Highlands College
of Montana Tech
Public Community College in Butte, MT. Six-year graduation rate 45%. Median 10-year earnings $54,329.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $54,329 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 45% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $18,750, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.35 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
45% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Just 55% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. 19% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. The 14:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. This is a public community college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 343 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $13,823 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($11,650 versus $17,792), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. About 57% get grants averaging $5,341, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 43% of students.
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 · 138 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 | $11,650 |
| $30–48k | $13,183 |
| $48–75k | $15,314 |
| $75–110k | $17,091 |
| $110k+ | $17,792 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 146 of these 343 students, totalling $699,218 — an average of $4,789 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Silver Bow County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026