Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > Montana
Key takeaway: 12 of the 14 Montana-based institutions in our directory that offer at least one fully online program report both credit for military training and a dedicated point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and their families (IPEDS IC 2024). 8 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Miles Community College. The Census Bureau records 5 military installations in Montana (1 Air Force, 4 Other), and 6 Montana cities have their own page below.
Military-friendly online colleges based in Montana
Ranked by BOC Score, which weights graduation rate, median earnings, net price, retention, and online availability from federal data. The tags on each card are the school’s own answers on the IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey: credit for military training, a dedicated military contact, DoD MOU membership, and a recognized student veteran organization.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,862
Avg net price
$10,405/yr
TuitionIn‑state$5,818
Out‑of‑state$10,626
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,329
Avg net price
$16,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,340
Out‑of‑state$26,150
Key stats
- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 31
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,520
Avg net price
$8,099/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,912
Out‑of‑state$11,659
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
50%
Graduation rate
36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,296
Avg net price
$17,649/yr
TuitionIn‑state$30,448
Out‑of‑state$30,448
Key stats
- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
82%
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,263
Avg net price
$22,499/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,460
Out‑of‑state$33,287
Key stats
- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 108
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
100%
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,229
Avg net price
$16,558/yr
TuitionIn‑state$6,670
Out‑of‑state$20,130
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 30
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,738
Avg net price
$11,593/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,146
Out‑of‑state$11,318
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,034
Avg net price
$12,468/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,028
Out‑of‑state$12,911
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,505
Avg net price
$12,664/yr
TuitionIn‑state$6,982
Out‑of‑state$21,875
Key stats
- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
96%
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,511
Avg net price
$16,784/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,552
Out‑of‑state$33,671
Key stats
- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 152
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
70%
Graduation rate
48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,036
Avg net price
$19,751/yr
TuitionIn‑state$35,582
Out‑of‑state$35,582
Key stats
- Retention rate: 66%
- Programs offered: 34
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,296
Avg net price
$16,524/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,280
Out‑of‑state$22,897
Key stats
- Retention rate: 56%
- Programs offered: 60
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Military installations in Montana
The Census Bureau’s 2024 TIGER/Line military layer records 5 installations in Montana (1 Air Force, 4 Other, branch inferred from the recorded name). The largest by land area are listed; city pages show the ones within 100 miles of each city, with distances.
- Limestone Hills Training Area
- Maneuver Training Area Fort William Henry Harrison
- Malmstrom AFB
- Great Falls Iap
- Helena Aviation
Common post-service careers in Montana
Statewide median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS).
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
| Information Security Analysts |
$81,950 |
MT statewide |
| Logisticians |
$81,270 |
MT statewide |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$62,770 |
MT statewide |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$70,050 |
MT statewide |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$105,840 |
MT statewide |
| Project Management Specialists |
$87,890 |
MT statewide |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$80,950 |
MT statewide |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$108,180 |
MT statewide |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; these are statewide medians.
What the four services mean
- Credit for military training (IPEDS VET2): the institution reports that it awards academic credit for military training, typically evaluated through the Joint Services Transcript. How much credit applies is set program by program.
- Dedicated military contact (VET3): a named point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and their families.
- DoD MOU member (VET5): the institution has signed the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding, a requirement for participating in service education programs.
- Student veteran org (VET4): a recognized student veteran organization on the institution’s records.
Of the 12 schools in Montana that meet this page’s two-service definition, 8 report all four. All 12 are fully online by the IPEDS DISTPGS flag, as is every school on the national military-friendly online colleges list; the state view differs only in where the institution is based.
Military-friendly online colleges near Montana cities
Benefit eligibility is determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and your service’s education office. Nothing on this page guarantees education benefits, credit transfer, admission, or a particular cost. Confirm every detail with the school’s military or veteran services office before you enroll.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024): veteran and military services indicators (VET2 through VET5), distance-education program flag (DISTPGS); BOC Score from College Scorecard and IPEDS outcome data; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 Military Installations layer (installation names as recorded there); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities; Census ACS 5-year estimates. Directory counts as of the September 2026 refresh.
