State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Montana
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 25 Montana colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $400
- Cheapest net price
- $12,664
- Montana median
- 25
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Fort Peck Community College has the lowest average net price in Montana at $400/year, and the state's median net price is 26% below the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $400
- cheapest ranked net price
- $12,664
- Montana median net price
- 18 public / 7 private
- schools in this ranking
- $10,800
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Carroll College, where in-state published tuition of $41,484 falls to an average net price of $23,960 after aid, a $17,524 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Montana schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 25 ranked Montana schools, 18 are public institutions and 7 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Montana's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Peck Community College Poplar, MT · Public | $400 98% of the leader · rank #1 | Aid covers full cost | - | $26,328 | 534 |
| 2 | Stone Child College Box Elder, MT · Public | $4,424 82% of the leader · rank #2 | $3,440 | - | $11,860 | 261 |
| 3 | Blackfeet Community College Browning, MT · Private nonprofit | $5,410 77% of the leader · rank #3 | $6,643 | - | $22,428 | 282 |
| 4 | Crevier's Academy of Cosmetology Arts Kalispell, MT · Private for-profit | $6,744 72% of the leader · rank #4 | $6,660 | - | $16,846 | 62 |
| 5 | Aaniiih Nakoda College Harlem, MT · Public | $7,887 67% of the leader · rank #5 | $8,183 | - | $19,990 | 133 |
| 6 | Salish Kootenai College Pablo, MT · Public | $7,945 67% of the leader · rank #6 | $6,999 | $12,923 | $28,894 | 648 |
| 7 | Flathead Valley Community College Kalispell, MT · Public | $8,099 66% of the leader · rank #7 | $6,341 | $10,500 | $32,850 | 2,201 |
| 8 | Little Big Horn College Crow Agency, MT · Public | $8,331 65% of the leader · rank #8 | $8,419 | - | $25,016 | 378 |
| 9 | Dawson Community College Glendive, MT · Public | $9,931 59% of the leader · rank #9 | $8,162 | $9,450 | $37,252 | 406 |
| 10 | Miles Community College Miles City, MT · Public | $10,405 57% of the leader · rank #10 | $9,462 | $11,500 | $35,912 | 670 |
| 11 | Helena College University of Montana Helena, MT · Public | $11,593 52% of the leader · rank #11 | $9,709 | $14,580 | $37,317 | 1,485 |
| 12 | Great Falls College Montana State University Great Falls, MT · Public | $12,468 48% of the leader · rank #12 | $10,675 | - | $35,625 | 1,318 |
| 13 | Montana State University-Northern Havre, MT · Public | $12,664 47% of the leader · rank #13 | $9,940 | $18,500 | $45,045 | 1,021 |
| 14 | Chief Dull Knife College Lame Deer, MT · Public | $14,010 42% of the leader · rank #14 | $13,940 | - | $18,636 | 242 |
| 15 | Highlands College of Montana Tech Butte, MT · Public | $14,962 38% of the leader · rank #15 | $11,650 | $18,750 | $48,356 | 699 |
| 16 | Montana Academy of Salons Great Falls, MT · Private for-profit | $15,935 33% of the leader · rank #16 | $15,351 | $9,833 | $21,826 | 147 |
| 17 | Montana Technological University Butte, MT · Public | $16,481 31% of the leader · rank #17 | $11,914 | $18,750 | $48,356 | 1,622 |
| 18 | Montana State University Billings Billings, MT · Public | $16,524 31% of the leader · rank #18 | $13,927 | $18,209 | $39,531 | 4,092 |
| 19 | The University of Montana-Western Dillon, MT · Public | $16,558 31% of the leader · rank #19 | $14,822 | $21,000 | $37,252 | 1,458 |
| 20 | Academy of Cosmetology Inc Bozeman, MT · Private for-profit | $16,663 30% of the leader · rank #20 | $15,408 | - | $30,092 | 35 |
| 21 | The University of Montana Missoula, MT · Public | $16,784 30% of the leader · rank #21 | $13,960 | $22,400 | $35,729 | 10,327 |
| 22 | University of Providence Great Falls, MT · Private nonprofit | $17,649 26% of the leader · rank #22 | $14,257 | $18,750 | $37,734 | 677 |
| 23 | Rocky Mountain College Billings, MT · Private nonprofit | $19,751 18% of the leader · rank #23 | $15,404 | $26,000 | $41,783 | 991 |
| 24 | Montana State University Bozeman, MT · Public | $22,499 6% of the leader · rank #24 | $17,797 | $22,500 | $44,757 | 16,960 |
| 25 | Carroll College Helena, MT · Private nonprofit | $23,960 4% of the leader · rank #25 | $17,072 | $25,757 | $43,507 | 1,103 |
What this means for you
Use Montana's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Fort Peck Community College reports the lowest average net price in Montana, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Fort Peck Community
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Montana safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.