Billings, Montana Colleges: Costs & Earnings (2026 stats)
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Colleges in Billings, Montana: median public in-state tuition $7,689 (+34.9% vs national median) median 10-year earnings $51,162 (-13.9% vs U.S.) employment-outcome proxy 91.4% working & not enrolled at 8 years median graduate debt $17,750 (+31.5% vs U.S.) 3,570 students enrolled statewide.
Overview
Colleges and universities in Billings serve students across Montana with associate, bachelor's, and graduate pathways. 5 reporting campuses in this city profile, with about 3,570 students enrolled in federal data, and median in-state tuition near $7,689. Tables below compare costs, completion, earnings, and standout institutions against Billings, Montana and U.S. medians from the College Scorecard.
Billings vs Montana & national benchmarks
Medians aggregate institution-level College Scorecard fields unless noted. Enrollment is total undergraduate headcount summed across reporting campuses.
| Geography | In-state tuition | Net price | Median debt | Completion rate | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, Montana | $7,689 | $21,319 | $17,750 | 38.0% | 3,570 |
| Montana (state median) | $5,024 | $10,826 | $15,275 | 44.0% | 36,239 |
| United States | $5,700 | $9,912 | $13,500 | 49.3% | 14,465,291 |
Earnings & employment outcomes: Billings, Montana vs benchmarks
Scorecard does not publish formal job-placement rates. We use the share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled (working ÷ working + not working) as a federal employment-outcome proxy. 2-yr and 3-yr default rates are federal cohort default shares (0–1 scale). We show 2-yr default as the primary benchmark; 3-yr default appears only when enough campuses report non-suppressed values (otherwise —). 3-yr repayment progress is the share of completers making progress on loans after 3 years. Sample: bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200. Medians pool campus-level values.
| Geography | Median earnings (10 yr) | Working & not enrolled (8 yr) | Retention (FT yr 1) | 2-yr default | 3-yr default | 3-yr repayment progress | Debt ÷ earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, Montana | $51,162 | 91.4% | 62.3% | 5.3% | — | 77.3% | 0.40 |
| Montana (state median) | $52,907 | 91.8% | 74.8% | 7.6% | — | 78.2% | 0.37 |
| United States | $59,401 | 93.0% | 76.4% | 5.0% | — | 73.8% | 0.36 |
Other cities in Montana (3+ campuses)
Other cities in the same state with at least three reporting campuses.
| City | In-state tuition | Net price | Median debt | Completion | Enrollment | Earnings (10 yr) | Working (8 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, Montana | $7,689 | $21,319 | $17,750 | 38.0% | 3,570 | $51,162 | 91.4% |
| Bozeman | $8,948 | $19,696 | $19,500 | 59.3% | 14,490 | $59,536 | 93.1% |
| Butte | $6,515 | $16,546 | $15,789 | 61.0% | 1,822 | $59,491 | 91.1% |
| Helena | $23,808 | $19,690 | $17,691 | 67.5% | 1,677 | $66,371 | 92.8% |
| Great Falls | $17,746 | $11,016 | $14,250 | 28.3% | 1,548 | $51,419 | 91.8% |
| Kalispell | $5,024 | $8,987 | $10,061 | N/A | 1,281 | N/A | N/A |
| United States | $5,700 | $9,912 | $13,500 | 49.3% | 14,465,291 | $59,401 | 93.0% |
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by graduation rate (150% time)
Ranked by 150% time completion rate (4-year bachelor's-predominant institutions, enrollment ≥ 500). Higher rate = more students finishing within 150% of normal time.
-
Rank 1, Graduation Rate, 44.9%, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
-
Rank 2, Graduation Rate, 31.1%, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by employment outcome (8 yrs after entry, working & not enrolled)
Ranked by share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled — a federal outcome proxy, not a verified job-placement rate. Enrollment ≥ 500.
-
Rank 1, Employment Outcome, 92.1%, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
-
Rank 2, Employment Outcome, 90.7%, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
Most selective college in Billings, Montana (lowest admission rate)
Ranked by lowest admission rate (most selective first). Bachelor's-predominant four-year institutions with enrollment ≥ 500 and a reported admission rate.
-
Rank 1, Admission Rate, 69.6%, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by entry-level earnings (1 yr post-completion, program)
Ranked by median program-level earnings one year after completion (highest first). Enrollment ≥ 300; reflects completers in reported CIP programs, not all entrants.
-
Rank 1, Entry-Level Earnings, $72,039, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
-
Rank 2, Entry-Level Earnings, $54,109, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by early-career earnings (4 yr post-completion, program)
Ranked by median program-level earnings four years after completion (highest first). Enrollment ≥ 300; program cohort, not institution-wide median.
