by our College Data Analytics TeamFind out more about how Montana State University ranks, how diverse it is, what majors it offers, and other essential facts below.
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 32 badges in the 2026 rankings.
MSU is ranked #710 out of 3,449 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2026 Best Colleges list.
MSU also holds the #1 spot on the Best Colleges in Montana ranking.
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.
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 57%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Montana State University has a freshmen retention rate of 78%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for 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 14,472 undergraduates at MSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Montana State University.
The average net price of MSU is $16,772. 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.### Net Price by Income Group for MSU
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $16,713 | $17,165 | $20,572 | $23,456 | $23,771 |
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/ |
| 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 | 3,683 | NA |
| Nursing | 431 | $62,767 |
| Business & Commerce | 366 | $41,486 |
| General Psychology | 158 | $28,468 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 157 | $56,740 |
| General Family & Consumer Sciences | 145 | $28,081 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 128 | $26,774 |
| General Biology | 119 | $22,546 |
| Computer Science | 118 | $69,934 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 115 | $45,107 |
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.
2,839 students took at least one online class at Montana State University.
Learn more about online learning at Montana State University.
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.
References