No Montana public university (MSU Bozeman, University of Montana, Montana Tech, MSU Billings, MSU Northern, UM Western) or the private colleges above requires the SAT or ACT for admission for the 2026-27 cycle; every campus admits through a GPA or college-prep-curriculum path, with the test score as one optional route. The ACT/SAT still matters for the statewide MUS Honor Scholarship, which folds a student's score into its ranking formula. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 8 colleges Montana families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money Montana families can earn: MUS Honor Scholarship.
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State University | 1075-1270 · enrolled, Fall 2024 (25th-75th percentile, CDS 2024-25) | 21-27 | 82.1% · Fall 2024 (17, 786 admitted / 21, 652 applied) | ACT/SAT welcomed but not required for admission or scholarship consideration |
| University of Montana | 1110-1280 · enrolled, Fall 2024 (25th-75th percentile, CDS 2024-25) | 19-26 | 95.6% · Fall 2024 (9, 048 admitted / 9, 464 applied) | Admission by ACT 22, or SAT 1120, or a 2.50 GPA (any one path) |
| Montana Technological University | Not published | 19-25 | 89.98% · BigFuture profile, year not stated (2, 219 admitted / 2, 466 applied / 506 enrolled) | ACT composite of 22 or SAT total of 1120 (one of several admission paths) |
| Carroll College | Not published | 24-29 | 72.63% · BigFuture profile, year not stated (1, 298 admitted / 1, 787 applied / 273 enrolled) | Test-optional; automatic acceptance at a 2.85 unweighted GPA. Test scores are required only below a 2.85 GPA, or for home-schooled applicants or those without traditional letter grades |
| University of Montana Western | Not published | 16-23 | 55.86% · BigFuture profile, year not stated (448 admitted / 802 applied / 268 enrolled) | Test-blind; ACT/SAT not required. ACT scores are used only for math/writing course placement if submitted |
| Montana State University Billings | not published | 17-24 | Not reported | SAT or ACT welcomed but not currently required for admission |
| Montana State University-Northern | not published | not published | Not reported | SAT or ACT welcomed but not currently required for admission |
| Rocky Mountain College | 925-1090 · enrolled, fall 2025, CDS 2025-26 | 18-24 | 77.8% · fall 2025, CDS 2025-26 | ACT or SAT accepted but not required for admission; GPA of 2.50 or higher is the primary standard |
| MUS Honor Scholarship | no fixed cutoff; ACT/SAT score is added to a GPA-based rank (SAT converted to ACT-equivalent) | See program rules | ~$20,000 (about $5,000/year average) over 4 years | Waives tuition (not mandatory fees) for up to 8 semesters at any Montana University System campus; up to 200 awarded statewide each year |
Cohort notes: MSU Bozeman: Only 21% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score and 38% an ACT score, reflecting the test-optional policy. UM Missoula: Only 10% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score (n=133) and 45% an ACT score (n=611), but CDS section C9 does publish a clean 25th/75th composite (SAT 1110-1280, ACT 19-26) alongside the score-band percentages. Montana Tech: Montana's STEM-focused campus of the Montana University System; no official Common Data Set with an SAT/ACT range was located as of Oct 2026, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile rather than a dated CDS. Carroll College: A Catholic liberal-arts college in Helena; merit scholarships of $17,000 to $24,000 are available without an SAT/ACT score. Carroll's posted Common Data Set on its own site dates to 2018-19, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile rather than that dated CDS. UM Western: Montana's block-scheduling campus in Dillon; admits primarily on GPA and the Board of Regents college-prep curriculum. No official UM Western CDS with a test-score range was located, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile. MSU Billings: Open-admission regional campus; BigFuture's own profile for this school states 'SAT Information is not available,' confirming no SAT range is published anywhere official. MSU Northern: Havre campus; admits on the Board of Regents college-prep curriculum. BigFuture's own profile for this school shows no SAT or ACT data at all, confirming no test score range is published anywhere official. Rocky Mountain: Private college in Billings; admits mainly on GPA. No official Rocky Mountain College CDS with a test-score range was located, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreMSU Bozeman reports a 1075 to 1270 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, Fall 2024 (25th-75th percentile, CDS 2024-25)). It admitted 82.1% of 21,652 applicants (Fall 2024 (17, 786 admitted / 21, 652 applied)). The matching ACT range is 21-27. Testing for fall 2027: ACT/SAT welcomed but not required for admission or scholarship consideration. Only 21% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score and 38% an ACT score, reflecting the test-optional policy.
UM Missoula reports a 1110 to 1280 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, Fall 2024 (25th-75th percentile, CDS 2024-25)). It admitted 95.6% of 9,464 applicants (Fall 2024 (9, 048 admitted / 9, 464 applied)). The matching ACT range is 19-26. Testing for fall 2027: Admission by ACT 22, or SAT 1120, or a 2.50 GPA (any one path). Only 10% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score (n=133) and 45% an ACT score (n=611), but CDS section C9 does publish a clean 25th/75th composite (SAT 1110-1280, ACT 19-26) alongside the score-band percentages.
