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Montana State University-Northern: Affiliated Onlookers (6939939725)
Photo: Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional college

Montana State University-Northern

Havre, MT · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $12,664 a year

Median debt at graduation: $18,500 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.41%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.64%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.13 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$10,357

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$9,940
$30,001–$48,000$9,242
$48,001–$75,000$12,451
$75,001–$110,000$16,315
Over $110,000$16,578

Full cost of attendance before aid: $16,578 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
982
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 60% · Women 40%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
34%
Total students1,021
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$12,664
Cost of attendance (per year)$16,578
Median federal debt at graduation$18,500
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
41%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
33%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
35%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
64%
First-year retention64%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$49,505
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$30
Students receiving Pell grants33%

Value: Very good · Top 21% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Criminal justice$61,748

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agricultural Mechanization, Agricultural business, Automotive technology, Biology, Business administration, Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Community Organization and Advocacy, Design, Drafting and design, Ethnic and gender studies, Interdisciplinary studies, Kinesiology and exercise science, Liberal arts, Nursing, Secondary education, Teacher education, Welding and metalworking.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Mechanics and repair18%
Business17%
Health professions16%
Education15%
Criminal justice and security10%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates15%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older22%
On-campus room and board (per year)$7,384
SportsNAIA · Frontier Conference
Students per faculty member13 to 1
Faculty who are full-time100%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$13,528Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 38% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsHavre City County Airport (HVR)About 3 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population9,2582020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreSeattleAbout 587 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January18°F1991–2020 normal, from HAVRE CITY CO AP, MT US, about 3 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July70°F1991–2020 normal, from HAVRE CITY CO AP, MT US, about 3 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.000.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Montana State University-Northern’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B-). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Montana State University-Northern cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $12,664 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How do Montana State University-Northern’s graduates do?
41% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $49,505; the median federal debt at graduation is $18,500.

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