2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Montana
[General Education](/majors/education/general-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for general education students.
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2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Montana
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Education Schools
Leading the list is The University Of Montana Western, our #1 best value for general education in Montana. Located in the town of Dillon, The University Of Montana Western is a small public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,669, compared with $20,130 for out-of-state students. General Education graduates carry a median of $22,484 in student loans. General Education graduates of The University Of Montana Western earn a median of $36,924 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 100%.
More General Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
