by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will not be asked to pay the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The price tag of going to The University of Montana can appear tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students obtain some kind of financial help.
Just what financing solutions does UM deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Scroll down to learn 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. The information provided on this page can help you determine how much aid you may receive from The University of Montana.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
For incoming first-year students at The University of Montana, 91% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid approximately 1420 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 83% | $9,799 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 75% | $7,862 |
| Federal Pell grants | 33% | $5,446 |
| State/local grants | 16% | $2,502 |
| Federal student loans | 48% | $5,306 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. At UM, about 66% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $7,975 (across approximately 4970 undergraduates).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 66% | $7,975 |
| Federal Pell grants | 28% | $5,382 |
| Federal student loans | 41% | $7,498 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $6,786.
The figures below show the average net price — cost after all grant and scholarship aid — broken out by family income.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $14,835 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $16,777 |
| Over $75,000 | $19,928 |
These figures reflect what title-IV aid recipients pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $16,784 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $17,118 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use UM’s online cost calculator: www.umt.edu/finaid/cost-of-attendance/net-price-calculator/default.php.
The middle student in the debt distribution at UM owes $15,000 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,400 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $237.48/mo |
At a typical 10-year repayment schedule, the median graduate would pay about the monthly figure above.
The median alone does not show how widely outcomes vary across the student body. The percentiles below describe the cumulative federal debt distribution for borrowers at UM.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,806 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,599 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,355 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $13,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,750 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,250 |
| Independent students | $16,984 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at UM.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The aggregate figures below show how active the program is at UM:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 41198 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $947,772,035 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 272 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $1,903,468 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $6,998 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 6 |
| Total DoD amount | $17,478 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,913 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.