by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will never be charged the full, advertised sticker price of a school. Instead, they will be given a financial aid offer that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total cost of going to The University of Montana-Western can seem overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students are given some form of financial aid.
Just what financing solutions does Montana Western deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Scroll down to find out what amount of financial assistance will be accessible to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. Read on to get a sense of the financial assistance available at The University of Montana-Western.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
For incoming first-year students at The University of Montana-Western, 88% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid around 257 students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 81% | $4,794 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 44% | $3,386 |
| Federal Pell grants | 40% | $4,801 |
| State/local grants | 18% | $1,869 |
| Federal student loans | 49% | $7,890 |
Unlike loans, grants and scholarships are gift aid that does not need to be paid back, making them the most desirable form of assistance. Across the undergraduate body at Montana Western, around 66% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $7,115 (among about 944 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 66% | $7,115 |
| Federal Pell grants | 35% | $5,740 |
| Federal student loans | 34% | $8,702 |
Title-IV recipients living on campus saw average grant aid of $4,845.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $15,169 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $15,729 |
| Over $75,000 | $18,698 |
The numbers above are post-aid net prices, so they already account for grants and scholarships.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $16,558 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $16,669 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit Montana Western’s online cost calculator: www.umwestern.edu/npc/index.html.
Graduating students at Montana Western carry a median federal student debt of $12,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $12,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $21,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $222.63/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Montana Western.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,381 |
| 75th percentile | $23,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
Median debt varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,137 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,000 |
| Independent students | $14,091 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at Montana Western.
Most undergraduate borrowing runs through the federal Stafford loan program. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at Montana Western:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 5139 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $80,723,215 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 17 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $69,358 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $4,080 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 0 |
| Total DoD amount | $0 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.