Affordable Colleges in Montana
All 18 colleges in Montana, ordered by average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price on the brochure.
The most affordable is Fort Peck Community College at about $400 a year; the costliest here is Carroll College at $23,960. A typical Montana school on this list lands near $14,962.
Cheapest first, that means Fort Peck Community College, Blackfeet Community College and Salish Kootenai College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is the right place to start looking.
Narrow it down
- Most Affordable Community Colleges in Montana5 community colleges · from $8,099/yr
- Most Affordable Public Universities in Montana9 public universities · from $400/yr
Every college in Montana, cheapest first · 18
Ranked by average net price per year after grants and scholarships — the figure beside each name, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where the school reports it. Schools that report no net price are listed last.
- Fort Peck Community College
- Blackfeet Community College
- Salish Kootenai College
- Flathead Valley Community College
- Little Big Horn College
- Miles Community College
- Helena College University of Montana
- Great Falls College Montana State University
- Montana State University-Northern
- Highlands College of Montana Tech
- Montana Technological University
- Montana State University Billings
- The University of Montana-Western
- The University of Montana
- University of Providence
- Rocky Mountain College
- Montana State University
- Carroll College
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable college in Montana?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Fort Peck Community College at about $400 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much does college in Montana cost on average?
- Across the 18 colleges in Montana that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $14,962 a year after aid, running from $400 to $23,960.
- Are community colleges cheaper in Montana?
- On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in Montana has a net price around $11,593 a year, against about $16,524 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $4,931 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 13% to 58%, with a middle of about 28%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free