10-yr median earnings
$54,329
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Butte, Montana
Highlands College of Montana Tech
Highlands College of Montana Tech is a public institution in Butte, Montana. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $14,962
- Avg net price / yr
- $54,329
- 10-yr median earnings
- 35.9%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Highlands College of Montana Tech posts top-quartile former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 23%
- former-student earnings, US
- 35.9%
- 150%-time completion
- +12%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Remote
Carnegie: Associate's
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Highlands College of Montana Tech profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical-High Nontraditional"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C
College Value Score
55/100
Highlands College of Montana Tech
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B+
$54,329
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C
$14,962
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
35.9%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$18,750
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
84.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$14,962
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
35.9%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 35.9%
Less-than-four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Highlands College of Montana Tech vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Highlands College of Montana Tech ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Highlands College of Montana Tech: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$54,329 Top 23% higher than 77% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Highlands College of Montana Tech | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $54,329 | #1149 of 5103 | 77th |
| Average net price | $14,962 | #2090 of 5020 | 58th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 35.9% | #3909 of 4858 | 20th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 342 | #3177 of 5462 | 42nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
342
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
35.9%
150%-time completion
$54,329
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention
How Highlands College of Montana Tech ranks in Montana
State rank among 25 reporting Montana colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Highlands College of Montana Tech | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $54,329 | #3 of 25 | 88th |
| Average net price | $14,962 | #15 of 26 | 42nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 35.9% | #16 of 26 | 38th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 342 | #14 of 27 | 48th |
Highest former-student earnings in Montana
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carroll College | $61,772 | $23,960 |
| 2 | Montana Technological University | $54,329 | $16,481 |
| 3 | Highlands College of Montana TechThis school | $54,329 | $14,962 |
| 4 | Montana State University | $53,263 | $22,499 |
| 5 | Montana State University-Northern | $49,505 | $12,664 |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain College | $49,036 | $19,751 |
| 7 | University of Providence | $48,296 | $17,649 |
| 8 | The University of Montana | $44,511 | $16,784 |
| 9 | Montana State University Billings | $44,296 | $16,524 |
| 10 | City College Montana State University Billings | $44,296 | - |
| 11 | The University of Montana-Western | $43,229 | $16,558 |
| 12 | Miles Community College | $42,862 | $10,405 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Highlands College of Montana Tech
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$11,650 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,183 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$15,314 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$17,792 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Highlands College of Montana Tech - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $4,130 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $10,950 |
| Average Net Price | $14,962 |
13.5%
Pell Grant Rate
20.9%
Federal Loan Rate
$18,750
Median Debt
$199/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Highlands College of Montana Tech rose +26.3% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $9,648 in 2013 to $12,184 in 2023, a rise of $2,536 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $9,6482023 · $12,184
Over the same years, enrollment went -45.4% (628 → 343 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
39.4%
Female
33.7%
First Generation
Outcomes
$48,356
Median Earnings (6yr)
65.7%
Earning Over $25K
84.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 35.9% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $48,356 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $54,329 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 65.7% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 84.9% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $18,750 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $199/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's | 3 | 29 | - | - | - |
| Certificate | 1 | 60 | $98,271 | $98,271 | $2,750 |
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Certificate | 60 | $98,271 | $2,750 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's | 5 | - | - |
| Precision Metal Working | Associate's | 12 | - | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's | 12 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Highlands College of Montana Tech? ▼
Highlands College of Montana Tech is a public institution in Butte, Montana. Undergraduate enrollment is 342 students.
How much do Highlands College of Montana Tech former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Highlands College of Montana Tech who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $54,329 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $48,356.
How much does Highlands College of Montana Tech cost? ▼
The average net price at Highlands College of Montana Tech is $14,962. In-state tuition is $4,130 and out-of-state tuition is $10,950. Median student debt at graduation is $18,750.
What is the graduation rate at Highlands College of Montana Tech? ▼
Highlands College of Montana Tech has a 35.9% completion rate within 150% of normal program time at a less-than-four-year institution.
Is Highlands College of Montana Tech worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Highlands College of Montana Tech is $18,750, while former students earn a median of $54,329 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 35% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 84.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $199.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Highlands College of Montana Tech
- Compare Highlands College of Montana Tech against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Montana side by side.Browse Montana
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.