Nursing Education › Montana
Montana Nursing Programs

Top Nursing Schools in
Montana — 2026

Compare the best BSN, MSN, ADN, and RN programs in Montana. Tuition costs, NCLEX pass rates, accreditation, and unique program highlights for prospective nursing students.

7 programs listed BSN · ADN · MSN Montana Board of Nursing Nurse Licensure Compact member

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Nursing Programs in Montana

BSN · On-Campus
Montana State University
BSN Program — Bozeman

MSU's College of Nursing is Montana's largest, preparing nurses for the state's vast rural and frontier healthcare landscape with a distinctive rural health nursing curriculum.

$8,800/yearAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
90%NCLEX Pass
Montana's Largest Nursing Program Visit Program →
BSN · On-Campus
Carroll College
BSN Program — Helena

Carroll College's nursing program is renowned for its small cohort size and exceptional student-faculty relationships, producing personalized nursing education in Montana's capital city.

$19,500/yearAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
92%NCLEX Pass
Best Student-Faculty Ratio in Montana Visit Program →
BSN · On-Campus
Montana State University
BSN Program — Bozeman

Flagship public university BSN with strong rural and tribal health focus

$15,000/yrAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
90%NCLEX Pass
MSU Nursing top-ranked program in Montana Visit Program →
BSN · On-Campus
University of Montana
BSN – Traditional — Missoula

Western Montana BSN with emphasis on community and rural health nursing

$14,000/yrAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
88%NCLEX Pass
UM Nursing serves western Montana's growing healthcare needs Visit Program →
ADN · On-Campus
Flathead Valley Community College
ADN Program — Kalispell

Northwest Montana ADN with Logan Health clinical placements

$6,500 totalAvg Cost
2 yearsLength
86%NCLEX Pass
FVCC ADN serves the Flathead Valley healthcare market Visit Program →
ADN · On-Campus
Miles Community College
ADN Program — Miles City

Eastern Montana ADN addressing rural nursing workforce shortage

$6,000 totalAvg Cost
2 yearsLength
84%NCLEX Pass
MCC ADN critical for Montana's rural eastern communities Visit Program →
MSN · Hybrid
Montana State University
MSN – Family NP — Bozeman

Online-friendly MSN designed for Montana's rural nurse workforce

$16,000/yrAvg Cost
2 yearsLength
N/ANCLEX Pass
MSU MSN addresses Montana's extreme rural provider shortage Visit Program →

About Nursing Programs in Montana

Montana's nursing market is defined by its frontier geography, with Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings among the largest employers and many small critical-access hospitals serving vast rural areas. Nurses in Montana often work with broad scope and significant autonomy, particularly in remote communities.

Students can pursue affordable community-college and tribal-college ADN programs, BSN degrees through the Montana State University and University of Montana systems, accelerated options, and RN-to-BSN bridges plus MSN tracks. Distance-delivery education helps reach students across the state's wide geography.

Licensure is handled by the Montana Board of Nursing. Montana is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN or LPN license issued to a Montana resident is a multistate license valid across all compact states — a meaningful advantage for travel nurses and those covering remote regions across state lines.

Licensing authority: Montana Board of Nursing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Montana is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. If Montana is your primary state of residence, your RN or LPN license is a multistate license valid across all compact states.
Complete a Montana Board of Nursing-approved ADN or BSN program, pass the NCLEX-RN, and apply for licensure through the board.
Frontier geography means many nurses work in small critical-access hospitals with broad scope and significant autonomy, and distance-delivery education is common.
Both qualify you for the NCLEX-RN. A community or tribal college ADN is an affordable entry point, while a BSN is preferred at larger systems and for advancement.
About two years for an ADN and four for a BSN, with accelerated BSN options finishing in roughly 12 to 18 months for second-degree students.
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