Highlands College of Montana Tech
Butte, Montana · Website
$54,329
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$54,329
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Highlands College of Montana Tech is a public 2-year college in Butte, Montana with 342 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $14,962 a year (tuition and fees $4,130 in-state, $10,950 out-of-state). 45% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $54,329 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $18,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,962
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$4,130
Out-of-state $10,950
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
45%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$18,750
About $199 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$54,329
Rank 1,148 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,962
- Tuition in-state
- $4,130
- Tuition out-of-state
- $10,950
- Cost of attendance
- $18,476
- Students with a need-based grant
- 13%
- Students with federal loans
- 21%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $11,650
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $13,183
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,314
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,091
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $17,792
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $3,263 in 2015-16 to $4,130 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 342
- Part-time students
- 19%
- Women
- 41%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 45%
- Retention rate
- 55%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 21
- Endowment
- $15.4M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,148 of 5,094 US colleges and 2 of 25 in Montana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MT median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,962 | $13,337 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $4,130 | $4,961 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 82% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 45% | 45% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 55% | 64% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $18,750 | $18,500 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $48,356 | $35,820 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $54,329 | $41,951 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 74% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
21 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 68 | $2,750 | $63,098 | $98,271 | $43,027 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 14 | Withheld | $54,579 | Withheld | $65,389 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 13 | Withheld | - | Withheld | $56,073 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,519 |
| CarpentersAssociate's | Associate's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,491 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,451 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,424 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Ground TransportationCertificate | Certificate | 2 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Medical Illustration and InformaticsCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,283 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,726 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherCertificate | Certificate | 1 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsAssociate's | Associate's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,971 |
| CarpentersCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,587 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Butte and Montana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Montana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Montana
Questions and answers
How much does Highlands College of Montana Tech cost?
$14,962 a year is the average net price at Highlands College of Montana Tech after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $4,130 for in-state students and $10,950 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $18,476. Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,650 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Highlands College of Montana Tech?
Highlands College of Montana Tech has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Highlands College of Montana Tech graduates earn?
$54,329 a year is the median pay of former Highlands College of Montana Tech students who work, 10 years after they started ($48,356 after 6 years). That ranks 1,148 of 5,094 US colleges and 2 of 25 in Montana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Certificate) at $63,098.
How much student debt do Highlands College of Montana Tech graduates have?
$18,750 is the median federal student loan debt of Highlands College of Montana Tech graduates, about $199 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 21% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Highlands College of Montana Tech?
45% of first-time, full-time students at Highlands College of Montana Tech finish within 3 years. 55% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Highlands College of Montana Tech?
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (68 certificate graduates), Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (14 associate's graduates), Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (13 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 21 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.