BaccalaureatePublic

Montana State University - Northern

Havre, Montana·Public, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·msun.edu
Acceptance
100.0%
+15.1pp vs Baccalaureate
6-yr Graduation
41%
-3.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
966
peer median 3,673
Avg net price
$12,664
-$3.0k vs Baccalaureate
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
604
604 candidates competed
Admitted
604
100.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
189
31.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
41%-3.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
18%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
30%
Full-time retention
64%

Pell equity

22.7pp gap
Pell recipients
31%31 of 100
Non-Pell (all)
54%43 of 80
Subsidized loan, no Pell
59%10 of 17
No Federal Aid
52%33 of 63

Non-Pell students graduate at a 22.7-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 39 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 36 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
39
Passing
3
7.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

39programs
  • Passing3 · 7.7%
  • No Data36 · 92.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
3
No data
36

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+82.1%
$57,489 vs $31,564
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+95.6%
$61,748 vs $31,564
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+124.7%
$70,933 vs $31,564

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
34%
$24,379 debt · $70,933 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
21%
$13,000 debt · $61,748 earn
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
19%
$10,708 debt · $57,489 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Accredited since 1932Next review Oct 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 8

  1. Mar 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  2. Sep 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program
  3. Sep 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  4. Mar 2021Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program
  5. Mar 2020Probation or Equivalent or More Severe Status: Monitoring
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,940
$30–48k$9,242
$48–75k$12,451
$75–110k$16,315
$110k+$16,578

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,664
-$2,971vs Baccalaureate median $15,635
Federal loans
29.3%
In-state tuition
$6,982
Out-of-state
$21,875

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 374 students received $2.0M in Pell grants, alongside $2.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
374
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.0M
$2,016,429 total
Direct Loans
$2.2M
486 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$647K
192 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$941K
228 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$170K
16 loan awards
Parent PLUS$408K
50 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 322 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.8%
-0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
322
Defaulted
6
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.9%
2017
11.4%
2018
9.7%
2019
1.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at MSUN

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs27
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

234 total completions
01Mechanic
6126.1%
02Business
3113.2%
03Health Professions
3012.8%
04Engineering Tech
3012.8%
05Education
2812.0%
06Construction Trades
125.1%
07Parks/Recreation
125.1%
08Agriculture
114.7%
09Liberal Arts
114.7%
10Security/Protective
83.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
966
12-mo unduplicated
1,408
Undergraduate
1,357
Graduate
51

Gender split

Men
52%738
Women
48%670

Race / ethnicity composition

White
67.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
18.8%
Hispanic
5.1%
Two or more
4.6%
Black
1.8%
Unknown
0.8%
Asian
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.5%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
185
146 M · 39 W
Women athletes
21.1%
Athletic aid
$576K
Total student aid
Budget
$2.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$415K
$161K
Recruiting expense
$14K
$10K
Head-coach salaries
$34K
$29K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Football
90 M · —
$710K
Basketball
15 M · 13 W
$509K
Rodeo
13 M · 11 W
$34K
Wrestling
19 M · —
$211K
Volleyball
— · 13 W
$213K
Cross Country
7 M · 3 W
$34K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,021 students

3-year trend

0.952 yrs ago0.881 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs01
    Liquor06

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    13.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    51

    MSUN vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions MSUN selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectMontana State University-Northern
    		41%100.0%966$12,664Baccalaureate
    The University of Montana-Western
    		54%99.8%1,358$16,558Baccalaureate
    Fort Lewis College
    		36%77.3%3,544$17,296Baccalaureate
    Lewis-Clark State College
    		32%87.7%3,801$15,635Baccalaureate
    United States Air Force Academy
    		88%14.1%4,114—Baccalaureate
    Colorado Mesa University
    		47%82.0%9,785$15,103Baccalaureate
    Peer group median44%84.9%3,673$15,635

