Go after the life you want.
Your future starts here.
Your future starts here.
There’s an advantage to studying at a women’s college. We’re uniquely positioned to help you chase down your dreams, find your voice and discover what and who you were meant to be.
We are the Stars.
Stephens student athletes compete in six NAIA sports and NACE esports. Come compete with us.
Small matters.
Now more than ever, your college choice matters. You need small classes, creative educational options and practical living solutions. You need a home-away-from-home you can count on.
Dream up.
Dream up.
We’re a small school in a big college town. We’re fiercely proud of our 187 years as a highly innovative women’s college. We know we deserve to be heard — and we’re not afraid to dream up.
Big names on campus
Project Runway’s Brandon Maxwell is just one of many innovators who come to campus to network with and inspire students. Yes, we’re small. Yes, we’re in the middle of Missouri. That’s why we bring the best to you.
Day one.
From your very first semester, you’ll be working in your major. Planning, designing, exploring, discovering, daring — doing. And preparing for leadership and life after Stephens.
Find your happy place.
Find your happy place.
Stephens is small, and that’s a good thing. You get to know people here. Friendships mean something and last a lifetime. So bring your pets, bring your personality, and bring your dreams. We want to hear all about them.
Get your downtown on.
Our historic campus is just steps away from the best shops, restaurants and music venues in the city.
BFFs for life.
Stephens women stick together. Work hard, play hard. Create and collaborate. Laugh and cry. Find your friends. Find your home.
At Stephens ...
We live by one rule:
Go for it.
You bring the grit, determination and never-quit attitude, and we’ll show you how to take charge of your dreams. Challenging academics, faculty advisers who care about your goals, and career-building coursework put you on the path to your personal success.
Come dream up with us.
Work That
Speaks for Itself
Carissa Stevens ’21
One-on-one mentoring makes a difference for women in the sciences. Here you’ll be encouraged to speak up and try new things, without judgement ... and to find your own path to leadership.
Nationally recognized filmmaking
When digital filmmaking students in the Stephens Film Institute work together, the results are incredible. “Tampsen Air,” the episodic film produced during SFI 2018, was nominated for Best TV Pilot by the New York City Independent Film Festival, among other accolades.
The Collections
Celebrating 76 years, the student-run fashion show showcases the best of juried student work. All fashion majors work together to produce the show as seniors launch their own personal collections and build their body of work in preparation for graduation.
Nationally recognized student magazine
The stunning and highly creative work of Stephens Life is often recognized with top national student awards. Most recently, the Spring 2019 Voyage Issue earned Best of Show at the Fall 2019 National College Media Convention. Open to all majors, Stephens Life is one more example of Stephens' focus on portfolio- and experience-building curriculum.
Shaashawn Dial ’98, inaugural director of Diversity, Equity + Inclusion
We are pleased to welcome back to campus alumna Shaashawn S. Dial ’98. Today, she serves in the newly created position of Director of Diversity, Equity + Inclusion. Dial is known campus-wide (and throughout our alumnae network, too) for her commitment, energy and sincerity, and her open door to all students, faculty, staff, alumnae and community.
Khanisha Foster MFA ’17, associate director, M.F.A. in TV + Screenwriting
“There is much to be proud of, but nothing greater than the accomplishments our students are acquiring daily. We already have students firmly in writer’s rooms, winning awards, producing their own content, teaching, collaborating. How lucky am I to stand among them?”
Jennifer Hemphill, Broadway actress, assistant professor and program chair of musical theatre
“The caliber of students in the Acting and Musical Theatre programs at Stephens is outstanding. The actors are passionate and dedicated to their craft. They are truly a joy to work with.”
Your design, downtown
Imagine eating at the popular vegetarian hang-out downtown ... with your logo right there on the door. Or presenting your work to the City of Columbia and the Columbia Regional Airport.
Those are the kind of Addy Award-winning, real-world projects tackled by Creative Ink, our student-run creative services agency.
Sarah Vitel ’16, photographer, business owner
Our dream up culture means Stephens women find a way to make dreams happen. For Fashion Communication major Sarah Ellen Vitel ’16, that meant leveraging the photography, marketing and entrepreneurial skills she learned at Stephens into a photography project in India with her employer, a sustainable jewelry company.