Great Falls
College Montana State University
Public Community College in Great Falls, MT. Six-year graduation rate 34%. Median 10-year earnings $38,034.
Ten-year median earnings of $38,034 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Only 34% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 34% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 34% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Retention is weak: only 56% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in five leave after one year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. A 15% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 45% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 840 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $11,444 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $10,675 at $0–30k against $16,664 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 67% get grants averaging $4,816, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 47% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 115 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,675 |
| $30–48k | $10,624 |
| $48–75k | $11,778 |
| $75–110k | $16,535 |
| $110k+ | $16,664 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 393 of these 840 students, totalling $2,444,837 — an average of $6,221 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cascade County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)