This is a list of notable alumni of Missouri State University. Most of these students attended under the former names of the school: Fourth District Normal School (1905–1919), Southwest Missouri State Teacher's College (1919–1972), and Southwest Missouri State University (1972–2005).
- Blake Ahearn, current NBA G-League head coach, former NBA D-League player, played in 15 NBA Games
- David Arkin, former NFL player
- Scott Bailes, former MLB player
- Mark Bailey, former MLB player
- Buddy Baumann, former MLB player
- Jake Burger, current MLB player
- Scott Carroll, former MLB player
- Dylan Cole, current NFL player
- Zak Cummings, professional mixed martial artist for the Ultimate Fighting Championship[1]
- Ross Detwiler, current MLB player
- Winston Garland, former NBA player
- Matt Hall, current MLB player
- Clay Harbor, current NFL player and The Bachelorette contestant
- Jason Hart, former MLB player
- Kyle Hiebert, current MLS player
- Ryan Howard, former MLB player
- Alize Johnson, current NBA player
- Pierce Johnson, current MLB player
- Mike Kickham, former MLB player
- Jerry Lumpe, former MLB player
- Shaun Marcum, former MLB player
- Bill Mueller, former MLB player
- Matt Palmer, former MLB player
- Lance Parker, former MLS player
- Curtis Perry, former NBA player
- Matt Pickens, current MLS player
- John Rheinecker, former MLB player
- Norm Siebern, former MLB player
- Brett Sinkbeil, former MLB player
- Horton Smith, first Masters Tournament winner
- Brad St. Louis, former NFL player
- Jackie Stiles, former WNBA player, NCAA All-Time Leading Scorer
- Jamal Sutton, former MLS player
- Luke Voit, current MLB player
- Jason Whittle, former NFL player
- Brad Ziegler, former MLB player
- Jim Bohannon, radio talk show host, Westwood One
- Kevin Brockmeier, author
- Don S. Davis, actor
- John Goodman, actor
- Tess Harper, actor
- Kendra Kassebaum, Broadway actor, singer
- Lori Lewis, soprano, lead vocalist of symphonic metal band Therion
- Kyle Dean Massey, actor
- Crystal Methyd, drag queen and runner-up of RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12)
- Daya Betty, drag queen and finalist of RuPaul's Drag Race (season 14)
- Kathleen Turner, actor (transferred to University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
- Caleb Hearon, comedian, actor, writer
- Roy Blunt, former Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives; former U.S. Senator
- Eric Burlison, former Missouri senator; current U.S. Congressman from Missouri's 7th congressional district
- Donald Dedmon, fourth president of Radford University and ninth (acting) president of Marshall University[2]
- Lacey Eastburn, tenth president of Northern Arizona University
- M. Douglas Harpool, Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- Bob Holden, former governor of Missouri
- Lincoln Hough, Republican member of the Missouri Senate
- Margaret B. Kelly, former Missouri State Auditor
- Walter L. Lovelace, associate justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri[3]
- Austin Petersen, former 2016 presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination
- Carrie Tergin, current Jefferson City mayor
- Todd Tiahrt, former U.S. Congressman from Kansas's 4th congressional district and current Republican National Committeeman from Kansas