Montana State University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

In-state residents (tuition ~$8,460 — major value play)
Students drawn to Engineering or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1060, or ACT below 20 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
Out-of-state tuition is 3.9× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

R1: Doctoral - Very High Research Activity

Total enrollment

14,451

10,000 - 19,999

In-state tuition

$8,460

sticker, before aid

Out-of-state tuition

$33,287

+$24,827 vs in-state

Admit rate

86.8%

Accepts the majority

SAT middle 50%

1060–1270

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

20–27

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$53,263

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$44,757

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$53,263

4-year completion

57%

Median debt (completers)

$22,500

Cost of attendance

$25,905

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

16%

💰 True ROI

5.9× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$89,996

$22,499/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$13,624

vs sticker $103,620

10-yr earnings total

$532,630

$53,263/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.7 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Montana State University, the average net price is $22,499/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$17,797/yr

Family income $30-48k

$18,570/yr

Family income $48-75k

$21,977/yr

Family income $75-110k

$24,732/yr

Family income $110k+

$25,905/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Montana State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Montana State University →

Opens on Montana State University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Montana State University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Montana State University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Engineering

439 degrees · 30.9%

Typical career outcomes

Mechanical Engineer $100k Electrical Engineer $107k Civil Engineer $93k Chemical Engineer $112k

Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.

2. Business, Management, & Marketing

312 degrees · 22.0%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

3. Health Professions

284 degrees · 20.0%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

4. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

219 degrees · 15.4%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

5. Family & Consumer Sciences

165 degrees · 11.6%

Typical career outcomes

Dietitian / Nutritionist $70k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Hospitality Manager $65k

Nutrition, dietetics, child & family services, hospitality.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Montana State University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Computer Science.	Bachelor's Degree	100	$66,918	$111,728
Computer Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	17	$67,015	$99,411
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	38	$77,060	$98,331
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician.	Bachelor's Degree	32	$77,139	$89,002
Mechanical Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	179	$68,469	$88,653
Industrial Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	33	$64,082	$88,087
Chemical Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	85	$62,206	$87,590
Civil Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	66	$67,373	$82,785
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians.	Bachelor's Degree	54	$62,605	$80,089
Agricultural Business and Management.	Bachelor's Degree	24	$50,876	$79,621

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Montana State University

CS degrees (annual)

115

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Montana State University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Montana State University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Montana State University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

University of Alabama in Huntsville

AL · Public

39 auto-merit scholarships on file

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

The University of Alabama

AL · Public

23 auto-merit scholarships on file

Mississippi State University

MS · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file