The University of Montana-Western is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Dillon, Montana. It enrolls 1,198 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorNorthwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
60/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes48
Value47
Affordability62
Selectivity0
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
The University of Montana-Western admits 99.8% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
99.8%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether The University of Montana-Western is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
43.0 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $16,558 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$6,670
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$20,130
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,046
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,870
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,516
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,516
Total Cost of Attendance
$21,403
Application fee: $30 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$14,822
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,058
$48,001 – $75,000
$15,951
$75,001 – $110,000
$17,785
Over $110,000
$20,125
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,75010%percentile
$5,38125%percentile
$21,000Medianpercentile
$23,50075%percentile
$31,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $13,327
↓ $7,673
No Pell $10,846
↓ $10,154
Dependent students $12,000
↓ $9,000
Independent students $14,091
↓ $6,909
Female students $12,000
↓ $9,000
Male students $11,263
↓ $9,737
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,050, less than completers ($21,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
35% of students who start here finish within six years, and 79% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
35%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
79%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $43,229 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$43,229
Earning > $25K
73%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$27,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$47,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$30,600
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$37,100
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$47,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $19,600, about 41% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
What this means:
Moderate return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$2.6 of median earnings 10 years out. Compare carefully against your funding plan.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,198 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 36% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
1,198
Part-Time
15%
First-Generation
36%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 80.4%963
Other 11.2%134
Hispanic 5.3%63
Black 1.3%15
Asian 0.4%5
International 0.3%4
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at The University of Montana-Western. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
The University of Montana-Western offers
a varied set of programs:
22 distinct programs across
14 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 15 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$6,415
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$7.6M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$62,879
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
68 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
26
38%
$77,361
Associate Professors
17
25%
$62,711
Assistant Professors
13
19%
$46,425
Instructors
12
18%
$49,566
Pros & Cons of The University of Montana-Western
No college is right for everyone. Here is where The University of Montana-Western is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Best for:
Based on the data, The University of Montana-Western is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about The University of Montana-Western
The questions families ask most about The University of Montana-Western, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is The University of Montana-Western hard to get into?
Not especially. The University of Montana-Western admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 99.8%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at The University of Montana-Western?
99.8% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does The University of Montana-Western cost?
Budget around $16,558 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is The University of Montana-Western worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $43,229 a year against a net price of $16,558, about 2.6 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is The University of Montana-Western known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Teacher Education (K-12), Education, General. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do The University of Montana-Western graduates earn?
About $43,229 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is The University of Montana-Western accredited?
Yes. The University of Montana-Western is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend The University of Montana-Western?
1,198 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at The University of Montana-Western?
35% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is The University of Montana-Western a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is The University of Montana-Western located?
The University of Montana-Western is located in Dillon, Montana.
What programs does The University of Montana-Western offer?
22 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Teacher Education (K-12), Education, General. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at The University of Montana-Western?
15 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Montana
Other colleges in Montana share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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