by our College Data Analytics TeamHere’s the full picture on paying for The University of Montana-Western, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
If you want to dig into a particular figure, jump to any section below:
Cost of attendance at The University of Montana-Western varied between $19,414.00 and $32,874.00 based on in-state versus out-of-state status.
Where you live mattered — in-state students paid less than out-of-state students: close to $19,414.00 in-state compared with $32,874.00 for out-of-state students.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $6,670.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,744.00 |
| Total cost | $19,414.00 |
| That is roughly at the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $19,414.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$4,845.00 |
| Net price | $14,569.00 |
| That is 24% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $19,414.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$6,581.00 |
| Net price | $12,833.00 |
| That is 33% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $20,130.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,744.00 |
| Total cost | $32,874.00 |
| That is 71% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,874.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$4,845.00 |
| Net price | $28,029.00 |
| That is 46% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,874.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$6,581.00 |
| Net price | $26,293.00 |
| That is 37% above the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with the tuition & fees page plus room and board. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by roughly 5.4% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Freshman year | $13,529.00 | $15,359.00 | $20,467.00 |
| Senior year | $15,851.00 | $17,995.00 | $23,980.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $58,678.00 | $66,616.00 | $88,769.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $22,354.00 | $25,378.00 | $33,818.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $675.00 | $767.00 | $1,022.00 |
| Total amount paid | $81,032.00 | $91,994.00 | $122,587.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Freshman year | $13,529.00 | $15,359.00 | $20,467.00 |
| Senior year | $14,262.00 | $16,192.00 | $21,576.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $27,791.00 | $31,551.00 | $42,043.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $10,587.00 | $12,020.00 | $16,017.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $320.00 | $363.00 | $484.00 |
| Total amount paid | $38,379.00 | $43,570.00 | $58,060.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Freshman year | $27,719.00 | $29,549.00 | $34,656.00 |
| Senior year | $32,476.00 | $34,621.00 | $40,605.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $120,223.00 | $128,160.00 | $150,314.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $45,800.00 | $48,824.00 | $57,264.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,384.00 | $1,475.00 | $1,730.00 |
| Total amount paid | $166,023.00 | $176,985.00 | $207,578.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Freshman year | $27,719.00 | $29,549.00 | $34,656.00 |
| Senior year | $29,222.00 | $31,151.00 | $36,536.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $56,940.00 | $60,700.00 | $71,192.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $21,692.00 | $23,124.00 | $27,122.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $655.00 | $699.00 | $819.00 |
| Total amount paid | $78,632.00 | $83,824.00 | $98,314.00 |
Read more in the Net Price section.
The net price is the real out-of-pocket cost — what families pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $16,558.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $16,669.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $15,093.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $15,286.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $16,516.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $18,511.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $18,898.00 |
Use The University of Montana-Western Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid breakdown.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving The University of Montana-Western is $12,000.00, placing the school in the Low ($10-20k) burden tier.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,750.00 |
| 25th | $5,381.00 |
| Median (50th) | $12,000.00 |
| 75th | $23,500.00 |
| 90th | $31,000.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt page.
Debt outcomes vary substantially with family income. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,137.00 |
| Middle income | $11,000.00 |
| High income | $12,000.00 |
Low-income graduates carry $137.00 more debt than their high-income peers.
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000.00 |
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at The University of Montana-Western stands at $2,481.00. This school is flagged by the Department of Education for Pell-related debt inequity.
The default-rate classification at The University of Montana-Western is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 9.1% |
For context on the loan portfolio, Stafford disbursements at The University of Montana-Western total $80,723,215.00 covering 5,139 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 17 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $4,080.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the veteran aid breakdown.
Beyond the data above, it helps to ask a few questions when weighing The University of Montana-Western, think through the questions below:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.