by our College Data Analytics TeamMontana State University is a public institution in Bozeman, Montana enrolling 14,451 undergraduates. It accepts 82% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 57%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #700 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 14%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Montana State University ranks #700 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 14%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Montana State University was awarded 97 badges in the 2027 rankings.
MSU is ranked #700 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 20% of all schools in the nation.
MSU also holds the #1 spot on the Best Colleges in Montana ranking.
See all of the rankings for Montana State University.
The acceptance rate at Montana State University is 82%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that MSU is a good fit for you.
About 21% of students accepted to MSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 540 and 645. Math scores were between 525 and 640.
MSU received ACT scores from 38% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 21 and 27.
Learn more about Montana State University admissions.
With a student to faculty ratio of 18 to 1, Montana State University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Montana State University is 58%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 79% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Montana State University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at MSU for first-time, full-time students is 57%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Montana State University.
In the current academic year, there are 14,451 undergraduates at MSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Montana State University.
The average net price of MSU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17,797 | $18,570 | $21,977 | $24,732 | $25,905 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of MSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At MSU, approximately 31% of students took out student loans averaging $6,193 a year. That adds up to $24,772 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.2%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Montana State University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Montana State University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $53,263 in their early years. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Montana State University make the most money.
Montana State University is a public institution found in Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of Montana State University.
Get in touch with Montana State University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 |
| Phone: | 4069940211 |
| Website: | www.montana.edu/ |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana_State_University_System |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/montanastate |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/montanastate |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 32 majors graduated from Montana State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 3,853 | NA |
| Business & Commerce | 462 | $41,486 |
| Nursing | 280 | $62,767 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 172 | $56,740 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 168 | $45,159 |
| General Psychology | 165 | $28,468 |
| General Biology | 131 | $22,546 |
| Computer Science | 128 | $69,934 |
| Health & Physical Education | 123 | NA |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 117 | $26,843 |
2,839 students took at least one online class at Montana State University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Montana State University.
Curious how schools stack up against MSU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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