Extensive data tables present information on the public and independent institutions of higher education in Missouri for the year 1997-1998. Data tables are organized into the following categories: (1) preparation of enrolled freshmen, fall 1997, including distribution of American College Testing scores and high school rankings; (2) access, including tuition and fees and financial aid (need-based and merit-based scholarships and trends); (3) participation, including general enrollment data and trends, and enrollment data by age, gender, ethnicity, and geographic origin; (4) resources: faculty and staff (numbers, salaries, and tenure status); financial (revenues and expenditures); and library (resources and expenditures); (5) outcomes, including degrees conferred by level, discipline area, gender and ethnicity; (6) student migration: institutional origins of different categories of transfer students; (7) performance, including academic achievement of freshmen and three- and six-year graduation rates; and (8) participation and outcomes, including total headcount enrollment and total degrees conferred at theological, technical, and specialized professional institutions. Three appendices list campus survey coordinators, provide a map of Missouri institutions, and present the classification of instructional programs (CIP) and degree tables. (DB)