Community colleges
Community Colleges in Montana
CampusPin lists 9 public community colleges among Montana's 24 colleges, about 37.5% of the state's institutions. Community colleges are the most affordable on-ramp to higher education, with a median published in-state tuition of $3,975 in this snapshot.
Montana community colleges by the numbers
- Community colleges
- 9
- Share of state colleges
- 37.5%
- Median published in-state tuition
- $3,975
- National public 2-year median
- $4,288
- Lowest published tuition
- Chief Dull Knife College ($1,960)
Counts and shares come from CampusPin's committed institution-distribution snapshot; the tuition median is the published in-state figure from the tuition-by-state snapshot. Those cover every community college in the state. Here a community college means a public two-year college; private two-year and career schools are not counted. The list below covers all 9 of them. Published prices are before financial aid, net price is typically lower, and lower tuition is not a measure of quality.
What work without a bachelor's degree pays in Montana
72% of jobs in Montana are in occupations the federal government reports as typically entered with an associate degree, a certificate, some college, a high-school diploma, or no formal credential. 32% of that employment pays more than $48,740, the median wage across all occupations there.
- Jobs not typically needing a bachelor's
- 72%
- Of those, paying above the local median
- 32%
- Montana median wage, all occupations
- $48,740
- Best-paid such occupation in Montana
- Electrical power-line installers and repairers ($110,320) — typically entered with a high school diploma or equivalent
These figures describe occupations, not graduates. They do not measure what community-college students in Montana earn, and they are not evidence that any credential caused the pay. Typical entry education is a national assignment describing what people entering an occupation usually hold, not a requirement and not a guarantee that a particular employer accepts it. A median describes everyone working in an occupation, experienced and new alike, so it is not a starting salary, and wages are not adjusted for cost of living.
All community colleges in Montana
- Chief Dull Knife College, Lame Deer · $1,960 published in-state tuition
- Dawson Community College, Glendive · $5,010 published in-state tuition
- Flathead Valley Community College, Kalispell · $4,912 published in-state tuition
- Fort Peck Community College, Poplar · $2,250 published in-state tuition
- Great Falls College Montana State University, Great Falls · $4,028 published in-state tuition
- Helena College University of Montana, Helena · $4,146 published in-state tuition
- Highlands College of Montana Tech, Butte · $4,130 published in-state tuition
- Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency · $3,200 published in-state tuition
- Miles Community College, Miles City · $5,818 published in-state tuition
Why start at a Montana community college?
Community colleges typically offer open or less-selective admission, the lowest published tuition of any sector, and transfer pathways that let students complete lower-division coursework before moving to a four-year university. They also serve working and returning students with part-time, evening, and online options. Confirm transfer-credit and articulation agreements with each college and your target university. Because two-year colleges anchor the low-cost end of every state's mix, our cost and outcomes by state research puts that affordability in context against each state's overall medians.
Community colleges in nearby states
Data sources & methodology
Community-college counts and shares for Montana come from CampusPin's committed institution-distribution and tuition-by-state snapshots; the college list is compiled live from each institution's record.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Community Colleges in Montana. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/community-colleges-in/montana