The University of Montana

Admission to The University of Montana is non-competitive for most applicants, as reflected in an overall undergraduate admit rate of 95.9% in 2025. According to the US News college rankings, the university stood at rank 365 in 2027, following a prolonged decline from rank 201 in 2019. In comparison with 28 similarly ranked public universities, Montana's acceptance rate is higher than 86% of peers, indicating that very few applicants receive rejection letters. However, securing student commitments poses an ongoing challenge for the campus. The institution recorded an undergraduate yield rate of 19.3% in 2025, which means less than one in five admitted students chose to enroll. For prospective applicants, the data shows that gaining an offer of admission is largely accessible, but the modest yield rate also suggests that the majority of accepted students end up choosing other college options.

Standardized test scores are optional, considered if submitted, for applicants to The University of Montana. Very few applicants choose to submit standardized testing; the ACT submission rate was 1% in 2025, and the SAT submission rate was 1% in 2024. For students who submitted ACT scores in 2025, the middle half achieved a composite score between 23 and 28. Subscores for English and math followed a similar pattern, with English ranges tracking higher than mathematics. Because testing is optional and the institution maintains an accessible admissions process with a high acceptance rate, academic transcripts and high school coursework form the primary basis of evaluation for most incoming students. Prospective applicants can view that ACT composite span as a helpful academic benchmark when evaluating how their profile compares with enrolled classmates who provided testing.

Undergraduate degrees at The University of Montana are broadly distributed across fields rather than concentrated in a few subjects, with the top three bachelor's majors accounting for 18.8% of all 1,241 bachelor's degrees conferred in 2025. The leading undergraduate majors by degree conferrals include Psychology, General, followed by Business Administration and Management, and Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. These large undergraduate programs do not overlap with the university's highest-ranked academic offerings, which appear exclusively at the graduate level. In the 2026 US News graduate rankings, the institution earned national recognition in Environmental Law at rank 51 and Pharmacy at rank 54, alongside Physical Therapy at rank 72. In terms of post-graduation compensation, 2023 earnings data indicate that Computer Science graduates earned the highest median pay among bachelor's fields at $58,430 within their first year. Students selecting majors should recognize that professional health and law specialties hold the strongest external reputations, while undergraduate technology degrees deliver the highest immediate compensation.

The student body at The University of Montana features an undergraduate population that is predominantly domestic alongside a more diverse graduate division. White students form the clear majority across the university, comprising about three-quarters of incoming freshmen. Asian students show a pronounced difference between degree levels: they represent just 1% of first-year undergraduates, but account for 496 students, representing 17% of the graduate cohort. International student representation remains limited throughout campus, accounting for only a handful of first-year undergraduates while reaching 102 students at the graduate level. Female students make up the majority overall, exceeding half of undergraduates and more than two-thirds of graduate scholars. For incoming students, the undergraduate community is predominantly regional, while graduate classrooms bring noticeably higher representation from Asian scholars.

The undergraduate student body at the University of Montana is predominantly traditional college age, whereas graduate programs lean toward older adults. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 formed the single largest group at 32.1% of the 7,570 undergraduates, followed by those aged 20 to 21. In contrast, individuals aged 25 to 29 represented the largest segment of the 2,757 graduate students at 29.9%. For applicants evaluating the campus environment, this demographic pattern indicates that bachelor's degree programs are centered around students entering directly from high school, while graduate coursework engages peers who bring a broader range of post-college experience.

International enrollment at The University of Montana is modest and has contracted over the past decade across both academic divisions. Among undergraduates, the international student share dropped from 3.3% in 2016 to 1% in 2025. Within a comparison group of similarly ranked public universities, this 1% proportion is higher than only 23% of peer institutions. The graduate division experienced a similar downward trajectory, with international enrollment receding to 3.5% in 2025. Among degree recipients in 2025, international presence was notably stratified by level, making up less than one percent of bachelor's awards but rising to 6.6% of doctoral graduates. At the undergraduate and master's levels, international scholars were sparse, showing minimal shares in fields such as Psychology and Business Administration, while doctoral programs accounted for the bulk of international completions. Prospective international applicants should understand that international student representation is small and concentrated primarily in specialized post-graduate tracks.

Families exploring higher education options in the Inland Northwest and surrounding regions can evaluate several public and private institutions near The University of Montana. Approximately 144 kilometers away, University of Idaho ranks 208 among National Universities. Just across the state border, Washington State University is located 150 kilometers away and holds a rank of 191 on the same list. Students seeking a private campus environment can look toward Spokane, Washington, where Gonzaga University sits 170 kilometers away, ranking 90 among National Universities. Further west in Walla Walla, Whitman College is situated 214 kilometers from Missoula, placing 78 among National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2027.

Campus safety records at The University of Montana indicate an improving trajectory over the past decade. Forward Pathway's crime rate per 1,000 students stood at 9.5 in 2025, marking the lowest level recorded across the tracked decade. Over the cumulative three-year period from 2023 to 2025, substance violations accounted for the largest share of law enforcement and disciplinary actions. Across those years, campus authorities logged 83 liquor law arrests and 68 liquor disciplinary referrals, alongside drug-related offenses. Beyond substance violations, interpersonal offenses were also documented, including 54 rape reports and stalking cases over the same three-year window, while property thefts remained comparatively minor. For prospective students and families reviewing campus security, these figures demonstrate that substance enforcement and sexual misconduct constitute the primary safety issues, even as the overall incident rate per student continues to trend downward.