-
Rank 1, Early-Career Earnings, $77,374, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
-
Rank 2, Early-Career Earnings, $67,304, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by mid-career earnings (6 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings six years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
-
Rank 1, Mid-Career Earnings, $45,858, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
-
Rank 2, Mid-Career Earnings, $45,132, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by 8-year earnings (8 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings eight years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
-
Rank 1, 8-Yr Earnings, $55,800, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
-
Rank 2, 8-Yr Earnings, $45,488, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by long-term earnings (10 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings ten years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
-
Rank 1, 10-Yr Earnings, $54,124, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
-
Rank 2, 10-Yr Earnings, $48,199, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by 10-year ROI
Ranked by 10-year return on investment (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200 and a computed ROI in the EDsmart dataset.
-
Rank 1, 10-Yr ROI, $153,912, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
-
Rank 2, 10-Yr ROI, $152,089, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Top 2 most affordable colleges in Billings, Montana (net price)
Ranked by lowest average net price (most affordable first). Uses overall net price, or mid-income bracket net price for public schools when available. Enrollment ≥ 300.
-
Rank 1, Net Price, $15,630, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
-
Rank 2, Net Price, $21,679, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Top 2 colleges in Billings, Montana by first-year retention (full-time)
Ranked by first-year, full-time retention rate (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant four-year institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
-
Rank 1, First-Year Retention, 69.0%, Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
-
Rank 2, First-Year Retention, 55.6%, Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings
In-state tuition: Billings, Montana vs benchmarks
Sticker price
Billings, Montana median in-state tuition is $7,689, +34.9% vs the U.S. median.
Student debt: Billings, Montana vs benchmarks
Borrowing
Median debt at graduation in Billings, Montana is $17,750 (+31.5% vs U.S. median $13,500). Regional median: $9,750.
Median earnings (10 years out): Billings, Montana vs benchmarks
Payoff
Median earnings 10 years after entry for bachelor's-predominant campuses in Billings, Montana center around $51,162 (-13.9% vs U.S.).
Median institution-level 10-year earnings. Source: College Scorecard.
Employment outcome proxy: Billings, Montana vs benchmarks
Working & not enrolled
The share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled—our Scorecard employment proxy—is 91.4% at the median Billings, Montana campus (-1.6 pp vs U.S.).
Percent of 8-year cohort working and not enrolled (not a formal placement rate).
Analysis & insights
EDsmart Data aggregates institution-level College Scorecard data for this profile. Highlights below compare local medians to U.S. and regional benchmarks.
Costs & borrowing
Billings, Montana median public in-state tuition is $7,689, about +34.9% vs the national median. Versus the Rocky Mountains region, tuition is +51.3%.
Median graduate debt is $17,750 (+31.5% above the U.S. median of $13,500). Low sticker prices do not always mean low borrowing—living costs, time-to-degree, and aid mix matter.
Earnings, employment & retention
Among bachelor's-predominant campuses with ≥200 students, median 10-year earnings in Billings, Montana are $51,162, about -13.9% vs the U.S. campus median ($59,401).
The median campus reports 91.4% of its 8-year cohort as working and not enrolled—our closest federal proxy to a placement rate. The U.S. campus median is 93.0% (-1.6 pp). Formal job-placement statistics are not published in Scorecard; treat this as a comparative outcome indicator, not a hire guarantee.
First-year, full-time retention at the median campus is 62.3% vs a U.S. median of 76.4%—a leading indicator for completion and time-to-degree.
Loan repayment indicators at the median campus: 2-yr default 5.3% (U.S. 5.0%); 3-yr repayment progress 77.3% (U.S. 73.8%). 3-yr default is omitted when most campuses report suppressed zeros.
Top employment-outcome campuses in this extract include Rocky Mountain College (92.1%), Montana State University Billings (90.7%)—useful anchors for local reporting on where graduates are most often working rather than still enrolled.
Completion & workforce context
Average institution-level completion rate across all sectors in Billings, Montana is 38.0% (national institution average about 49.3%).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many colleges are in Billings?
This city profile covers 5 campuses in Billings, Montana with College Scorecard cost or outcomes data.
How much does college cost in Billings?
Median in-state tuition in Billings is $7,689 and median net price is $21,319. For Montana overall, medians are $5,024 and $10,826; U.S. medians are $5,700 and $9,912.
What do graduates earn in Billings?
Median 10-year earnings for campuses in Billings is $51,162 vs $52,907 for Montana and $59,401 nationally.
What is student debt like for Billings colleges?
Median completer debt in Billings is $17,750 vs $15,275 for Montana and $13,500 nationally.
What are the best colleges in Billings?
Top campuses on this page include Rocky Mountain College (graduation) and Rocky Mountain College (10-yr earnings). See Top 10 lists for admission, affordability, and employment metrics.
Are there HBCUs, Hispanic-serving, tribal, or religious colleges in Billings?
Among 5 campuses in Billings, Montana, 2 religiously affiliated private nonprofit campuses (IPEDS RELAFFIL); most common affiliations: United Church of Christ (1), Interdenominational (1).
Sources & related
- Montana college profile
- All college profiles
- National benchmarks
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard
- Download: JSON