Public · University
The University of Montana-Western
Dillon, Montana · Remote town
- 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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 132 miles to Missoula, MT
- To the ocean
- 486 miles
- Nearest airport
- 52 miles to Bert Mooney (BTM)
How The University of Montana-Western compares
More selective than 4% · #7 most selective of 7 in Montana
Higher than 42% · #4 of 9 in Montana
Higher than 58%
Higher than 20% · #9 of 9 in Montana
Cheaper than 66% · #4 cheapest of 9 in Montana
Lower than 67%
Lower than 28%
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
- Undergraduate1,19898%
- Graduate232%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dillon U OF Montana Western, MT US station (0 mi from campus).
What The University of Montana-Western 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 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 →
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, Maine · Remote rural · 70 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,140
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1130
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $44k
West Liberty University
West Liberty, West Virginia · Fringe rural · 37 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 1,511
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1045
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $43k
Western Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado · Remote town · 115 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 1,586
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $47k
Sul Ross State University
Alpine, Texas · Remote town · 146 mi to Midland
- Students
- 1,396
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1024
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $42k
Delta State University
Cleveland, Mississippi · Remote town · 105 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 1,620
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $42k
Black Hills State University
Spearfish, South Dakota · Distant town · 43 mi to Rapid City
- Students
- 1,928
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1087
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near The University of Montana-Western
Highlands College of Montana Tech
Butte, MT · Public · Certificate · 342 students
Montana Technological University
Butte, MT · Public · Bachelor's · 1,480 students
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT · Public · Bachelor's · 14,451 students
Academy of Cosmetology Inc
Bozeman, MT · Private for-profit · Certificate · 39 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.









