Do Montana Residents Get In-State Tuition in Alaska? (Undergraduate, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — Montana and Alaska both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, so undergraduate tuition at University of Alaska Fairbanks can drop to roughly $13,950 a year against the $27,600 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $13,950/yr
- Resident pays
- $9,300/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $27,600/yr
- Saved over 4 yrs
- $54,600
Conditional: Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
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.
Both states are members of Western Undergraduate Exchange. Membership is the easy part — the award itself is made campus by campus, and participating institutions cap how many they fund each year.
The comparison that matters is with home: University of Montana charges a Montana resident $8,000 a year. 13 other states offer Montana residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Wyoming at about $10,050.
Before you count on it, check three things with the campus directly: that it participates this year, that your major is covered, and when its award deadline falls. All three change annually and none of them are set by the state.
Every route from Montana to Alaska
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Undergraduate Exchange | A WUE award caps tuition at 150% of the receiving institution's resident rate. About 170 public colleges and universities across the member states participate, and each one decides which majors it opens to WUE, how many awards it funds, and what GPA it asks for. | $13,950 | $13,650 | Conditional |
Where Montana residents pay less
Staying home, a Montana resident pays $8,000 a year for in-state undergraduate tuition at University of Montana. The cheapest Alaska option for you is $13,950 at University of Alaska Fairbanks, which is $5,950 a year more than staying home, or $23,800 over 4 years.
Montana belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at undergraduate level, so 14 of 50 states offer Montana undergraduate students a reduced rate, and Alaska is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Montana to Wyoming | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Wyoming | $10,050 |
| Montana to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $13,350 |
| Montana to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of New Mexico | $13,350 |
| Montana to South Dakota | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of South Dakota | $13,600 |
| Montana to Idaho | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Idaho | $14,100 |
Montana's neighboring states, compared
What a Montana resident pays for undergraduate tuition in each state that borders Montana, cheapest first:
- Wyoming$10,050/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- South Dakota$13,600/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Idaho$14,100/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- North Dakota$16,650/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
Compare all 50 states from Montana in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Alaska residency, in brief
Alaska grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (UA Board of Regents Policy 05.10.030), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Alaska to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Alaska residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Alaska campus participates in Western Undergraduate Exchange — membership is a state-level agreement, but each campus decides whether to offer it and how many awards to fund.
- Confirm your intended major is on the approved list. Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
- Apply for the award at the same time as admission, and well before the campus deadline — most participating institutions award on a first-come basis and close early.
- Keep your Montana residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Alaska grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $9,300 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Montana residents get in-state tuition in Alaska?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Western Undergraduate Exchange caps undergraduate tuition at University of Alaska Fairbanks at roughly $13,950 rather than the $27,600 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Alaska?
Alaska requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (UA Board of Regents Policy 05.10.030), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in Alaska actually cost a Montana resident?
About $13,950 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Western Undergraduate Exchange, against $27,600 at the published non-resident rate and $9,300 for an Alaska resident. Over 4 years that is roughly $54,600 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Montana residents get reduced undergraduate tuition?
In 14 states at undergraduate level. Outside Alaska, the lowest are Wyoming ($10,050), Nevada ($13,350), New Mexico ($13,350). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Alaska cheaper than staying in Montana?
No. Montana's in-state undergraduate rate is $8,000 a year at University of Montana, and the cheapest Alaska option for a Montana resident is $13,950, so Alaska costs about $5,950 more a year, or $23,800 over 4 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.
- University of Alaska System — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Alaska Fairbanks — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Montana — 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 University of Alaska Fairbanks’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 University of Alaska System, UA Board of Regents Policy 05.10.030. 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.