+17%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at The University of Montana-Western rose 17% between 2021 and 2024 ($17.2k → $20.1k).
Montana · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
The University of Montana-Western
Dillon, Montana. 1,271 undergraduate students. 34 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at The University of Montana-Western
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at The University of Montana-Western fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (3.1% → 0.0%).
+17%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at The University of Montana-Western rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 ($5.7k → $6.7k).
+23%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at The University of Montana-Western rose 23% between 2021 and 2024 (41.8% → 51.2%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Montana
Each tile compares this institution to the Montana median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$43,229+16% · 6→10y
Montana median $40,738$37,252
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry49.5%+108% · '01→'24
Montana median 46.1%$12,000+282% · '97→'20
At program completion1,271+8% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS79.2%+54% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time99.5%+64% · '17→'24
latest cohort$6,430+139% · '00→'24
out-of-state $19,038SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.7%Median federal debt $12,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $43,229 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+108%
The University of Montana-Western · completion · 150% rose
24.6% → 51.2%
+169%
The University of Montana-Western · completion · 100% rose
10.7% → 28.9%
+54%
The University of Montana-Western · retention rose
51.0% → 78.6%
+139%
The University of Montana-Western · in-state tuition rose
$2,795 → $6,670
+155%
The University of Montana-Western · out-of-state tuition rose
$7,885 → $20,130
+282%
The University of Montana-Western · median debt rose
$5,500 → $21,000
-100%
The University of Montana-Western · cohort default rate fell
4.2% → 0.0%
-24%
The University of Montana-Western · pell share fell
46.4% → 35.2%
+38%
The University of Montana-Western · earnings_median_10yr rose
$31,400 → $43,229
+37%
The University of Montana-Western · earnings_median_8yr rose
$29,600 → $40,640
+41%
The University of Montana-Western · earnings_median_6yr rose
$26,400 → $37,252
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
5 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at The University of Montana-Western
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$14,438
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 33
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $16,516
- HS-only baseline · MT
- $35,800
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 13
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Montana
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“The University of Montana-Western graduates earn $X” — not “The University of Montana-Western makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending The University of Montana-Western caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.