+18%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Montana State University rose 18% between 2021 and 2024 ($28.3k → $33.3k).
Montana · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana. 14,472 undergraduate students. 168 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Montana State University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Montana State University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (1.2% → 0.0%).
+12%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Montana State University rose 12% between 2021 and 2024 ($7.5k → $8.5k).
+20%
Public bachelor's-predominant peer
10-year earnings at Montana State University are 20% above the public bachelor's-predominant peer median ($53.3k vs $44.5k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Montana State University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Montana median
Each tile compares this institution to the Montana median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$53,263+19% · 6→10y
Montana median $40,738$44,757
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry57.4%+29% · '97→'24
Montana median 46.1%$13,748+277% · '97→'20
At program completion14,472+39% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS77.9%+9% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time86.8%-3% · '01→'24
latest cohort$8,083+175% · '00→'24
out-of-state $31,337SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Montana State University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Montana State University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.4%Median federal debt $13,748 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $53,263 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Montana State University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+29%
Montana State University · completion · 150% rose
44.1% → 57.1%
+239%
Montana State University · completion · 100% rose
10.8% → 36.6%
+39%
Montana State University · undergrad enrollment rose
10,432 → 14,451
+175%
Montana State University · in-state tuition rose
$3,079 → $8,460
+267%
Montana State University · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,075 → $33,287
+277%
Montana State University · median debt rose
$5,975 → $22,500
-100%
Montana State University · cohort default rate fell
3.4% → 0.0%
-38%
Montana State University · pell share fell
26.6% → 16.4%
+32%
Montana State University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$40,400 → $53,263
+32%
Montana State University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$36,900 → $48,622
+39%
Montana State University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$32,200 → $44,757
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Montana State University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Computer Science$126,082Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$92,667Mechanical Engineering$92,132Accounting and Related Services$91,099Construction Engineering Technologies$89,788Chemical Engineering$82,446Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians$81,914Educational Administration and Supervision$81,680Civil Engineering$76,388Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$74,855Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$72,739Mathematics$70,536Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$69,621Business/Commerce, General$68,260Environmental Design$67,900Architecture$67,746Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$63,350Natural Resources Conservation and Research$60,659Economics$58,698Education, General$57,314Political Science and Government$57,263Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$55,112Agricultural Business and Management$53,351Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$50,960
Showing top 24 of 41 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
41 Montana State University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$44,136Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$49,990Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$74,855Educational Administration and Supervision$81,680Education, General$57,314
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27
PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
PRECISION PRODUCTION · CIP 48
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
AGRICULTURE · CIP 01
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
ARCHITECTURE · CIP 04
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Montana State University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$563,579
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 9
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $20,572
- HS-only baseline · MT
- $35,800
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 52
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Montana State University in Montana
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Montana State University graduates earn $X” — not “Montana State University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Montana State University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.