Public · Community college

Salish Kootenai College

Pablo, Montana · Distant rural

1%
Transfer rate
$7,945
Avg net price
28%
Grad / completion
$32,725
Median earnings

Salish Kootenai College is a public associate-granting institution in Pablo, Montana (distant rural setting), enrolling 580 undergraduates. It is a Tribal college. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 580 undergradsDistant ruralIndependentCold wintersSnowy

About Pablo, Montana

Pablo is a census-designated place in Lake County, Montana, United States. Pablo got its start in 1917, when the Northern Pacific Railway completed a branch line between Sčilíp (formerly known as Dixon) and Polson. It takes its name from Michel Pablo, known for his efforts to save the American bison from extinction. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
50 miles to Missoula, MT
To the ocean
376 miles
Nearest airport
47 miles to Missoula Montana (MSO)

How Salish Kootenai College compares

Graduation rate28%

Higher than 10% · #14 of 17 in Montana

First-year retention82%

Higher than 68%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$32,725

Higher than 41% · #7 of 15 in Montana

Average net price$7,945

Cheaper than 79% · #6 cheapest of 17 in Montana

Median debt at graduation$12,923

Lower than 23%

Student–faculty ratio6 : 1

Lower than 95%

Undergraduate enrollment580

Larger than 65%

Percentiles compare Salish Kootenai College 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

Undergraduate vs. graduate

615students
  • Undergraduate58094%
  • Graduate356%

Undergraduates by gender

580undergrads
  • Women33257%
  • Men24843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White20%
  • Black0.5%
  • Hispanic7.8%
  • Other or multiracial71%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
580
Graduate enrollment
35
Student–faculty ratio
6 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
58%
First-generation students
45%
Students over 25
62%
Median family income
$12,246
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$53,037
Endowment
$19,896,156

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,311
Out-of-state tuition
$11,583
Room & board
$7,020
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$13,047
Average net price
$7,945

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)
28%
Graduated on time (4 years)
2%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
1%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,894
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$32,725
Median debt at graduation
$12,923
Students with federal loans
16%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
32%

About 26% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
109
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
19%
Housing charge (year)
$2,475
Application fee
Free
Athletics
Independent
Varsity athletes
20 (10 men · 10 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 (1)

Basketball20

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (671 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Arson
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
$6,999
$30–48k
$9,221
$48–75k
$8,502
$75–110k
$11,883
$110k+

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
$45,935

$8,502/year × about 5.4 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.

33%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,225
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 33% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,225. 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 70 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)
$32,725
Typical debt at graduation
$12,923
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
35%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$31,432
Men
$33,215

Men out-earn women by $1,783 (6%) 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
83°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
15″
Annual snow
33.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.22.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Polson, MT US station (6.4 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 Salish Kootenai College

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

Colleges near Salish Kootenai 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.