Most Affordable Public Universities in Montana
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
9 public universities in Montana are listed here, 9 of them reporting a net price. They run from $400 a year at Fort Peck Community College to $22,499 at Montana State University, with a middle of about $16,481.
The cheapest are Fort Peck Community College, Salish Kootenai College and Little Big Horn College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Montana, cheapest first · 9
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Fort Peck Community College
- Salish Kootenai College
- Little Big Horn College
- Montana State University-Northern
- Montana Technological University
- Montana State University Billings
- The University of Montana-Western
- The University of Montana
- Montana State University
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university 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 do public universities in Montana cost on average?
- Across the 9 public universities in Montana that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $16,481 a year after aid, running from $400 to $22,499.
- 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 public universities listed here it runs from 16% 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