Private nonprofit · College

Carroll College

Helena, Montana · Small city

#1 for grad earnings in Montana#1 graduation rate in Montana
70.9%
Admit rate
$23,960
Avg net price
69%
Graduation rate
$61,772
Median earnings

Carroll College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Helena, Montana (small city setting), enrolling 1,092 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,092 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 71% admitNAIA Division I · Frontier ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Carroll College's admitted students.

Admit rate
70.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1050–1300
Avg GPA (est.)
3.46

Enter a test score to see where you land against Carroll College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Carroll College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Helena, Montana

Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Evidence from the MacHaffie and Indian Creek sites on opposite sides of the Elkhorn Mountains southeast of the Helena Valley show that people of the Folsom culture lived in the area more than 10,000 years ago. Helena has a long record of economic stability with its history as being the state capital and being founded in an area rich in silver and lead deposits. However, this situation has resulted in a slow growing economy. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
94 miles to Missoula, MT
To the ocean
485 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Helena (HLN)

How Carroll College compares

Selectivity70.9%

More selective than 62% · #3 most selective of 7 in Montana

SAT average1200

Higher than 59%

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 77% · #1 of 9 in Montana

First-year retention82%

Higher than 67%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,772

Higher than 71% · #1 of 9 in Montana

Average net price$23,960

Cheaper than 32% · #9 cheapest of 9 in Montana

Median debt at graduation$25,757

Lower than 27%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,092

Larger than 40%

Percentiles compare Carroll College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Montana.

Carroll College campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,136students
  • Undergraduate1,09296%
  • Graduate444%

Undergraduates by gender

1,092undergrads
  • Women65960%
  • Men43340%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White79%
  • Black0.9%
  • Hispanic7.2%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,092
Graduate enrollment
44
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
20%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$82,088
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,580
Endowment
$81,002,414

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
70.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1050–1300
SAT average
1200
SAT reading
540–660
SAT math
510–640
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.46

Cost

In-state tuition
$41,484
Room & board
$11,548
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$55,626
Average net price
$23,960

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
69%
Graduated on time (4 years)
56%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,507
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$61,772
Median debt at graduation
$25,757
Students with federal loans
45%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
77%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
56%
Low-income (Pell)
65%
First-generation
57%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,050
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
96%
Housing charge (year)
$5,530
Meal plan (year)
$6,094
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Frontier Conference
Varsity athletes
492 (277 men · 215 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)195
Football125
Soccer58
Golf33
Basketball28
Volleyball28
Softball25

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,156 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

3.3reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Burglary
1.0
Fondling
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$17,072
$30–48k
$16,329
$48–75k
$19,139
$75–110k
$23,919
$110k+
$28,005

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$82,265

$19,139/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$26,961
average award, among those who get one

Carroll College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $26,961. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 296 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$61,772
Typical debt at graduation
$25,757
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$56,002
Men
$66,427

Men out-earn women by $10,425 (19%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
11.4″
Annual snow
37.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.12.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Helena Rgnl AP, MT US station (3.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Carroll College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Carroll College side by side →

Colleges near Carroll College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.