or communications path , the salary numbers here won't back that up.