The University
of Montana-Western
Public College in Dillon, MT. Six-year graduation rate 62%. Median 10-year earnings $43,229.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $43,229 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Six-year completion sits at 62%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates carry a median of $21,000 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
Admissions
The University of Montana-Western admits 100% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is small at 1,371, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Yield is low at 17%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at The University of Montana-Western →Academics
Completion is middling: 62% finish inside six years. First-year retention is 79% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. A 27% 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. A 16:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,322 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $16,745 annually once grants are applied. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($14,822 versus $20,125), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid reaches 70% of students at an average of $7,264. 38% 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 · 293 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 | $14,822 |
| $30–48k | $14,058 |
| $48–75k | $15,951 |
| $75–110k | $17,785 |
| $110k+ | $20,125 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 496 of these 1,322 students, totalling $4,316,248 — an average of $8,702 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Beaverhead 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)