Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Montana
1
Meet the Ranking Threshold
1
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$29,018
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Montana
General studies bachelor's degrees in Montana come down to one program, at the University of Providence in Great Falls, a private nonprofit university. It awarded 3 general studies bachelor's degrees in the latest year, charges $29,018 in tuition and required fees for 2023-24, and graduates 28% of its first-time, full-time students. Three degrees a year is below the 10 the national ranking requires, so the program is ranked within Montana on the national formula rather than on the national list, and it scores 7.1, with the 28% graduation rate in the 6th percentile of the national pool and the $29,018 price in the 15th. Providence is also the only private college in Montana with a general studies degree at any level.
Every other general studies degree in Montana is a two-year degree, and all 10 associate programs are public, charging $2,250 to $8,152. So the realistic picture for someone who wants a general studies bachelor's in Montana is one of two routes: Providence's campus program at private tuition, or a public general studies associate followed by a bachelor's in another major at a Montana University System campus. Providence is not offered online, and its 28% graduation rate is the figure to weigh against its price.
The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Montana
The general studies bachelor's degrees in Montana are ranked below within the state. Each awarded fewer than the 10 degrees a year the national bachelor's degree ranking requires, so none is on the national list, but each is scored on the same formula and against the same national programs, so a score here means what it means there. The number on each card is the program's place in Montana.
1
University of Providence
Montana
7.1- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 28%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $29,018 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 3
About the Program
Some 763 students attend University of Providence, a private nonprofit university in Great Falls, Montana. The program's last federal report shows 3 bachelor's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 1 in every 100 programs measured here. Its college-wide graduation rate is 28%, the 6th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Every student pays $29,018 a year in tuition and fees, since the institution sets one rate. About 50% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. On price it does best, reaching the 15th percentile.
How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in Montana?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Montana costs $29,018 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24, the University of Providence's price and the only one at this level. Providence is private, so Montana residents and out-of-state students pay the same figure. For scale, the public general studies associate degrees in the state run from $2,250 at Fort Peck Community College to $8,152 at the University of Montana, where nonresidents pay $31,622.
The Baker Grant can apply here. The Board of Regents pays it to students who are residents of Montana attending an eligible public or private postsecondary educational institution located in Montana, and Providence is a private institution in the state, so ask its aid office whether it's on the eligible list. You'll need prior-year work income of at least 500 times the federal hourly minimum wage and must be enrolled as a full-time student who has not yet earned a first bachelor's degree. A general studies bachelor's as a first degree fits that rule. A second bachelor's doesn't, and a part-time schedule doesn't either.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Montana?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Montana under Board of Regents Policy 301.10, even though the one program is private, because the policy covers regionally accredited independent colleges in the state of Montana alongside the university system, the three public community colleges and the seven tribal colleges. So a student who completed an approved lower-division general education program at one of those institutions and transfers to another of them cannot be required to take additional general education coursework at the lower division level.
Three things count as finishing that program. An associate of arts or associate of science with an approved general education component package. The entire 30-credit MUS core. Or, with 20 or more MUS core credits, your choice of completing the MUS core or the receiving campus's approved general education program. Each course needs a grade of C- or better. Bring the transcript that shows which of those you hold, ask the University of Providence in writing how it applies the policy to its general studies degree, and ask how many of your remaining credits count toward the major rather than as electives, since that decides how many semesters are left.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Montana?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in Montana pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in Montana
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Montana is really a question of whether the University of Providence fits you, since it's the one program at this level. The data gives you two numbers to weigh: $29,018 a year in tuition and fees and a 28% graduation rate, both the university's figures rather than the program's, and together they produce a score of 7.1. The alternative the data shows is the public associate route, where Montana State graduates 57% and Miles Community College 62% at $8,083 and $7,230, followed by a bachelor's in another field.
Ask Providence how many students are in the general studies major, since 3 degrees a year could mean a completion route for returning adults or a few students who changed majors late, and those are different experiences. Ask whether the degree can be taken part-time, because the Baker Grant can't, and whether any coursework is offered online, because the federal data lists the program as campus-based. And bring a written credit evaluation into the conversation before you deposit.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Montana have their own page.