Rocky Mountain College
Billings, Montana · Private Nonprofit · 69.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 35/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Rocky Mountain College is a small private college in Billings, Montana with 840 students, scoring 35 out of 100 (Below Benchmark). The data is blunt: a 15.6-year payback period, a 48.4% completion rate - meaning more than half of students who enroll do not finish - and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.754. Air Transportation is the exception, with 33 graduates per year earning $77,374 at four years - a strong outcome driven by pilot and aviation industry demand. The school's remote Montana location limits recruiting from coastal employers and concentrates graduates in the regional economy.
How Rocky Mountain College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score35/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period15.6 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Rocky Mountain College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,582/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,582/yr |
| Average net price | $19,751/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $79,004 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $49,036 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 48.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 840 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $35,582/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $19,751/year, or roughly $79,004 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $15,404/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,150/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,500) and comes to 0.75, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $15,404 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $13,781 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,957 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $19,892 |
| $110,001+ | $25,150 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,404/year. This is one of the school's better attributes. Four years at this price totals roughly $62,000. Given six-year average earnings of $34,500, even this modest investment faces a long payback at 15.6 years for the average student.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 30-48k bracket pays $13,781/year - slightly lower than the lowest income bracket, suggesting the school's aid formula may produce some anomalies. The 48-75k bracket rises to $14,957/year. The 75-110k bracket jumps to $19,892/year. The slope is relatively modest through the middle range.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families over $110,000 pay $25,150/year. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.754 and a 15.6-year payback period across all students, high-income families paying $25,000/year face a poor ROI. The only program that makes a strong case at this price is Air Transportation.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Rocky Mountain College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Air Transportation | $77,374 | C |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $59,499 | C |
| Biology | $60,305 | D |
| Psychology | $29,910 | - |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $46,839 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Air Transportation
Air Transportation is Rocky Mountain College's strongest ROI program, producing 33 graduates per year. One-year earnings of $41,588 grow to $77,374 at four years - reflecting the career trajectory from flight instruction and regional airline positions toward commercial airline roles. The regional airline industry has seen sustained demand for pilots, and Rocky Mountain College's program feeds graduates into feeder routes and regional carriers. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.649 on $27,000 median debt earns a C grade - the grade is held back by the debt level relative to early earnings, but the four-year trajectory is substantially better.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 23 students per year with one-year earnings of $42,971 and four-year earnings of $59,499. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.605 on $26,000 median debt earns a C grade. Montana's business market is concentrated in agriculture, energy, healthcare, and small businesses. The ROI is workable in a Montana context but would be a weaker value proposition for students who plan to leave the region.
Biology
Biology graduates 21 students per year. One-year earnings of $27,912 rise to $60,305 at four years - a pattern typical of biology majors who pursue graduate or medical education between those milestones. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.812 on $22,663 median debt earns a D grade, reflecting low early earnings against meaningful debt. Montana's health care sector, including rural medicine and veterinary work, creates some demand for biology graduates, but students need to plan for post-graduate education costs if aiming for professional careers in science or medicine.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 74.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 78.2% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 74.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 79.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Rocky Mountain College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 69.6% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 405-568 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 488-565 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 18-24 |
| Enrollment | 840 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 31.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,957 |
Rocky Mountain College admits 69.6% of applicants. The ACT 18-24 range and broad SAT scores indicate a school that admits students across a wide academic profile. The aviation program may have additional requirements tied to flight training and licensing that go beyond standard admissions criteria.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Rocky Mountain's completion rate is 48.4% and its payback period is 15.6 years.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain College (this school) | 35 | $19,751 | $49,036 |
| Evangel University | 35 | $18,669 | $46,573 |
| Corban University | 35 | $28,035 | $48,917 |
| Colorado Christian University | 34 | $29,500 | $50,416 |
| William Carey University | 34 | $14,258 | $43,087 |
| Lancaster Bible College | 34 | $25,480 | $44,096 |
Who Thrives Here
Rocky Mountain College admits 69.6% of applicants, accepting a wide academic range. The ACT 18-24 and SAT 405-568 math, 488-565 reading profile reflects a broadly accessible school. The 31.1% Pell rate signals a meaningful share of lower-income students.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Rocky Mountain College scores 35/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $19,751 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $49,036 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.6 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 48.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Rocky Mountain College: Common Questions
Is Rocky Mountain College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Rocky Mountain College scores 35/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $19,751 a year after aid against $49,036 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Rocky Mountain College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $19,751 a year, or roughly $79,004 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Rocky Mountain College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $49,036 ten years after enrolling, roughly $7,236 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Rocky Mountain College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 15.6 years for Rocky Mountain College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Rocky Mountain College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $34,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Rocky Mountain College?
The six-year graduation rate is 48.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.