Quad

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $43,229 ten years after enrolling, more than at 20% of colleges; 56% graduate within six years. Four years of net price is about 2.2 years of that salary.

Earnings

Median earnings vs. every college$43.2K
$43.2K
← $24.8Khigher than 20% of 1,762$108.8K →

Earnings climb with time

6 years after entry$37.3K
10 years after entry$43.2K

Staying and finishing

79%

Retention

come back for year two

56%

Graduation

graduate within six years

National median graduation rate: 59%

Everyone who starts here, 8 years later

Students who entered in fall 2016, including and part-time students. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students and treats a transfer out as not finishing.

53 of 100 students who start here earn a degree or certificate here within 8 years; 21 more are enrolled at another college. (633 students)

Earned a credential within 8 years

All entering students, by whether they had a Pell Grant.

Pell Grant recipients51%
Students without a Pell Grant55%
How long it takes

38 of 100 finish within 4 years, 52 within 6, and 53 within 8.

Earned a credential within4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
All students38%52%53%
Started in college here37%56%58%
Transferred in39%46%46%

Transfer students' clock starts when they arrive here, not when they first started college.

National median: 60% of all entering students earn a credential at the college they started at within 8 years.

Do lower-income students finish?

Pell Grant recipients: 45%, 9 points below students with no need-based federal aid (55%). First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years; entered fall 2018.

  • Pell Grant recipients88 students

    45% · 9 points below students with neither

  • Subsidized loan, no Pell Grant50 students

    54% · 1 point below students with neither

  • Neither Pell nor subsidized loan102 students

    55% · comparison group

All students in this class: 51%

By race and ethnicity

First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years, from the College Scorecard's most recent release. Groups under 30 students aren't shown.

  • White204 students

    51% · the same as all students

  • Hispanic/Latino13 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Black2 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Two or more races11 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • American Indian/Alaska Native7 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

All students (IPEDS, entered fall 2018): 51%

Cost vs. earnings

The 300 most-applied-to colleges plus The University of Montana-Western. Top-left is lower cost and higher earnings.

PublicPrivateDot size = undergrads

↑ Median earnings 10 years after entry (higher = more)

Lower cost, higher earnings$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K$140K$160K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K$50K$60K$70K$80KThe University of Montana-Western
Average cost per year, all students (est.) → more expensive

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)