UM Western vs BYU-Idaho

When it comes to higher education, The University of Montana-Western and Brigham Young University-Idaho stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. The University of Montana-Western, a public liberal arts college, boasts a 100% acceptance rate, making it an accessible option for students from all backgrounds. In contrast, Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private religious university, has a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 88%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at The University of Montana-Western including Business, Education, and Health Sciences, while Brigham Young University-Idaho excels in fields such as Business Management, Computer Science, and Family and Consumer Sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Brigham Young University-Idaho	The University of Montana-Western
Overview
Location	Rexburg, Idaho	Dillon, Montana
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Mormon

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.6%	33.3%
Application fees	$35	$30
SAT range	990 - 1200	N/A
ACT range	20 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	50.0%
Total number of applicants	9,963	1,278
Total number of admissions given out	9,621	426
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,858	229
Yield rate	50.5%	53.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$12,880	In state: $21,456 Out of state: $32,920
Average net price	$6,327	$12,377
Tuition	$4,416	In state: $4,523 Out of state: $15,913
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $3,244 Meal plan: $4,800
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	45.0% Average amount $6,132	89.0% Average amount $8,492
Students receiving federal student loan	18.0% Average amount $5,882	58.0% Average amount $7,476
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $4,811	5.0% Average amount $7,955

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	44,304 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%	1,399 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	31.4%
International students	3.4%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,162	420
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Montana Washington Idaho Nevada California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Family and Consumer Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Education Liberal Arts Business Agriculture Military Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.6%	41.8%
Dropout rate	25.4%	26.3%
Transferred out	18.1%	28.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,097 Year 2: $77,966 Year 3: $89,777 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,778 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $84,400 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,924 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $76,101 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,318 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $70,703 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,955 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $67,614 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,669 Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $65,263 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,593 Year 2: $54,209 Year 3: $63,131 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,585 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $61,312 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,429 Year 2: $46,924 Year 3: $54,022 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,978 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $53,390	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,379 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $40,922 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,928 Year 2: $36,437 Year 3: $39,876 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,221 Year 3: $37,419 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,421 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $32,976 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A

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