2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 14 schools in Montana, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for veterans. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as number of GI Bill® recipients at the school, percentage of costs covered by the GI Bill®, and the school's overall quality.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
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Top Colleges for Veterans in Montana
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named Montana State University the best school in Montana for veterans working on their bachelor’s degree. MSU Bozeman is located in Bozeman, Montana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3,305 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Our most recent data shows that 674 of the 16,218 students enrolled at MSU Bozeman were GI Bill® students, of which 432 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,983. To help with additional expenses, 45 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
MSU Bozeman did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Schools in Montana list.
Out of the 14 schools in Montana that were part of this year’s ranking, Montana State University - Billings landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Billings, Montana, the small public school awarded 791 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, Montana State University - Billings supports 4,000 students, and 180 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 93 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,501. During this same period, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Montana State University - Billings does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Montana. The school came in at #3 in Montana on this year’s best for vets ranking. Located in Missoula, Montana, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,696 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Among the 9,808 students enrolled at UM, 657 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 364 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,292. During this same period, 45 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Out of the 14 schools in Montana that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Providence landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Great Falls, Montana, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 323 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, University of Providence supports 1,005 students, and 43 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 29 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,689. During this same period, 6 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. University of Providence also took the #1 spot in our Best Schools in Montana rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montana State University - Northern. The school came in at #5 in Montana on this year’s best for vets ranking. Located in Havre, Montana, the small public school awarded 285 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 49 of the 1,024 students enrolled at Montana State University - Northern were GI Bill® students, of which 37 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,337. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Montana State University - Northern does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The University of Montana - Western landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana ranking. The University of Montana - Western is a small public school located in Dillon, Montana that handed out 398 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 1,334 students enrolled at Montana Western, 51 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,219. During this same period, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Montana Technological University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana list. Located in Butte, Montana, the small public school handed out 448 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, Montana Tech supports 1,650 students, and 128 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 77 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,104. During this same period, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Montana Tech does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Montana Tech also made our Best Schools in Montana list, coming in at #2.
Rocky Mountain College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana list. Rocky is located in Billings, Montana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 227 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the 1,014 students enrolled at Rocky, 50 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 34 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,371. During this same period, 20 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Rocky does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Rocky also took the #5 spot in our Best Schools in Montana rankings.
With a ranking of #9, Great Falls College Montana State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana list. Great Falls College Montana State University is a small public school situated in Great Falls, Montana. It awarded 207 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 149 of the 1,071 students enrolled at Great Falls College Montana State University were GI Bill® students, of which 92 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,842. In addition to receiving other benefits, 6 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Great Falls College Montana State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read full report on Great Falls College Montana State University
Helena College University of Montana landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana ranking. This small public school is located in Helena, Montana, and it awarded 176 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 1,324 students enrolled at Helena College, 108 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 58 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $2,706. During this same period, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Helena College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Carroll College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana list. Carroll College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Helena, Montana that handed out 366 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Among the 1,108 students enrolled at Carroll Montana, 71 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 45 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,686. In addition to receiving other benefits, 27 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Carroll Montana not only placed well in our veterans ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Schools in Montana list.
Miles Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana ranking. Miles Community College is located in Miles City, Montana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the 567 students enrolled at Miles Community College, 18 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 7 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,774. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Salish Kootenai College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana ranking. Located in Pablo, Montana, the small public school awarded 82 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, SKC supports 716 students, and 21 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 13 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,248.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Dawson Community College landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in Montana ranking. Located in Glendive, Montana, the small public school awarded 89 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Among the 377 students enrolled at DCC, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,129. DCC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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Best Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 14 schools only.
**GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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