Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana · Also known as MSU · Website
$53,263
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$53,263
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Montana State University is a public 4-year college in Bozeman, Montana with 14,451 undergraduates and 2,089 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $22,499 a year (tuition and fees $8,460 in-state, $33,287 out-of-state). It admits 82% of applicants and 57% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $53,263 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$22,499
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,460
Out-of-state $33,287
Admission rate
82%
US median 78%
Completion rate
57%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,500
About $239 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$53,263
Rank 1,225 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
- $22,499
- Tuition in-state
- $8,460
- Tuition out-of-state
- $33,287
- Cost of attendance
- $25,905
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $17,797
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,570
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $21,977
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $24,732
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $25,905
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 $6,849 in 2015-16 to $8,460 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
- 82%
- Average SAT
- 1,183
- SAT reading, middle
- 595
- SAT math, middle
- 590
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 14,451
- Graduate students
- 2,089
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 47%
- Students per teacher
- 18
- Completion rate
- 57%
- Retention rate
- 79%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 183
- Endowment
- $313.0M
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 1,225 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 25 in Montana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MT median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $22,499 | $13,337 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,460 | $4,961 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 82% | 82% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 57% | 45% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 79% | 64% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,500 | $18,500 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $44,757 | $35,820 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $53,263 | $41,951 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 69% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 74% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
183 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 291 | $20,735 | $48,164 | $71,578 | $68,407 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 284 | $22,802 | $71,915 | $76,146 | $88,910 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 171 | $24,980 | $68,469 | $88,653 | $92,135 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 145 | $23,646 | $31,910 | $52,702 | $48,460 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 140 | $21,477 | $28,928 | $53,623 | $50,706 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $21,750 | $66,918 | $111,728 | $107,009 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 100 | $24,000 | $29,435 | $50,711 | $57,214 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $24,250 | $37,501 | $45,523 | $47,382 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 73 | $20,913 | $67,373 | $82,785 | $86,517 |
| Chemical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $25,000 | $62,206 | $87,590 | $98,158 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | $22,125 | $29,608 | $45,300 | $43,765 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 63 | $12,000 | $33,040 | $47,396 | $44,125 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | $23,250 | $32,538 | $66,498 | $66,697 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 57 | $18,366 | $64,888 | $64,655 | $63,707 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $20,775 | $33,483 | $47,757 | $48,590 |
| Microbiological Sciences and ImmunologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $20,399 | $37,181 | $60,221 | $62,582 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | $23,149 | $30,220 | $46,313 | $49,634 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | $23,785 | $30,380 | $45,975 | $53,072 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $25,125 | $32,265 | $46,741 | $41,367 |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $25,061 | Withheld | $64,133 | $70,074 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $22,875 | $38,576 | $46,657 | $51,389 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 42 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,444 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $21,987 | $36,595 | $48,273 | $52,657 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $28,000 | $62,605 | $80,089 | $82,073 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $20,064 | $29,030 | $49,241 | $60,190 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Montana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Montana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Montana
Questions and answers
How much does Montana State University cost?
$22,499 a year is the average net price at Montana State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,460 for in-state students and $33,287 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $25,905. Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,797 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Montana State University?
82% of applicants are admitted to Montana State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,183 and the middle ACT score is 24. The median admission rate of colleges in Montana is 82%.
How much do Montana State University graduates earn?
$53,263 a year is the median pay of former Montana State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($44,757 after 6 years). That ranks 1,225 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 25 in Montana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral) at $101,393.
How much student debt do Montana State University graduates have?
$22,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Montana State University graduates, about $239 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 31% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Montana State University?
57% of first-time, full-time students at Montana State University finish within 6 years. 79% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Montana State University?
Business/Commerce, General (291 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (284 bachelor's graduates), Mechanical Engineering (171 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 183 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.