Public Associate Good 62/100

Three Rivers College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Poplar Bluff, Missouri

About Three Rivers College

Thinking about Three Rivers College, a college in Missouri where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Three Rivers College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. It enrolls 1,844 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
19.9%
Net Price
$8,496
Median Earnings (10yr)
$32,442
Enrollment
1,844
Student : Faculty
22:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
62/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 30
Value 52
Affordability 65
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, Three Rivers College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $8,496 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$8,496
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
49%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
13%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$4,950
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$6,180
Room & Board (on-campus)
$7,002
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,558
Books & Supplies
$1,020
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$8,316
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,316
Total Cost of Attendance
$18,637

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $8,236
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $6,570
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $9,980
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $12,034

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,000
10% percentile
$3,500
25% percentile
$10,000
Median percentile
$15,750
75% percentile
$26,334
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $7,500 ↓ $2,500
No Pell $5,500 ↓ $4,500
Dependent students $5,500 ↓ $4,500
Independent students $9,341 ↓ $659
Female students $8,000 ↓ $2,000
Male students $5,500 ↓ $4,500
Pell recipients: 18.1% (1,814 students)No Pell: 13.3% (1,330 students)Dependent students: 13.3% (1,330 students)Independent students: 22.6% (2,260 students)Female students: 19.4% (1,935 students)Male students: 13.3% (1,330 students)Overall Median$10,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($10,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

20% of students who start here finish within six years, and 63% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
20%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
63%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $32,442 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$32,442
Earning > $25K
54%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$29,000$30,000$31,000$32,000$33,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$26,400

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$37,300

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$27,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$32,900

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$38,300

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,900, about 29% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 24.0 pts across 6 years
44.9%1yr52.3%3yr67.9%5yr68.9%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 69% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,844 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 56% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,844
Part-Time
28%
First-Generation
56%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 76.4% 1,408
Black 10.9% 201
Hispanic 4.2% 77
Other 1.1% 21
International 0.8% 15
Asian 0.3% 6
White: 76.4% (1,408 students)Black: 10.9% (201 students)Hispanic: 4.2% (77 students)Other: 1.1% (21 students)International: 0.8% (15 students)Asian: 0.3% (6 students)Total1,844

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Three Rivers College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Housing
Limited on-campus housing 184 beds
Adult Learners
26% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Three Rivers College offers a varied set of programs: 26 distinct programs across 11 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

2 Programs
11 Programs
4 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 22 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
22:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$4,796
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$12M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$45,079
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

56 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 8 14% $61,339
Associate Professors 6 11% $50,087
Assistant Professors 8 14% $47,327
Instructors 32 57% $39,849
No Rank 2 4% $39,708

Pros & Cons of Three Rivers College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Three Rivers College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Open admissions
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Below-average post-graduation earnings
Best for: Based on the data, Three Rivers College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low.

Frequently Asked Questions about Three Rivers College

The questions families ask most about Three Rivers College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Three Rivers College hard to get into?
Not especially. Three Rivers College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Three Rivers College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Three Rivers College cost?
Budget around $8,496 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Three Rivers College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $32,442 a year against a net price of $8,496, about 3.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Three Rivers College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Three Rivers College graduates earn?
About $32,442 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Three Rivers College accredited?
Yes. Three Rivers College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Three Rivers College?
1,844 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Three Rivers College?
20% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Three Rivers College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Three Rivers College located?
Three Rivers College is located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
What programs does Three Rivers College offer?
26 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Three Rivers College?
22 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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