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Community college · Public

East Central College

Union, MO438 online only

East Central College is a public community college in Union, MO, with about 2,200 students on campus.

Visit www.eastcentral.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
2,200
plus 438 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$13,128
tuition and fees $4,272; the net price adds housing and food
Graduation rate
48%
lower than at 71% of 2-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$36,916
lower than at 63% of U.S. colleges
Getting in

How hard is it to get into East Central College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. East Central College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $19,386 a year

Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $7,680

Tuition & fees (in state) $4,272Books & supplies $1,500Other costs $13,614

After grants, the average family on aid pays $13,128.

Tuition and fees are $4,272 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$14,271

About $28,542 over 2 years · 26% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
48%
within 3 years · Pell students 40%
Come back for year two
67%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$36,916
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$9,500
about $101 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

3.7%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$101 a month against about $2,751 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

37%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 33% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$34k
Middle income$30–75k
$42k
Higher incomeover $75k
$47k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Liberal arts 47%Health professions 21%Precision production 8%Mechanic & repair 5%Education 4%Visual & performing arts 4%Everything else 12%

Associate degree programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities285 graduates a year · typical debt $7,820
$40k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing52 graduates a year · typical debt $15,000
$65k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas44 graduates a year
—not reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions21 graduates a year
$43k1 yr out
Engineering, General19 graduates a year
—not reported
Fine and Studio Arts11 graduates a year
—not reported
Music8 graduates a year
—not reported
Culinary Arts and Related Services6 graduates a year
—not reported
Who goes there

The students

1,639 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 85%Hispanic 5%Black 1%Asian 1%Two or more 5%International 2%

Women and men

Women 63%Men 37%
12 : 1
students per teacher
33%
get Pell grants (lower income)
8%
take federal loans
17%
undergrads 25 or older
35%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Union

3% of Union’s 13,445 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Union pages.

Union →
UnionUnion, MO
$858/momedian rent · 17% below the state$257Ktypical home valueDSafety Grade22° / 89°January low / July high · 14" of snowC+Health GradeAll colleges in and near UnionCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from East Central College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Jefferson CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hillsboro
25.6 mi3,334 students
Urshan UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Wentzville
27.2 mi358 students
Logan UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Chesterfield
27.3 mi898 students
St Louis College of Health Careers-FentonUniversity or college · For-profit · Fenton
28.5 mi307 students
St Charles Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Cottleville
29.1 mi4,534 students
Maryville University of Saint LouisUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Town and Country · mostly online
29.5 mi3,452 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.