Montana Tech does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 89.98% of 2,466 applicants (BigFuture profile, year not stated (2, 219 admitted / 2, 466 applied / 506 enrolled)). The matching ACT range is 19-25. Testing for fall 2027: ACT composite of 22 or SAT total of 1120 (one of several admission paths). Montana's STEM-focused campus of the Montana University System; no official Common Data Set with an SAT/ACT range was located as of Oct 2026, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile rather than a dated CDS.
Carroll College does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 72.63% of 1,787 applicants (BigFuture profile, year not stated (1, 298 admitted / 1, 787 applied / 273 enrolled)). The matching ACT range is 24-29. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional; automatic acceptance at a 2.85 unweighted GPA. Test scores are required only below a 2.85 GPA, or for home-schooled applicants or those without traditional letter grades. A Catholic liberal-arts college in Helena; merit scholarships of $17,000 to $24,000 are available without an SAT/ACT score. Carroll's posted Common Data Set on its own site dates to 2018-19, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile rather than that dated CDS.
UM Western does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 55.86% of 802 applicants (BigFuture profile, year not stated (448 admitted / 802 applied / 268 enrolled)). The matching ACT range is 16-23. Testing for fall 2027: Test-blind; ACT/SAT not required. ACT scores are used only for math/writing course placement if submitted. Montana's block-scheduling campus in Dillon; admits primarily on GPA and the Board of Regents college-prep curriculum. No official UM Western CDS with a test-score range was located, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile.
MSU Billings does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. The matching ACT range is 17-24. Testing for fall 2027: SAT or ACT welcomed but not currently required for admission. Open-admission regional campus; BigFuture's own profile for this school states 'SAT Information is not available,' confirming no SAT range is published anywhere official.
MSU Northern does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: SAT or ACT welcomed but not currently required for admission. Havre campus; admits on the Board of Regents college-prep curriculum. BigFuture's own profile for this school shows no SAT or ACT data at all, confirming no test score range is published anywhere official.
Rocky Mountain reports a 925 to 1090 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025, CDS 2025-26). It admitted 77.8% of 863 applicants (fall 2025, CDS 2025-26). The matching ACT range is 18-24. Testing for fall 2027: ACT or SAT accepted but not required for admission; GPA of 2.50 or higher is the primary standard. Private college in Billings; admits mainly on GPA. No official Rocky Mountain College CDS with a test-score range was located, so the range above is sourced from College Board's BigFuture profile.
Montana has no single SAT cutoff that unlocks one dollar amount; its marquee award, the Montana University System (MUS) Honor Scholarship, ranks students statewide on a GPA-plus-ACT/SAT composite, and the Governor's Best and Brightest program offers a second score-linked path.
MUS Honor Scholarship: No fixed cutoff; ACT/SAT score is added to a GPA-based rank (SAT converted to ACT-equivalent). Waives tuition (not mandatory fees) for up to 8 semesters at any Montana University System campus; up to 200 awarded statewide each year.
The MUS Honor Scholarship requires a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 at the end of the 7th semester to be ranked at all, and the ACT/SAT must be taken by February of senior year (ACT superscores allowed if every included test was taken by that date). It is retained with a 3.4 college GPA and specific credit-hour minimums. Montana's scholarships are administered centrally through AwardMontana.mus.edu, with a March 15 application deadline.
UM Western is test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. Carroll College, MSU Billings and MSU Northern still require a score. A strong score is one more reason for a school to say yes, and a weak one can simply stay home.
No. Montana State University, the University of Montana, Montana Tech, MSU Billings, MSU Northern, and UM Western all admit students on a GPA or college-prep-curriculum path, with the SAT or ACT as an optional route, not a requirement, for fall 2027 applicants.
There is no fixed cutoff. The scholarship ranks Montana high school seniors statewide by adding their ACT score (or SAT converted to an ACT-equivalent) to a GPA-based rank, and only the top scorers statewide, up to 200 students, are awarded the four-year tuition waiver. A 3.4 cumulative GPA is required just to be ranked.
Montana does not fund a statewide SAT day. The state's required 11th-grade assessment is the ACT with Writing, given free during the school day each spring to every Montana junior.
MSU Bozeman's enrolled Fall 2024 first-years who submitted scores had a middle-50% SAT of 1075 to 1270 and an ACT of 21 to 27, but the school does not require either score: only 21% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT and 38% an ACT.
Not exactly. Montana has no single state scholarship with one published SAT cutoff. Its closest equivalent is the MUS Honor Scholarship, a competitive statewide ranking (GPA plus ACT/SAT) worth about $20,000 over four years, alongside the smaller Governor's Best and Brightest awards.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: MSU Bozeman, UM Missoula, Montana Tech, Carroll College, UM Western, MSU Billings, MSU Northern, Rocky Mountain, MUS Honor Scholarship. Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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