Public · University

The University of Montana-Western

Dillon, Montana · Remote town

#4 graduation rate in Montana#4 best value in Montana
99.8%
Admit rate
$16,558
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$43,229
Median earnings

The University of Montana-Western is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Dillon, Montana (remote town setting), enrolling 1,198 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,198 undergradsRemote townOpen admissionNAIA Division I · Frontier ConferenceCold winters

About Dillon, Montana

Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. Dillon was founded in the Beaverhead Valley as a railroad town in 1880. The Beaverhead County Museum is in Dillon. Dillon Public Library was built as a Carnegie library in 1901 and still serves the community. The YMCA has a location within the city limits. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
486 miles
Nearest airport
52 miles to Bert Mooney (BTM)

How The University of Montana-Western compares

Selectivity99.8%

More selective than 4% · #7 most selective of 7 in Montana

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #4 of 9 in Montana

First-year retention79%

Higher than 58%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,229

Higher than 20% · #9 of 9 in Montana

Average net price$16,558

Cheaper than 66% · #4 cheapest of 9 in Montana

Median debt at graduation$21,000

Lower than 67%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment1,198

Larger than 43%

Percentiles compare The University of Montana-Western 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

1,221students
  • Undergraduate1,19898%
  • Graduate232%

Undergraduates by gender

1,198undergrads
  • Women76063%
  • Men43837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black1.3%
  • Hispanic5.3%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,198
Graduate enrollment
23
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$42,280
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,911
Endowment
$13,029,120

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

Admissions

Admission rate
99.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,670
Out-of-state tuition
$20,130
Room & board
$10,046
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$21,403
Average net price
$16,558

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)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
29%
First-year retention
79%
Transferred to another college
20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,252
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,229
Median debt at graduation
$21,000
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 22% 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
29%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
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
Yes
Dorm capacity
430
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
36%
Housing charge (year)
$3,506
Meal plan (year)
$5,598
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Frontier Conference
Varsity athletes
270 (197 men · 73 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 (5)

Football125
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)53
Rodeo47
Basketball27
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
18
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,358 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.

6.0reported offenses a year
6.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Rape
1.0

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
$14,822
$30–48k
$14,058
$48–75k
$15,951
$75–110k
$17,785
$110k+
$20,125

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
$74,257

$15,951/year × about 4.7 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.

44%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,873
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 44% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,873. 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 262 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)
$43,229
Typical debt at graduation
$21,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$38,056
Men
$50,083

Men out-earn women by $12,027 (32%) 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
13°F
Annual rain
11.3″
Annual snow
11.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.91.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dillon U OF Montana Western, MT US station (0 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 The University of Montana-Western

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

Colleges near The University of Montana-Western

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.