Living in the Big Sky state, Montana residents enjoy the open spaces without population pressures. Despite the very low population density, 22 degree-granting institutions serve the higher education interests of the state. This demonstrates Montana's commitment to ensuring its residents can access quality higher education regardless of location. Consistent with this commitment, many of these institutions continue to expand their online degree and course offerings, providing even easier, more convenient access.
We will guide you through your options for online colleges in Montana by first sketching an overview of the higher-education landscape. Then we narrow the focus to current online schools in Montana. After introducing those options and describing the benefits of higher education in Montana, we wrap it up by listing scholarship options to help finance your pursuit of an online college degree.
But before we dive into our list of best online colleges in Montana for 2019, let's start with the state of higher education and online education in the state today.
Recommended Reading
Overview of Online Colleges in Montana
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in Montana
In 2016, the National Center for Education Statistics listed 17 of the 22 degree-granting colleges in Montana as public institutions, and the other five as nonprofit organizations. As of 2016, no for-profit degree-granting colleges operate out of Montana. Total fall enrollment in these colleges declined 5.8% in 2011 to 50,916 students in 2016, which parallels the national average. Montana colleges and universities awarded 6,011 bachelor's degrees in 2015-16.[dataviz-stats public="17" non-profit="5" for-profit="0"]To promote better access for residents to Montana colleges and universities, the Reach Higher Montana Initiative identified affordability as a key barrier to address. In response, two- and four-year colleges froze tuition rates throughout most of the period from 2008-17. According to the College Board, Montana students attending public two-year colleges paid $3,603 in tuition and fees for the 2017-18 school year while those attending public four-year colleges and universities paid $6,907. For example, the University of Montana charged its in-state students $7,063 for tuition and fees in 2017-18. Out-of-state students paid $24,943 for the same year.According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, Montana colleges awarded $2.6 million in state grants and aid, including $567,000 in need-based aid. Montana students made good use of federal Pell Grants, as nearly 17,000 students received over $65 million in 2015-16, while another 2,000 received about $3 million in work-study support, according to Reach Higher Montana.
Higher Education in Montana
Featured Online Programs
The State of Online Higher Education in Montana
According to Digital Learning Compass-Distance Education State Almanac 2017, as of 2015, 10,783 students — 21% of the total Montana college enrollment — took at least one distance course. Within that number, 2,694 undergraduates, 6%, and 770 graduate students, 16%, took all courses at a distance. Most of these exclusively online students, 75%, live in Montana, which far exceeds the national in-state average of 55%. This suggests that students in this sparsely-populated state choose to capitalize on the convenient access to higher education offered by online colleges in Montana.[dataviz-nces online="6.3" undergrad="6" in-state="75"]
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
Thanks to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), students residing in one of the 16 western states and territories can gain affordable access to online colleges in Montana or any other member state. Currently, over 34,000 students participate in this tuition reduction program at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. In 2017-18, through WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange, over 40,000 undergraduate students saved an average of $9,000 in out-of-state tuition at over 160 colleges. Graduate students, through the Western Regional Graduate Program saved nearly $16,000 in out-of-state tuition at the 60 participating colleges and universities.WICHE's College Savings Finder tool enables non-resident students to search each institution to determine the applicable reduced tuition. Participating states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Institutions in the U.S. Pacific Territories also participate.
Best Online Colleges in Montana
Below, you will find our rankings of the best online four-year programs in Montana. Our profiles look at how schools approach online education and then list out their services for distance students and their popular, fully online degrees. After reviewing the best online schools in Montana, explore our state resources, like a database of every college and university in Montana or our index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
Most Affordable Online Colleges in Montana
Below, you'll find all of the online schools in Montana sorted by their tuition rates.
Affordability Methodology
Our list of the most affordable online colleges is based on in-state yearly tuition, or annual tuition rates if a school does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition rates are based on a full course load each semester or term. All colleges on the list offer at least one bachelor's degree completion program available entirely online.The online schools in MT with the lowest tuition are ranked highest, providing prospective students with a true list of the most affordable online colleges in their state.
College Graduate Outlook in Montana
Job Outlook for College Graduates in Montana
Consistent with national figures, Montana's population maintained a strong employment trend in 2018 with unemployment rates ranging from 3.7% in July to 4.1% in March. In 2017, Montana residents earned a mean annual wage of $42,400, approximately 16% lower than the national average of $50,620. These figures represent the average income data for all reported occupations and can vary considerably based on specific locations.According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Montana's job growth should peak at about 1.5% in 2017, slowing to about 1% through 2025. Job growth is predict to slow due to a reduced labor supply. Beyond these average figures, job growth trends vary considerably by industry and location, with the highest growth in the northwest and southwest regions. In fact, the Bozeman and Kalispell micropolitan areas rank first and third among the fastest growing micropolitan areas in the United States. For example, Bozeman's population grew by 4.3% from 2015 to 2016.