Private nonprofit · College
Carroll College
Helena, Montana · Small city
- 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.
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
More selective than 62% · #3 most selective of 7 in Montana
Higher than 59%
Higher than 77% · #1 of 9 in Montana
Higher than 67%
Higher than 71% · #1 of 9 in Montana
Cheaper than 32% · #9 cheapest of 9 in Montana
Lower than 27%
Lower than 59%
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
- Undergraduate1,09296%
- Graduate444%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Helena Rgnl AP, MT US station (3.7 mi from campus).
What Carroll College graduates study — and earn
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 →
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa · Remote town · 92 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 1,379
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1218
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
Walsh University
North Canton, Ohio · Large suburb · 16 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,390
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1193
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $60k
Drew University
Madison, New Jersey · Large suburb · 22 mi to New York
- Students
- 1,533
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $64k
Hartwick College
Oneonta, New York · Remote town · 68 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 1,087
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1200
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $61k
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, Maryland · Distant rural · 48 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 1,768
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1176
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $64k
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Midsize city · 1 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 1,965
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1195
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
Colleges near Carroll College
Helena College University of Montana
Helena, MT · Public · Associate · 585 students
Montana Technological University
Butte, MT · Public · Bachelor's · 1,480 students
Highlands College of Montana Tech
Butte, MT · Public · Certificate · 342 students
Great Falls College Montana State University
Great Falls, MT · Public · Associate · 894 students
Montana Academy of Salons
Great Falls, MT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 126 students
University of Providence
Great Falls, MT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 528 students
Academy of Cosmetology Inc
Bozeman, MT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 students
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT · Public · Bachelor's · 14,451 students
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.














