Quad

Head-to-head

U. Montana
Western Kentucky

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Western Kentucky's yield is 11 pts higher than U. Montana's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Western Kentucky's grants cover 35% of its full price on average, vs. 24% at U. Montana

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Western Kentucky costs about $5.5K less per year on average than U. Montana ($20,555 vs. $26,011, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Western Kentucky graduates 7 pts more of its students than U. Montana (54% vs. 47%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Western Kentucky has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. Montana

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Western Kentucky has 5 pts more first-gen students than U. Montana (36% vs. 30%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Western Kentucky admits 94%, U. Montana 96%; Western Kentucky's yield is higher, at 30%.

Acceptance rate
U. Montana96%
Western Kentucky94%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. MontanaOpen
  • Western KentuckyOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
U. MontanaNot reported
Western Kentucky
840–1050
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. MontanaRigor and GPA very important35%
  • Western KentuckyGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Western Kentucky has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. Montana and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Montana7.5K
Western Kentucky12.2K
Pell Grant share
U. Montana28%
Western Kentucky30%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at U. Montana, and Business Administration and Management at Western Kentucky; U. Montana has 17 students per faculty member to Western Kentucky's 19.

Students per faculty member
U. Montana17 to 1
Western Kentucky19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. MontanaPsychology, General9%
  • Western KentuckyBusiness Administration and Management, General7%

What each costs

Western Kentucky costs about $5.5K less a year than U. Montana on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Montana$26K
Western Kentucky$20.6K
Aid generosity
U. Montana24%
Western Kentucky35%

What each pays off

U. Montana's former students earn more, a median $44.5K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 54% at Western Kentucky to 47% at U. Montana.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Montana$44.5K
Western Kentucky$43.9K
Graduation rate
U. Montana47%
Western Kentucky54%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Montana got less selective while Western Kentucky held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. MontanaGrowing+79%
  • Western KentuckyGrowing+16%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;The University of Montana (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;The University of Montana Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why