Academics
Reimagining Higher Education
With more than 125 academic areas, you can own your education at UMKC. And at a value that gives you the freedom to make your own choices.
$200M+
Annual financial assistance
We're opening the doors of opportunity to more students than ever before. The ability to pay shouldn't stand between you and your chosen degree.
92%
Post-graduation plans
Most UMKC graduates are employed or planning an advanced degree within six months of getting their bachelor's degree. (2022-23 NACE survey)
$56K
Median starting salary
The median starting salary for UMKC graduates with a bachelor's degree has returned to pre-COVID levels. (2022-23 NACE survey)
We're Worth It
UMKC alumnus James Maiden spoke with The Wall Street Journal about his earnings potential before and after receiving his degrees from UMKC.
I was working in circles without a degree. I needed to go back.
James Maiden
BLA '19, MBA '25
Top Rankings
Among the best in the Midwest
The Princeton Review describes UMKC as "academically outstanding and well worth consideration in a college search" in the Midwest region in its 2025 Best Colleges: Region by Region.
Up 25 spots
UMKC jumped to 244 out of 434 universities and 135 out of 225 public universities in the U.S. News and World Report's 2025 Best National Universities rankings.
Top 40 in the nation
Our Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Pharmacy and the School of Law's legal writing graduate programs were ranked among the top 40 in the nation in the U.S. News and World Report's 2025 Best National Universities. Ten additional programs ranked in the top 100.
Academic Innovation
Student success depends almost as much on what happens outside a classroom as inside one. That's why we provide an environment for collaborative learning, opportunities for professional connections and innovative programming,
FirstGen Roo
FirstGen Roo embodies our commitment to nurturing student success for those who are the first in their families to go to college. The program earned as designation as a FirstGen Forward Network Leader through First Gen Forward in 2023.
Professional Career Escalators
Through Professional Career Escalators, students explore careers in four growing industries — healthcare, education, business and engineering or law and justice — so they can successfully transition to the workplace after graduation.
Supplemental Instruction
More than 50 years ago we unlocked the power of students helping other students. Now, Supplemental Instruction programs around the country have helped students succeed in the most difficult courses.
Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship
This year we celebrate 50 years of being at the forefront of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship, which offers undergraduate students opportunities to collaborate with faculty and peers, apply for research grants, share their research at campus symposia and earn recognition for their work.
A Different Kind of University
Don't just take our word for it, see for yourself. Or better yet, visit us.
College Like You're Already Hired
How you college can determine how you adult after you graduate. Through our relationships with some of Kansas City's top organizations, students can explore careers through job shadowing, leadership development and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
The experience itself is something I would never have thought I would have been able to get at any university because this type of project doesn't really happen all that often.
Erik Klaas, BBA '23
Bloch School student who worked as part of a team with the concession developer and manager for the new Kansas City International Airport terminal
Faculty Spotlight
Our award-winning faculty have Pulitzers, Grammys, Guggenheims and more. Here are some recent honorees:
I would like our students to know that we are here for them as human beings and as people to help them in every way that we can. We’re not just an educational resource for them. We're a human resource for them. After they graduate, too. I always tell my students ‘Hey, once you’ve had me as a professor, you're stuck with me for life now.
Clancy Martin, Ph.D., professor of philosophy
Guggenheim Fellow, 2008 Pushcart Prize winner and author of the New York Times Bestseller How Not to Kill Yourself
As the only female, Asian composer to be an honorary member, I feel more responsibility to support female composers in our society, I share my experiences with younger generations and work hard to inspire more people, to bring up more female composers and let their voices be heard in our society.
Chen Yi, DMA, professor of composition
Honorary member of the International Society for Contemporary Music, Guggenheim Fellow, 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist for orchestra and American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters inductee
Explore Our Schools
What Would You Like to Learn?
Let your passion shape your future and find a program that will challenge you in all the right ways.
Can't Wait to Be a Roo?
Earn college credit while exploring what it's like to be on campus through one of our early college programs.
Dual credit
High school students from an eligible high school can enroll in dual credit courses and earn college credit that can be transferred to most public and private colleges and universities.
Early College Academy
Eligible high school students from Kansas City Public Schools and the North Kansas City School District can enroll in classes at UMKC and gain college credit free of cost.