Montana has 31 colleges including 14 four-year colleges, 12 community colleges, and 5 trade schools. By control type, 20 schools are public and 11 schools are private. 48,715 students enrolled in Montana colleges according to IPEDS.

For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 14 schools are active in Montana (9 public and 5 private). 40,489 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 18,485 men and 22,004 women students.

These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 79.95% and an average SAT score of 1,133. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $6,591 and for out-of-state students is $19,581. The average enrollment is about 2,892 students per college. On average, each college offers about 74 programs.

3 Prominent Montana Colleges

The following table lists major colleges in Montana that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by Montana residents. It includes 2 public institutions and 1 private institutions.

The University of Montana, located in Missoula, is generally considered the flagship institution in Montana. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 104 graduate programs and 25 online programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 10,811 including 2,398 online students.

Montana State University has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 17,135 students and The University of Montana offers the most number of programs of 334.

Of the major colleges in Montana, 1 law schools and 0 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.

Notable public institutions

Prominent private institutions

  • Rocky Mountain College: Most selective Montana College, with an admission rate of 69.61% and an average SAT score of 1,035
Comparison of Montana Major Colleges
NameGraduate ProgramsDistance LearningTuition & FeesAdm. RateSAT ScoreEnrollOffered ProgramsLaw SchoolMedical School
Montana State University
Bozeman
YesYes$33,28782.14%117017,135205
The University of Montana
Missoula
YesYes$33,67195.86%10,811334Visit
Rocky Mountain College
Billings
YesYes$35,58269.61%10351,03253