Montana State University: Statistics

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Position Category
#482 of 14,131 In the World
#176 of 2,597 In North America
#153 of 2,496 In the United States
#1 of 12 In Montana
#1 of 2 In Bozeman
#125 of 2,695 For Forestry
Top50% For 164 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
82%
Average SAT
1175
Average ACT
24
Aid receiving
90%
Undergraduates
15,046
Graduates
2,089
Male:Female Ratio
51:49
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
montana.edu

Montana State University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Montana State University has an acceptance rate of 82% and is in the middle in terms of the difficulty of admission among universities in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 82% 84% 81%
Applicants 21,652 9,725 11,547
Admissions 17,786 8,165 9,318
Freshmen enrolled full time 3,311 1,730 1,552
Freshmen enrolled part time 301 153 142

2,540 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

909 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
759 or 21%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1065
or below

75% of them
had 1285
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Montana State University are 1065-1285 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
1,371 or 38%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 21
or below

75% of them
had 27
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Montana State University are 21-27 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
College-preparatory program Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school rank Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended
Recommendations Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 14010 (83%)
Hispanic 1092 (6%)
Two or more races 898 (5%)
Nonresident Alien 419 (2%)
Asian 179 (1%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 141 (0.8%)
Black or African American 100 (0.6%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 100 (0.6%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 13 (0.1%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Average aid awarded
$11,763
Students receiving aid
90%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $6,299$5,669
Tuition in-state $6,299$5,669
Tuition out-of-state $30,784$24,122
Fee in-district $2,161$1,992
Fee in-state $2,161$1,992
Fee out-of-state $2,503$2,248

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 5,273
Combined charge for room and board $14,000

Montana State University majors

Montana State University has granted 2,667 bachelor's degrees across 59 programs, 479 master's across 52 programs, and 125 doctorate degrees across 27 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Montana State University.

Major Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 374 8
Business & Commerce, General 364
Mechanical Engineering 143 10 4
Psychology, General 147 4 1
Family and Consumer Sciences & Human Sciences, General 129 16
Computer Science 99 10 5
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 109 4
Environmental Science 36 48 6
Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology 56 19
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology 65 5 4
Civil Engineering, General 58 14
General Studies 72
Art & Art Studies, General 62 8
Chemical Engineering 58 9 1
Cinematography and Film & Video Production 59 7
Geology & Earth Science, General 49 11 3
Sociology, General 61
Cell & Cellular Biology and Histology 59
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 51 1 4
Mathematics, General 21 28 4
Animal Sciences, General 51
Chemistry, General 39 3 6
Plant Sciences, General 34 8 4
Construction Engineering Technology & Technician 42
Elementary Education and Teaching 41
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 31 5 3
English Language and Literature, General 35 2
Mechanical & Mechanical Engineering Technology & Technician 37
Political Science and Government, General 37
Science Teacher Education & General Science Teacher Education 4 31
Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering 29 4
Aeronautics & Aviation & Aerospace Science and Technology, General 32
Family Practice Nurse & Nursing 32
History, General 25 5 2
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 26
Clinical Nutrition & Nutritionist 26
Industrial Engineering 18 7
Physics, General 5 13 6
Agricultural Teacher Education 17 6
Interior Design 23
Counseling Psychology 20
Curriculum and Instruction 19
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 7 10 2
Accounting 17
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 16 1
Music, General 17
Computer Engineering, General 16
Economics, General 16
CAD & CADD Drafting and & or Design Technology & Technician 15
Finance and Financial Management Services, Other 15
Music Teacher Education 8 6
Agricultural Business and Management, General 13
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 13
Sustainability Studies 10 2
Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management 10 2
Anthropology, General 10
Cybersecurity Defense Strategy & Policy 10
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General 10
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 10
Biochemistry 1 8
Biotechnology 8
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other 8
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 8
Engineering, General 3 5
Materials Science 3 5
Nursing Science 8
Pre-Medicine & Pre-Medical Studies 8
Public Administration 8
Social Science Teacher Education 8
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology & Technician 7
Financial Planning and Services 6
Higher Education & Higher Education Administration 4 2
Statistics, General 6
Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services 5
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 5
French Language and Literature 5
Mathematics and Statistics 5
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, General 3 2
Philosophy 5
American Indian & Native American Studies 4
Computer Installation and Repair Technology & Technician 4
Education, General 4
Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 4
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
Laser and Optical Technology & Technician 3
Optics & Optical Sciences 3
Range Science and Management 3
Astronomy 2
Plant Pathology & Phytopathology 2
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 1
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
Entomology 1
Farm & Farm and Ranch Management 1
Molecular Biology 1
Natural Resources & Conservation, General 1
Neuroscience 1
Grand Total 174 2,667 479 125

Montana State University has a graduation rate of 57%, which is among the 44% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 57% 52% 63%
  • Full-time retention rate - 79%
  • Part-time retention rate - 55%

Publications & Citations

Montana State University is a world-class research university with 33,458 scientific papers published and 1,261,066 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Medicine, Geology, Computer Science, and Ecology.

