College · Public · Billings, MT · City
Montana State University Billings
Billings, MT
Admit rate—
6-yr median pay$40k
Net price / yr$17k
Undergrad size2,626
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $17k/yr for a shot at a $40k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of unspecified means this is admit rate not reported for this school.
If you get in
2,626 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $20k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $17k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$80k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$66k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$14k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.7x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $7.3k
- Tuition · out-of-state
- $22.9k
- Room & board
- $10.0k
- Books & supplies
- $1,450
How students pay for it.
Pell grants25%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans28%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$18k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention56%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr30%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$40k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$44k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out19%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Public
- Undergrad size
- 2,626
- Location
- Billings, MT
- Region
- Rocky Mountains (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · primarily nonresidential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · medium full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Also known as
- MSU Billings
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White75%
- Hispanic8%
- Two or more races6%
- American Indian / Alaska Native5%
- International2%
- Asian1%
- Black1%
- Unknown1%
First-gen students38%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time31%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$35k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 31
What you can study.