C of I vs MSU-Northern

The College of Idaho and Montana State University-Northern, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, 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-Northern, a public university, welcomes a larger proportion of applicants with an acceptance rate of 99%. While both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, The College of Idaho is renowned for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, while Montana State University-Northern excels in fields such as nursing, education, and business. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal academic environment for your educational journey.

	Montana State University-Northern	The College of Idaho
Overview
Location	Havre, Montana	Caldwell, Idaho
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	70.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	100.0%	56.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
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	604	3,464
Total number of admissions given out	604	1,950
Admitted students who chose to enroll	189	296
Yield rate	31.3%	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: $18,255 Out of state: $30,965	$44,655
Average net price	$10,954	$23,329
Tuition	In state: $4,496 Out of state: $17,096	$33,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $2,470 Meal plan: $4,050	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)	92.0% Average amount $6,857	100.0% Average amount $22,268
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,649	57.0% Average amount $5,251
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,383	11.0% Average amount $11,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,008 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%	1,119 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Graduate students	42 Men 23.8% Women 76.2%	26 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	33.7%
International students	N/A	18.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	300	758
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Idaho California Washington Oregon Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Automotive Technology Education Health Professions Agriculture Liberal Arts	Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.3%	56.1%
Dropout rate	67.3%	13.1%
Transferred out	N/A	30.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,917 Year 2: $66,461 Year 3: $64,057 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,578 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,754 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $61,499 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $52,750 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,870 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $36,394 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,097 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $33,261 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,282 Year 2: $36,134 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 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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