---
title: Montana State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Bozeman, MT
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Montana State University

Bozeman, MT · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $53,263 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $31,991 – $78,911 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $13,748 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 57% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $25,905 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 73% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.26× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $25,263 | derived |

**57% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $13,748 (≈ 26% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,010 to $100,147 across 45 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Doctoral Degree | $100,147 | $55,433 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,974 | $21,747 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $69,934 | $21,750 |
| Industrial Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,779 | $26,000 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. | Bachelor's Degree | $63,082 | $25,185 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,767 | $22,802 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $60,052 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,139 | $28,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,740 | $24,980 |
| Civil Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,660 | $20,913 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $55,464 | $18,366 |
| Architecture. | Master's Degree | $55,432 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $55,299 | $16,345 |
| Chemical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,200 | $25,000 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,780 | $27,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $50,934 | not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $46,426 | not reported |
| Agricultural Business and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,845 | $19,125 |
| Mathematics. | Master's Degree | $43,943 | not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,486 | $20,735 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $38,880 | not reported |
| Precision Metal Working. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $38,741 | not reported |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,805 | $25,500 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,575 | $20,064 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,211 | $24,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,071 | $22,875 |
| Plant Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,048 | $20,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,434 | $24,250 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,168 | $18,050 |
| Animal Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,328 | $23,149 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,344 | $21,987 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,103 | $19,375 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,736 | not reported |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,481 | $20,399 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,468 | $21,477 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,081 | $23,646 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,054 | $23,785 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,245 | $25,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $25,867 | $12,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,455 | $20,775 |
| Sustainability Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,358 | not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,319 | $22,125 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,546 | $24,000 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,505 | $23,250 |
| Environmental Design. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,010 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Montana State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?180461

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/montana-state-university-mt.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`