Public · Community college

Helena College University of Montana

Helena, Montana · Small city

#4 for grad earnings in Montana

14%
Transfer rate: $11,593
Avg net price: 33%
Grad / completion: $40,738
Median earnings

Helena College University of Montana is a public associate-granting institution in Helena, Montana (small city setting), enrolling 585 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 585 undergradsSmall cityCold wintersSnowy

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: Associate
Nearest big city: 96 miles to Missoula, MT
To the ocean: 486 miles
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Helena (HLN)

How Helena College University of Montana compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 17% · #12 of 17 in Montana

First-year retention55%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,738

Higher than 71% · #4 of 15 in Montana

Average net price$11,593

Cheaper than 64% · #11 cheapest of 17 in Montana

Median debt at graduation$14,580

Lower than 16%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment585

Larger than 65%

Percentiles compare Helena College University of Montana with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Montana.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women32155%
Men26445%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White76%
Black0.7%
Hispanic7.9%
Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 585
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 18%
First-generation students: 36%
Students over 25: 21%
Median family income: $29,338
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $53,343
Endowment: $375,516

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 192 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Montana97%
Other U.S. states3.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Helena College University of Montana draws overwhelmingly from Montana.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,146
Out-of-state tuition: $11,318
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,085
Total cost of attendance: $15,819
Average net price: $11,593

Outcomes

Graduated: 33%
First-year retention: 55%
Transferred to another college: 14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,317
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $40,738
Median debt at graduation: $14,580
Students with federal loans: 17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 41%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

33%

Low-income (Pell)

25%

First-generation

24%

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: No
Application fee: $30

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.3

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

$9,709

$30–48k

$8,148

$48–75k

$12,803

$75–110k

$15,241

$110k+

$15,485

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.

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.

30%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,287

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 30% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,287. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 117 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): $40,738
Typical debt at graduation: $14,580
Debt vs. one year's pay: 36%
Out-earn a HS grad: 51%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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

$37,048

Men

$46,895

Men out-earn women by $9,847 (27%) 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

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Helena Rgnl AP, MT US station (2.6 mi from campus).

What Helena College University of Montana graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

42 grads$31k 1 yr$39k 5 yr$15k debt

42$31,290$39,318$15,400 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

34———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

29 grads$64k 1 yr$73k 5 yr$30k debt

29$63,902$72,725$29,692 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

19 grads$46k 1 yr$58k 5 yr$14k debt

19$46,288$58,422$14,028 Precision Metal WorkingAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr$45k 5 yr— debt

10—$45,279—Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsCert.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Fire ProtectionAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr$45k 5 yr$21k debt

6—$45,374$20,503

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 Helena College University of Montana

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Helena College University of Montana side by side →

Great Falls College Montana State University

Public

Great Falls, Montana · Small city · 135 mi to Missoula

Students: 894
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $38k

Miles Community College

Public

Miles City, Montana · Remote town · 135 mi to Billings

Students: 332
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $43k

Flathead Valley Community College

Public

Kalispell, Montana · Remote town · 95 mi to Missoula

Students: 1,202
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $39k

Dawson Community College

Public

Glendive, Montana · Remote town · 187 mi to Bismarck

Students: 189
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 40%
Earnings: $42k

Ellsworth Community College

Public

Iowa Falls, Iowa · Remote town · 68 mi to Des Moines

Students: 499
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 29%
Earnings: $41k

Pine Technical & Community College

Public

Pine City, Minnesota · Remote rural · 60 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 574
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $41k

Colleges near Helena College University of Montana

Carroll College

Helena, MT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,092 students

1 mi

Montana Technological University

Butte, MT · Public · Bachelor's · 1,480 students

48 mi

Highlands College of Montana Tech

Butte, MT · Public · Certificate · 342 students

51 mi

Great Falls College Montana State University

Great Falls, MT · Public · Associate · 894 students

71 mi

Montana Academy of Salons

Great Falls, MT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 126 students

71 mi

University of Providence

Great Falls, MT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 528 students

71 mi

Academy of Cosmetology Inc

Bozeman, MT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 students

79 mi

Montana State University

Bozeman, MT · Public · Bachelor's · 14,451 students

79 mi

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.