Do Wisconsin Residents Get In-State Tuition in Montana? (Community College, 2026)
No — Wisconsin residents pay full non-resident community college tuition in Montana, about $12,700 a year at Montana two-year colleges against $4,300 for residents. There is no exchange program between Wisconsin and Montana; the only route to the in-state rate is establishing Montana residency, which takes 12 months.
- You would pay
- $12,700/yr
- Resident pays
- $4,300/yr
- Over 2 yrs
- No saving available
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
There is no agreement between these two states at community college level. The full non-resident rate applies: $12,700 at Montana two-year colleges, where a resident pays $4,300.
Wisconsin residents start from $5,700 a year, the in-state community college rate at Wisconsin Technical College System. Measured against that, Montana costs $7,000 a year more than staying home. One other state offers Wisconsin residents a reduced community college rate, the lowest being Minnesota at about $6,100.
If the gap decides the question, price the alternative honestly — two years at a Wisconsin public institution followed by transfer is the route that most often closes a $8,400 annual difference.
Every route from Wisconsin to Montana
No exchange program or bilateral agreement connects these two states at community college level, so the route table is empty.
Where Wisconsin residents pay less
Staying home, a Wisconsin resident pays $5,700 a year for in-state community college tuition at Wisconsin Technical College System. The cheapest Montana option for you is $12,700 at Montana two-year colleges, which is $7,000 a year more than staying home, or $14,000 over 2 years.
Wisconsin belongs to none of the four regional tuition compacts at community college level, but one state offers Wisconsin residents a reduced rate through a state or campus agreement. It does take part in Midwest Student Exchange Program at undergraduate and graduate level.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin to Minnesota | Minnesota-Wisconsin Tuition Reciprocity · Minnesota State colleges | $6,100 |
Wisconsin's neighboring states, compared
What a Wisconsin resident pays for community college tuition in each state that borders Wisconsin, cheapest first:
- Minnesota$6,100/yr · Minnesota-Wisconsin Tuition Reciprocity
- Iowa$7,300/yr · non-resident
- Michigan$7,600/yr · non-resident
- Illinois$12,000/yr · non-resident
Compare all 50 states from Wisconsin in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Montana residency, in brief
Montana grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Mont. Admin. R. 20.25.501), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Montana to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Montana residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Budget for the non-resident rate at Montana two-year colleges: $12,700 a year against $4,300 for residents.
- Check whether the specific campus you want offers its own non-resident scholarship or a border-county waiver — those are institutional, sit outside the state agreements, and are the most commonly missed discount.
- If you plan to stay, price the residency route: Montana requires 12 months of domicile, and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile, so the family would need to move.
- Read the Montana University System / Board of Regents rules in full before you enroll — classification is decided once, and re-classification later in a degree is the hardest version of this problem.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Wisconsin residents get in-state tuition in Montana?
No. Wisconsin residents pay the full non-resident rate of $12,700 at Montana two-year colleges. The only route to the $4,300 in-state rate is establishing Montana residency.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Montana?
Montana requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Mont. Admin. R. 20.25.501), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would community college study in Montana actually cost a Wisconsin resident?
About $12,700 a year in tuition and mandatory fees at Montana two-year colleges, against $4,300 for a Montana resident. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Wisconsin residents get reduced community college tuition?
In 1 states at community college level. Outside Montana, the lowest are Minnesota ($6,100). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Montana cheaper than staying in Wisconsin?
No. Wisconsin's in-state community college rate is $5,700 a year at Wisconsin Technical College System, and the cheapest Montana option for a Wisconsin resident is $12,700, so Montana costs about $7,000 more a year, or $14,000 over 2 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-08-07.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- Montana University System / Board of Regents — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- Wisconsin Technical College System — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-08-07.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from Montana two-year colleges’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (WICHE). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Montana University System / Board of Regents, Mont. Admin. R. 20.25.501. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.