Best General Studies Schools Near Helena, MT (2026)

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

Helena, Montana has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs, with tuition ranging from $4,028 to $26,150 per year for indexed programs. Helena has a population of about 33,126. Median household income is $69,341 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Helena, MT metro area, the top-earning general studies-related role is Management Analysts at a median $103,140 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest General Studies Schools to Helena

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies programs near Helena, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Helena 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 Helena. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Graduation rate 37%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,738

Avg net price $11,593/yr

Tuition

In‑state$4,146

Out‑of‑state$11,318

Contact

1115 N Roberts Street Helena, MT 59601
(406) 447-6900
Visit website

Key stats

Programs offered: 16

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDS College Scorecard

Graduation rate 69%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,772

Avg net price $23,960/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

1601 N Benton Ave Helena, MT 59625-0002
(406) 447-4300
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 82%
Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

General Studies Wages Near Helena

Helena is part of the Helena, MT metro area (BLS area code 25740). 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	$101,510	Helena, MT	$106,071
Management Analysts	$103,140	Helena, MT	$107,774
Human Resources Specialists	$78,020	Helena, MT	$81,526
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$65,820	Helena, MT	$68,777
Writers and Authors	N/A	MT statewide	–
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$60,520	Helena, MT	$63,239
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$63,710	Helena, MT	$66,573
Social and Community Service Managers	$84,040	Helena, MT	$87,816

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.

Helena at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	33,126	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$69,341	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	50.4%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	95.7 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Helena-Area Cities With General Studies Programs

Butte, MT – 56.8 mi away (30,584 pop)
Great Falls, MT – 71.2 mi away (65,960 pop)
Bozeman, MT – 78.2 mi away (52,391 pop)
Missoula, MT – 96.1 mi away (89,017 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited general studies schools are near Helena, MT?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs near Helena. The closest is Helena College University of Montana in Helena, MT (0.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Great Falls College Montana State University (70.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying general studies roles near Helena?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near Helena are: Management Analysts ($103,140), General and Operations Managers ($101,510), Social and Community Service Managers ($84,040). 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 Butte instead of Helena?

Butte, MT is 56.8 miles from Helena 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 Helena an affordable place to study general studies?

Helena’s median household income of $69,341 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Helena 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 Helena

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

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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