Publications
33,458
Citations
1,261,066

Publication / Citation count by topic

Biology
20,646 / 873,176
Environmental Science
18,766 / 778,920
Chemistry
16,564 / 717,024
Engineering
15,873 / 622,312
Physics
14,832 / 611,017
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
13,118 / 403,707
Medicine
11,052 / 436,989
Geology
11,030 / 569,964
Computer Science
10,832 / 429,301
Ecology
10,674 / 455,546
Quantum and Particle physics
9,931 / 434,832
Genetics
9,356 / 516,384
Geography and Cartography
9,208 / 328,001
Biochemistry
9,156 / 467,576
Organic Chemistry
8,630 / 377,525
Materials Science
7,558 / 259,597
Paleontology
7,363 / 413,143
Botany
5,927 / 236,016
Sociology
5,736 / 189,231
Political Science
5,452 / 123,199
Law
5,127 / 119,368
Psychology
5,054 / 157,173
Mathematics
4,905 / 161,939
History
4,887 / 148,410
Philosophy
4,625 / 119,439
Optical Engineering
4,358 / 210,938
Agricultural Science
4,191 / 137,382
Archaeology
4,177 / 141,273
Business
4,034 / 114,144
Astrophysics and Astronomy
3,623 / 225,392
Pathology
3,558 / 149,607
Statistics
3,538 / 131,970
Economics
3,428 / 106,819
Metallurgical Engineering
3,212 / 108,701
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
3,108 / 92,273
Electrical Engineering
3,037 / 148,088
Public Health
2,955 / 125,556
Demography
2,733 / 118,968
Oceanography
2,660 / 132,243
Meteorology and Atmospheric Science
2,540 / 107,896

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 358 3733
1994 304 3939
1995 367 4682
1996 424 4917
1997 382 5309
1998 468 6287
1999 496 7216
2000 505 8538
2001 532 9234
2002 661 11121
2003 660 13218
2004 671 15146
2005 710 17271
2006 775 20350
2007 793 22534
2008 826 25425
2009 767 28569
2010 845 32024
2011 879 35697
2012 903 39924
2013 1009 43534
2014 1032 46940
2015 1096 48602
2016 1187 52828
2017 1201 57064
2018 1226 65398
2019 1320 74458
2020 1475 86679
2021 1303 95098
2022 1267 89779
2023 1487 89747
2024 1206 86244
2025 835 76789
Academic rankings

Montana State University alumni

  1. Christopher Langan

    Christopher Langan
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1952-.. (age 74)
    Occupations
    husbandry workerbouncerwriter
    Biography

    Christopher Michael Langan is an American horse rancher and former bar bouncer, known for scoring highly on an IQ test that gained him entry to a high-IQ society and for being formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records high IQ section under the pseudonym of Eric Hart, alongside Marilyn vos Savant and Keith Raniere. The record was discontinued in 1990, as high IQs are considered too unreliable to document as world records. Langan was later a subject of Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success, in which the journalist sought to understand why Langan's high IQ had not led to greater success in life – Langan has no degree, having twice dropped out of college. The book compared him with J. Robert Oppenheimer and focused on the influence of their respective environments on success.

  2. Craig Kilborn

    Craig Kilborn
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1962-.. (age 64)
    Occupations
    screenwritertelevision presentertelevision actorbasketball playeractor
    Biography

    Craig Lawrence Kilborn is an American television host, actor, comedian, and sports commentator. Kilborn began a career in sports broadcasting in the late 1980s, leading to an anchoring position at ESPN's SportsCenter from 1993 to 1996. He was later the first host of The Daily Show, which he hosted from 1996 to 1998, and succeeded Tom Snyder on CBS' The Late Late Show from 1999 to 2004. In comedy, Kilborn is known for his deadpan delivery.

  3. Sarah Vowell

    Sarah Vowell
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1969-.. (age 57)
    Occupations
    writervoice actorjournalistactor
    Biography

    Sarah Jane Vowell is an American historian, writer, journalist, radio personality, social commentator, and actress. She has written seven nonfiction books on American history and culture. Vowell was a contributing editor for the radio program This American Life on Public Radio International from 1996 to 2008, where she produced commentaries and documentaries. She was the voice of Violet Parr in the 2004 animated film The Incredibles and its 2018 sequel.

  4. Greg Gianforte

    Greg Gianforte
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1961-.. (age 65)
    Enrolled in Montana State University
    2007-2007 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in computer science
    Occupations
    business executiveengineerbusinesspersonpolitician
    Biography

    Gregory Richard Gianforte is an American politician, businessman, and software engineer serving as the 25th governor of Montana since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Gianforte served as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large congressional district from 2017 to 2021.

All 73 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names MSU
Founded 1893
Motto Mountains and Minds
Colors blue, gold
Academic calendar August to May (August - December;January-May)
Total FTE staff 3,049
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana, 59717
United States
City population 53,000
Phone 4069940211

Montana State University in social media