Helena College
University of Montana
Public Community College in Helena, MT. Six-year graduation rate 33%. Median 10-year earnings $40,738.
Ten-year median earnings of $40,738 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 33% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Graduates leave owing a median of $14,580 — modest by four-year standards.
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 33% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 33% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Just 55% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Transfer-out runs to 14% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 42% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 640 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $10,650 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Income makes less difference than usual: $9,709 at $0–30k, $15,485 at $110k+. About 55% get grants averaging $4,625, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 40% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 128 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 | $9,709 |
| $30–48k | $8,148 |
| $48–75k | $12,803 |
| $75–110k | $15,241 |
| $110k+ | $15,485 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 257 of these 640 students, totalling $1,527,706 — an average of $5,944 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Lewis and Clark 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)