🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $17,683/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$13,948 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Visual & Performing Arts (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

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
M2: Master's - Medium Programs
Total enrollment
2,151
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$13,948
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$26,968
+$13,020 vs in-state
Admit rate
53.9%
Moderately selective
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$42,957
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
$35,406
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,957
4-year completion
54%
Median debt (completers)
$24,000
Cost of attendance
$27,398
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
32%

💰 True ROI

6.1× 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)
$70,732
$17,683/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$38,860
vs sticker $109,592
10-yr earnings total
$429,570
$42,957/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.6 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 University of Montevallo, the average net price is $17,683/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$14,471/yr
Family income $30-48k
$16,104/yr
Family income $48-75k
$18,615/yr
Family income $75-110k
$20,357/yr
Family income $110k+
$21,873/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 University of Montevallo's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of Montevallo →

Opens on University of Montevallo'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 University of Montevallo

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
95 degrees · 35.3%
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.
2. Visual & Performing Arts
70 degrees · 26.0%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.
3. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
38 degrees · 14.1%
Typical career outcomes
Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
4. Education
34 degrees · 12.6%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
5. English Language & Literature
32 degrees · 11.9%
Typical career outcomes
Technical Writer $80k Editor $75k Writer / Author $74k Public Relations Specialist $67k
Writing-heavy roles. Variance is huge — corporate technical writers pay 2× journalists.

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 University of Montevallo

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
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 9 $57,747
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 21 $53,492
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. Bachelor's Degree 16 $50,497
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. Bachelor's Degree 26 $49,979
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 11 $48,160
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 45 $41,692 $47,823
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. Bachelor's Degree 13 $46,767
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Bachelor's Degree 21 $44,624
History. Bachelor's Degree 10 $32,263 $44,563
Social Work. Bachelor's Degree 17 $32,262 $43,388

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Montevallo

CS degrees (annual)
1
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Montevallo 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.

Building a college list?

Use these to fit University of Montevallo into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →