2027 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Montana
[Liberal Arts](/majors/liberal-arts-sciences-humanities/liberal-arts-and-general-studies/liberal-arts/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find the best return on investment for liberal arts students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Montana
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the liberal arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools
Our analysis ranked Montana State University Billings the best value for a degree in liberal arts in Montana. Montana State University Billings is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Billings. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,280, compared with $22,897 for out-of-state students. Liberal Arts graduates carry a median of $39,800 in student loans. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients from Montana State University Billings generally make around $29,832. Set against $39,800 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts will find it at The University Of Montana Western, which ranked #2. The University Of Montana Western is a small public school located in the town of Dillon. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,669, compared with $20,130 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $22,484 to complete the liberal arts program here. Liberal Arts graduates of The University Of Montana Western earn a median of $36,924 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,484 median debt. Roughly 100% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes The University Of Montana one of the best values for liberal arts. Set in the city of Missoula, The University Of Montana is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $8,552 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $33,671. Students borrow a median of $18,500 to complete the liberal arts program here. Early-career liberal arts graduates make about $42,654. That is a strong return on a $18,500 median debt. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #4 makes Montana State University one of the best values for liberal arts. Montana State University is a large public school located in the city of Bozeman. Students from in state pay about $8,460 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $33,287. Students borrow a median of $19,268 to complete the liberal arts program here. Liberal Arts graduates of Montana State University earn a median of $31,710 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $19,268 median debt. Montana State University admits about 82% of applicants.
More Liberal Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
