C of I vs MSU Billings

The College of Idaho and Montana State University Billings, both located in the Western United States, offer distinct educational experiences. The College of Idaho, a private liberal arts college, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 68%, while Montana State University Billings, a public university, offers a more open admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 99%. The student bodies at these institutions also differ, with The College of Idaho's student body being predominantly White (86%) and Montana State University Billings' student body being more diverse, with a significant population of Native American students (14%). Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and other key factors, to determine which one aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Montana State University Billings	The College of Idaho
Overview
Location	Billings, Montana	Caldwell, Idaho
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	57.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	56.3%
Application fees	$40
SAT range	N/A	1080 - 1246
ACT range	N/A	21 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		53.0%
Students submitting ACT score		18.0%
Total number of applicants		3,464
Total number of admissions given out		1,950
Admitted students who chose to enroll		296
Yield rate		15.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,258 Out of state: $33,588	$44,655
Average net price	$12,626	$23,329
Tuition	In state: $4,485 Out of state: $17,678	$33,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,096 Meal plan: $3,860	Room/dormitory: $5,050 Meal plan: $6,108
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $5,151	100.0% Average amount $22,268
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,398	57.0% Average amount $5,251
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,623	11.0% Average amount $11,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,728 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%	1,119 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Graduate students	386 Men 23.6% Women 76.4%	26 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	11.6%	33.7%
International students	1.6%	18.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	480	758
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Montana Washington California Wyoming Idaho	Idaho California Washington Oregon Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Liberal Arts Business Automotive Technology	Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	28.1%	56.1%
Dropout rate	41.6%	13.1%
Transferred out	25.2%	30.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,668 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $56,921 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,844 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $45,907 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,616 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,732 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,524 Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $34,494 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,992 Year 2: $43,993 Year 3: $33,515 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,890 Year 3: $33,438 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,495 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,775 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,100 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,789 Year 2: $31,890 Year 3: $44,099 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,578 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $32,411 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,354 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,241 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

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