University of Montana

What University of Montana does

The University of Montana (UM) is a public R1-designated flagship research university chartered in 1893 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana. It serves approximately 11,000+ students across undergraduate, graduate, law (Alexander Blewett III School of Law), pharmacy, physical therapy, and dual enrollment pathways through 9 academic colleges plus 2 affiliated two-year campuses (Missoula College and Bitterroot College), with 500+ degree pathways at a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. UM's signature academic assets include the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation (with USDA Forest Service partnership), the Davidson Honors College, the nationally recognized School of Journalism, the College of Health (housing the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana and the new Physician Associate Program), and American Indian Law and Environmental Law programs.

UM's core technology stack is built around an on-premises NSF-funded research cluster supporting AI/ML workloads, Canvas LMS for course delivery, the Ellucian-powered GrizPortal (formerly CyberBear) for student information and records, the Ex Libris OneSearch-based Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library (with Federal Depository status), and CampusLabs Griz Hub for student engagement. Supporting platforms include EAB Navigate for predictive retention analytics, Handshake for student employment, TeamDynamix for IT support, and Transact/Nutrislice for dining services. AI capabilities are present in generative AI features surfaced through library databases, predictive student success analytics, and research computing infrastructure.

UM's revenue model is diversified across recurring tuition (undergraduate, graduate, law, professional, and online via Educational Initiatives and Innovation), state appropriations and federal research grants (NSF, NEH, Department of Commerce EDA), philanthropic donations to the UM Foundation (including the $5.5M James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center gift), and an extensive auxiliary services portfolio: UM Campus Dining (19 venues, 350 student employees, The Lodge dining hall), UM Housing (9 residence halls plus apartment and family housing), Campus Recreation (Fitness and Recreation Center, Grizzly Pool, UM Golf Course), Montana Grizzlies Athletics with GrizTix ticketing, the Go Griz Store, and UM Catering. Go-to-market is primarily event-driven (campus tours, Griz Preview Days, alumni events) combined with direct-to-consumer enrollment through Common App, Apply Montana (free for residents), ApplyWeb for graduate school ($70/$25 tiered fee), and LSAC for law admissions.

Name

University of Montana

Legal name

University of Montana

Website

https://umt.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The University of Montana is a public R1 research flagship in Missoula, Montana, founded in 1893, serving 11,000+ students across 9 colleges, a law school, and 2 two-year campuses via 500+ degree pathways, with diversified revenue from tuition, state and federal research funding, philanthropy, and campus auxiliaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Flagship Public Research Universities (R1/R2) (EDAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Research university programs
• Public university tuition

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Recurring tuition revenue from undergraduate, graduate, law, pharmacy, and physical therapy students. Cost of attendance varies by residency (in-state vs out-of-state), program, and enrollment status. Includes separate COA for Missoula College, Undergraduate, Graduate, Law School, and Online Only.
2. Government and Research Grants: Federal funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation for research infrastructure, plus state appropriations and sponsored programs. Includes R1-level research expenditures.
3. Philanthropic Donations: Gifts to UM Foundation including the $5.5M James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center gift. Funds scholarships, named programs, capital projects, and academic initiatives.
4. Auxiliary Services - Dining: Campus dining revenue from meal plans, Bear Bucks, UMoney, retail dining, catering, and concessions. 19 unique dining locations, 7 micro-restaurants, and 2 dining plans. Largest employer on campus with 350+ student employees.
5. Auxiliary Services - Housing: Revenue from 9 on-campus residence halls, Lewis and Clark Village (apartment-style), and University Villages (family housing). Includes conference and event housing.
6. Recreation and Golf Course: Membership and program revenue from Campus Recreation facilities including the Fitness and Recreation Center, Grizzly Pool, UM Golf Course, intramural sports, outdoor programs, and youth camps.
7. Application Fees: Non-refundable application fees: $70 for graduate school, $30 for international students, with $25 for subsequent graduate applications within 12 months. Law school processed through LSAC.
8. Athletics and Ticketing: Revenue from GrizTix ticketing for intercollegiate athletics, plus Griz Gear merchandise sales at the Go Griz store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion8 records

