Salish Kootenai College
Pablo, Montana · Public
ROI Score: 18/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Salish Kootenai College is a tribal college on the Flathead Reservation in Pablo, Montana, and its ROI score of 18 (Below Benchmark tier) reflects the structural economic challenges facing reservation-based education rather than a quality failure of the institution. In-state tuition is genuinely affordable at $4,311, and net price averages $7,945. The 999-year payback period in the data is a placeholder meaning earnings effectively never recoup the (already low) cost in standard models - a function of suppressed wage levels in the surrounding Lake County labor market, not high debt. Median debt is modest at $12,923 and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56 is actually one of the better marks on this profile. The completion rate of 28% and the 57% three-year repayment rate are the bigger drags. Salish Kootenai's value proposition is cultural and community-based, not earnings-driven, and prospective students should evaluate it on those terms.
How Salish Kootenai 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 Score18/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate27.6% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Salish Kootenai College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $4,311/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $11,583/yr |
| Average net price | $7,945/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $31,780 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $32,725 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $23,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $12,923 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $137 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 27.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 580 |
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: $4,311/year ($11,583/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $7,945/year, or roughly $31,780 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 $6,999/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $12,923, which works out to about $137 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($23,200) and comes to 0.56, 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 | $6,999 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $9,221 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $8,502 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $11,883 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $6,999 net, and this is the price tier where Salish Kootenai's mission lands cleanly. Pell, BIA tribal aid, and institutional grants combine to make the four-year cost roughly $28,000. Even with the school's low post-graduation earnings, this price point keeps debt manageable for students who finish.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays MORE ($9,221) than the lowest-income tier - a slight bracket inversion worth flagging. The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $8,502. Across the middle range, four-year cost is roughly $34,000-$37,000. Workable on paper, but with median earnings barely cracking $32,000 ten years out, the math only pencils for students staying in regional/reservation employment.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $11,883, and the $110,001-plus bracket has no reported data, likely because almost no students at that income level enroll. Higher-income families looking at Salish Kootenai are typically choosing it for cultural fit rather than economic optimization - and at $11,883 net, the price is still low, but earnings outcomes still constrain the ROI calculation.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Salish Kootenai College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education | $39,583 | - |
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.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education is the only program with reported earnings here - 3 graduates per cohort produce a four-year median of $39,583, which aligns with rural Montana K-12 starting pay. Debt and ROI grade are not reported. The mission case is real: tribal-language and reservation-school teachers are a critical pipeline for Indian education, and the program supplies that pipeline at low net price. Just understand the earnings ceiling is bounded by Montana teacher salary scales.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 50.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 56.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 40.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 40.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Salish Kootenai 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
| Enrollment | 580 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 57.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,893 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, and SAT/ACT mid-ranges are also unavailable. Selectivity here is essentially non-applicable; the relevant question is academic preparation entering, which correlates strongly with the 28% completion rate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salish Kootenai College (this school) | 18 | $7,945 | $32,725 |
| Montana Technological University | 69 | $16,481 | $54,329 |
| Montana State University Billings | 34 | $16,524 | $44,296 |
| Bluefield State University | 20 | $13,684 | $38,217 |
| The University of Tennessee Southern | 16 | $12,798 | $38,924 |
| Cheyney University of Pennsylvania | 11 | $14,265 | $37,837 |
Who Thrives Here
With 580 students and a 58% Pell rate, Salish Kootenai serves a deeply low-income, predominantly Native student population for whom the school's mission is to provide culturally affirming education close to home. Teacher Education ($39,583 four-year median) is the program with reported earnings, fitting students aiming at K-12 roles in reservation schools.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Salish Kootenai College scores 18/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $7,945 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $32,725 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 27.6% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 56.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $12,923 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $23,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Salish Kootenai College: Common Questions
Is Salish Kootenai College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Salish Kootenai College scores 18/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $7,945 a year after aid against $32,725 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Salish Kootenai 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 $7,945 a year, or roughly $31,780 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 Salish Kootenai College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $32,725 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Salish Kootenai 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 more than 50 years for Salish Kootenai College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Salish Kootenai College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $12,923, against average earnings of $23,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Salish Kootenai College?
The six-year graduation rate is 27.6%. 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.
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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.