More selective than 17% of Montana colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $23,570. College Scorecard.
Higher than 50% of Montana colleges we cover and 38% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 50% of Montana colleges we cover and 24% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
The University of Montana acceptance rate & admissions
Of 9,464 applicants, The University of Montana admitted 9,048 and 1,652 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
The University of Montana 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 The University of Montana costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of The University of Montana took 4.4 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 | $13,960 | $61,564 | 5.6 years |
| $30–48k | $14,892 | $65,674 | 6.0 years |
| $48–75k | $17,180 | $75,764 | 6.9 years |
| $75–110k | $19,269 | $84,976 | 7.7 years |
| $110k+ | $20,930 | $92,301 | 8.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (31% 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 ($44,511) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MT (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $10,995 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.
The University of Montana majors, earnings & careers
The University of Montana offers 70 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 17
- Humanities & Languages · 14
- Business & Finance · 8
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Technology & Computing · 5
- Communications & Media · 3
- Education · 3
Highest-earning majors at The University of Montana
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $91,943 | — |
| Management Information Systems | $73,149 | $23,250 |
| Accounting | $61,408 | $23,500 |
| Forestry | $60,526 | — |
| Business Administration | $57,892 | $23,923 |
| Communications | $54,300 | $20,328 |
| Sociology | $51,708 | $24,650 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $51,540 | — |
Quick list of all 70 majors
- Accounting$61,408
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Anthropology$40,550
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$37,771
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business Administration$57,892
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other—
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications$54,300
- Computer and Information Sciences$91,943
- Computer Science—
- Dance—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$43,347
- Education (Subject Teaching)$51,540
- English$41,634
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$43,813
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$36,169
- Finance—
- Forestry$60,526
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$46,408
- Information Science / Studies—
- Information Technology—
- International Business—
- Journalism$46,267
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems$73,149
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$51,426
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$47,341
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$46,192
- Public Health—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work$46,459
- Sociology$51,708
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$43,929
- Studio Art$29,606
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management$43,286
- Writing—
— 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 Administration → 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
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Missoula
Overall prices in the Missoula, MT area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,690. Housing costs 5% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 17 inches of rain a year, 50 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Missoula County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Missoula County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare The University of Montana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Montana | 96% | $16,784 | 48% | $44,511 | This school |
| The University of Montana-Western | 100% | $16,558 | 51% | $43,229 | |
| Montana Technological University | 91% | $16,481 | 58% | $54,329 | |
| Montana State University | 82% | $22,499 | 57% | $53,263 | |
| Montana State University Billings | — | $16,524 | 30% | $44,296 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
The University of Montana would cost you $226 more per year than The University of Montana-Western, on average.
- Higher sticker price at The University of Montana, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$3,088).
- The University of Montana gives aided families $1,941 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Montana resident | The University of Montana | The University of Montana-Western | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $8,552 | $6,670 | +$1,882 |
| Books & supplies | $1,100 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Housing & meals | $12,192 | $9,104 | +$3,088 |
| Personal & travel | $3,784 | $4,978 | −$1,194 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,058 | −$549 | −$1,509 |
| Sticker price | $23,570 | $21,403 | +$2,167 |
| Average grants | −$6,786 | −$4,845 | −$1,941 |
| You pay | $16,784 | $16,558 | +$226 |
“+” means The University of Montana 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 The University of Montana
What is the The University of Montana acceptance rate?
The University of Montana accepts 96% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 9,048 of 9,464 applicants were admitted.
How much does The University of Montana cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,570 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,784 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,960 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,930.
How much do The University of Montana graduates earn?
Former The University of Montana students earn a median $44,511 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the The University of Montana graduation rate?
48% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 75% return for their second year.
How long does a The University of Montana degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at The University of Montana costs about $75,764 after grants ($17,180 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,511 ten years after starting, $10,995 more than high school graduates in Montana ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 6.9 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: “The University of Montana: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/the-university-of-montana (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).