    Institutions like MSUN

    Explore the federal data for institutions in MSUN's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    MSUN Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research
    Reports to Office of the Provost
    Email
    IR [at] msun.edu
    Phone
    800.662.6132
    Address
    MSU-Northern, P.O. Box 7751, Havre, MT 59501-7751, Cowan Hall Room 213K

    The Office of Institutional Research provides informational support to the university in pursuit of its mission. The OIR develops, collects and analyzes data about the university to aid in decision making and assessing outcomes.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    1 member
    • Jay Howland
      Director of Institutional Research

    Common Data Set

    MSUN's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

    Total enrollment
    1,334
    1,250 UG · 84 grad
    6-yr graduation rate
    29%
    First-year retention
    59%
    Student–faculty ratio
    14.83 to 1
    Est. net price (aided)
    $22,944
    after avg need-based grant
    01

    Affordability & Value

    Cost of attendance

    G
    Total$27,601
    Tuition
    $15,69057%
    Fees
    $1,3135%
    Room & board
    $6,19822%
    Books
    $1,2004%
    Other
    $3,20012%

    Total sticker cost of attendance is $27,601 (2013-2014).

    Sticker vs. net price

    G+H
    Sticker COA
    $27,601
    Net (aided)
    $22,944
    Avg need grant
    $4,657

    Sticker $27,601 → about $22,944 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($4,657); 60% of demonstrated need is met.

    Where grant aid comes from

    H1
    Total Self-Help26.0%
    Student loans from all sources25.1%
    Total Scholarships/Grants20.9%
    Federal14.7%
    Tuition Waivers5.4%
    External4.7%
    State1.3%
    Athletic Awards0.7%
    Federal Work-Study0.7%
    State and other work-study0.2%
    Institutional0.1%
    Parent Loans0.0%

    0% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

    Graduate debt

    H4/H5
    Grads with debt
    68%
    Avg debt
    $25,962

    68% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $25,962 on average.

    02

    Outcomes & Equity

    Graduation & retention

    B
    6-yr grad rate
    29%
    Retention
    59%

    6-year graduation rate 29%; first-year retention 59%.

    03

    Academic Experience

    Class-size distribution

    I3
    2-9 students64
    10-19 students95
    20-29 students50
    30-39 students20
    40-49 students2
    50-99 students2
    100+ students0

    68% of classes have under 20 students; 1% have 50+.

    Faculty profile

    I
    Student–faculty ratio
    14.83 to 1
    Women faculty
    37%

    Key faculty indicators.

    04

    Student Body & Diversity

    Undergraduate race/ethnicity

    B2
    White, non-Hispanic77.0%
    American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic10.6%
    Race and/or ethnicity unknown6.2%
    Hispanic1.8%
    Asian, non-Hispanic1.7%
    Black or African American, non-Hispanic1.4%
    Nonresident aliens0.6%
    Two or more races, non-Hispanic0.6%
    Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.2%

    Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

    International students

    B2
    International UG
    7
    Share
    1%

    1% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

    Undergrad vs graduate

    B1
    Undergraduate
    1,25094%
    Graduate
    846%

    1,250 undergraduates and 84 graduate students.

    05

    Transfer Path

    Transfer admissions

    D1
    Applied
    350
    Admitted
    350
    Enrolled
    197

    350 transfer applicants → 350 admitted (100.0%) → 197 enrolled

    Source publications

    Frequently asked questions about Montana State University-Northern

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about MSUN.

    What is the acceptance rate at Montana State University-Northern?

    Montana State University-Northern's acceptance rate is 100.0% (604 admitted from 604 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

    What is the graduation rate at Montana State University-Northern?

    Montana State University-Northern reports a 6-year graduation rate of 41% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Montana State University-Northern?

    Montana State University-Northern reports a total enrollment of 966 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Montana State University-Northern?

    The average net price at Montana State University-Northern is $12,664 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Montana State University-Northern?

    Montana State University-Northern's yield rate is 31.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Montana State University-Northern located?

    Montana State University-Northern is located in Havre, Montana 59501.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Montana State University-Northern?

    Montana State University-Northern's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research, which reports to Office of the Provost.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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