Public · University

Montana State University-Northern

Havre, Montana · Remote town

#1 best value in Montana#4 for grad earnings in Montana
Admit rate
$12,664
Avg net price
41%
Graduation rate
$49,505
Median earnings

Montana State University-Northern is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Havre, Montana (remote town setting), enrolling 761 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 761 undergradsRemote townNAIA Division I · Frontier ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Havre, Montana

Havre is the county seat of and the largest city in Hill County, Montana, United States. Havre was incorporated in north-central Montana on September 5, 1893. In August 1893, twenty-six people voted to incorporate Havre as a city on September 5 of that year. The townsite was platted south of the railroad tracks on parts of Descelles’ and Simon Pepin’s ranches. The H. Earl Clack Museum has exhibits on Native American history, pioneer life, and the Great Northern Railway. It is part of the Montana Dinosaur Trail. More early Montana history can be seen at Fort Assinniboine, one of the oldest and largest Army installations in Montana. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
575 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Havre City County (HVR)

How Montana State University-Northern compares

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 24% · #7 of 9 in Montana

First-year retention64%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,505

Higher than 37% · #4 of 9 in Montana

Average net price$12,664

Cheaper than 82% · #1 cheapest of 9 in Montana

Median debt at graduation$18,500

Lower than 83%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment761

Larger than 30%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

808students
  • Undergraduate76194%
  • Graduate476%

Undergraduates by gender

761undergrads
  • Women34946%
  • Men41254%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White68%
  • Black1.8%
  • Hispanic5.1%
  • Asian0.5%
  • Other or multiracial25%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
761
Graduate enrollment
47
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
33%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$35,266
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$55,611
Endowment
$13,463,376

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,982
Out-of-state tuition
$21,875
Room & board
$7,384
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$16,578
Average net price
$12,664

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)
41%
Graduated on time (4 years)
18%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,045
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,505
Median debt at graduation
$18,500
Students with federal loans
29%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 23% 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
18%
Low-income (Pell)
19%
First-generation
22%

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
375
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
49%
Housing charge (year)
$2,724
Meal plan (year)
$4,156
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Frontier Conference
Varsity athletes
192 (149 men · 43 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)

Football90
Basketball28
Rodeo24
Wrestling19
Volleyball13
Cross Country10
Golf8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (966 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$9,940
$30–48k
$9,242
$48–75k
$12,451
$75–110k
$16,315
$110k+
$16,578

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
$60,221

$12,451/year × about 4.8 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.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,208
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 45% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,208. 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 201 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)
$49,505
Typical debt at graduation
$18,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$42,152
Men
$57,862

Men out-earn women by $15,710 (37%) 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
7°F
Annual rain
11.8″
Annual snow
41″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Havre City CO AP, MT US station (3.5 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 Montana State University-Northern

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Montana State University-Northern side by side →

Colleges near Montana State University-Northern

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.