Best General Studies Schools Near Great Falls, MT (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Great Falls, Montana has 4 accredited schools offering general studies programs, with tuition ranging from $4,028 to $43,477 per year for indexed programs. Great Falls has a population of about 60,412. Median household income is $63,934 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Great Falls, MT metro area, the top-earning general studies-related role is Management Analysts at a median $95,690 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest General Studies Schools to Great Falls

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies programs near Great Falls, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Great Falls city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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:

  • 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. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Great Falls. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Providence

Great Falls, MT 1.5 miles from Great Falls
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
53.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 50%
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,296
Avg net price $17,649/yr
Tuition
In‑state$30,448
Out‑of‑state$30,448
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Great Falls College Montana State University

Great Falls, MT 1.8 miles from Great Falls
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
45.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,034
Avg net price $12,468/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,028
Out‑of‑state$12,911
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Montana schools on the Montana general studies page.

General Studies Wages Near Great Falls

Great Falls is part of the Great Falls, MT metro area (BLS area code 24500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Montana statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Managers $88,780 Great Falls, MT $91,715
Management Analysts $95,690 Great Falls, MT $98,853
Human Resources Specialists $62,740 Great Falls, MT $64,814
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $60,440 Great Falls, MT $62,438
Writers and Authors N/A MT statewide –
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $60,850 Great Falls, MT $62,862
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $62,090 Great Falls, MT $64,143
Social and Community Service Managers $72,420 Great Falls, MT $74,814

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Great Falls at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 60,412 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,934 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 28.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.8 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Great Falls-Area Cities With General Studies Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited general studies schools are near Great Falls, MT?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering general studies programs near Great Falls. The closest is University of Providence in Great Falls, MT (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Carroll College (71.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying general studies roles near Great Falls?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near Great Falls are: Management Analysts ($95,690), General and Operations Managers ($88,780), Social and Community Service Managers ($72,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Montana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Helena instead of Great Falls?

Helena, MT is 71.2 miles from Great Falls and has its own set of local general studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Great Falls an affordable place to study general studies?

Great Falls’s median household income of $63,934 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Great Falls while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Montana public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About General Studies Programs

Other Programs Available in Great Falls

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Great Falls:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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