Montana State
University Billings
Public College in Billings, MT. Six-year graduation rate 36%. Median 10-year earnings $44,296.
Ten years after entry, the median Montana State University Billings student earns $44,296 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Only 36% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates carry a median of $18,209 in debt — in line with the national norm.
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
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 36% graduate within six years. Retention is weak: only 56% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in five leave after one year. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. A 22% 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 2,710 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $15,018 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Income makes less difference than usual: $13,927 at $0–30k, $20,035 at $110k+. 66% of students receive grant aid, averaging $6,284 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing reaches 39% 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 · 488 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 | $13,927 |
| $30–48k | $14,387 |
| $48–75k | $16,749 |
| $75–110k | $18,948 |
| $110k+ | $20,035 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,066 of these 2,710 students, totalling $6,655,778 — an average of $6,244 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Yellowstone 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)