College Scorecard
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $20,054. College Scorecard.
Higher than 17% of Montana colleges we cover and 12% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 42% of Montana colleges we cover and 23% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Montana State University Billings acceptance rate & admissions
Test scores: College Scorecard. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Montana State University Billings tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Montana residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Montana State University Billings costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Montana State University Billings took 4.6 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Montana. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $13,927 | $64,064 | 5.9 years |
| $30–48k | $14,387 | $66,180 | 6.1 years |
| $48–75k | $16,749 | $77,045 | 7.1 years |
| $75–110k | $18,948 | $87,161 | 8.1 years |
| $110k+ | $20,035 | $92,161 | 8.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.6 years, the average time graduates took (15% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($44,296) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MT (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $10,780 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Montana State University Billings majors, earnings & careers
Montana State University Billings offers 31 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Humanities & Languages · 5
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
Highest-earning majors at Montana State University Billings
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $67,304 | $39,800 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $65,875 | $34,680 |
| Business | $58,827 | $22,625 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $37,846 | $24,652 |
Quick list of all 31 majors
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology—
- Business$58,827
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Criminal Justice—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$37,846
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Health Administration—
- History—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$67,304
- Mathematics—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$65,875
- Music—
- Nursing—
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Political Science—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Billings
Overall prices in the Billings, MT area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,432. Housing costs 23% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 14 inches of rain a year, 57 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Yellowstone County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Yellowstone County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Montana State University Billings with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Montana by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State University Billings | — | $16,524 | 30% | $44,296 | This school |
| Salish Kootenai College | — | $7,945 | 28% | $32,725 | |
| Stone Child College | — | $4,424 | 34% | $24,555 | |
| Aaniiih Nakoda College | — | $7,887 | 34% | $30,528 | |
| Montana State University-Northern | — | $12,664 | 41% | $49,505 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Montana State University Billings would cost you $8,579 more per year than Salish Kootenai College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Montana State University Billings, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$3,090).
- Salish Kootenai College gives aided families $1,572 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Montana resident | Montana State University Billings | SKC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $7,280 | $4,311 | +$2,969 |
| Books & supplies | $1,700 | $1,500 | +$200 |
| Housing & meals | $9,800 | $7,020 | +$2,780 |
| Personal & travel | $5,490 | $2,400 | +$3,090 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$4,216 | −$2,184 | −$2,032 |
| Sticker price | $20,054 | $13,047 | +$7,007 |
| Average grants | −$3,530 | −$5,102 | +$1,572 |
| You pay | $16,524 | $7,945 | +$8,579 |
“+” means Montana State University Billings costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Montana State University Billings
How much does Montana State University Billings cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $20,054 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,524 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,927 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,035.
How much do Montana State University Billings graduates earn?
Former Montana State University Billings students earn a median $44,296 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Montana State University Billings graduation rate?
30% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 56% return for their second year.
How long does a Montana State University Billings degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Montana State University Billings costs about $77,045 after grants ($16,749 a year for 4.6 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,296 ten years after starting, $10,780 more than high school graduates in Montana ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 7.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Montana State University Billings: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/montana-state-university-billings (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).