Core offering

The University of Montana is a public R1 research university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, law, pharmacy, and physical therapy degree programs across 10 colleges plus Missoula College and Bitterroot College. It generates revenue through tuition and fees, government and research grants, philanthropic donations, and auxiliary services such as campus dining, housing, recreation, and athletics. The university also operates extensive student support platforms including Canvas LMS, GrizPortal, Griz Hub, and the Mansfield Library system.

Product overview

The University of Montana is a public flagship R1 research university in Missoula, Montana, organized as a federation of academic colleges plus university-wide student services, rather than a single unified commercial product. Its academic portfolio spans the Davidson Honors College, the Alexander Blewett III School of Law, the College of Health (home to the new Physician Associate Program and Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana), the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, the College of the Arts and Media, the College of Business, the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Science, Missoula College, and Bitterroot College. Supporting these are platform products for students: the Canvas LMS for coursework, the Ellucian-powered GrizPortal (formerly CyberBear) for registration and records, the CampusLabs Griz Hub for student engagement, and the Ex Libris OneSearch-based Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library (and its Payne Family Library branch at Missoula College) for research. Non-academic services include UM Campus Dining (The Lodge dining hall plus 19 locations), UM Housing & Residence Life, UM Club Sports (36 teams, 1,265 participants), Campus Recreation (Fitness and Recreation Center, Outdoor Program, Grizzly Pool, UM Golf Course), the University Center, Curry Health Center, Military and Veteran Services, the Office for Student Success, and the UM Startup Studio with affiliated student-built offerings like the Remsight irrigation intelligence platform and Hustle Fundraise crowdfunding platform. The university also delivers online degrees and certificates, the One-Two-Free Dual Enrollment program, and the Franke Global Leadership Initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Montana Grizzlies: Athletics brand of the University of Montana, including teams such as the football Grizzlies and the women's basketball Lady Griz.

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Comprehensive set of bachelor's, associate's, and certificate programs across UM's colleges, including 500 degree pathways and a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1932.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's, doctoral, and graduate certificate programs including law, pharmacy, and physical therapy. UM's Graduate School offers 32 doctoral degrees, 71 master's degrees, and 11 graduate certificates.
• Online Degrees and Certificates Fully online, online with limited on-site, and remote degree and certificate programs (undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and non-credit) delivered through Educational Initiatives and Innovation (formerly UMOnline).
• One-Two-Free Dual Enrollment Montana University System dual enrollment program that allows high school students to take dual credit and early college courses on campus, online, or at their high school. Covers tuition for the first two courses for eligible students.
• Davidson Honors College UM's honors college including the Presidential Leadership Scholars program and the Franke Global Leadership Initiative, a 12-credit interdisciplinary experiential certificate program.
• Alexander Blewett III School of Law UM's law school offering a full-time in-person JD program with approximately 90 students per cohort, nationally recognized programs in American Indian Law and Environmental and Natural Resources Law, plus the Department of Public Administration and Policy.
• UM Startup Studio Weekly entrepreneurship program created by assistant professor Erik Guzik and funded by the Folley Foundation. Supports students developing business ventures in preparation for the John Ruffatto Startup Challenge.
• Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana UM-affiliated family medicine residency program based within the College of Health, supporting rural primary care workforce development in Montana and rural regions.
• UM Physician Associate Program New professional healthcare degree program launched by the University of Montana to expand primary care and rural health workforce capacity, featured under the Caring for Montana campaign on the UM homepage.
• Missoula College UM's two-year institution campus offering associate's degrees, certificates, and technical training through departments including Applied Arts and Sciences, Business Technology, Health Professions, and Industrial Technology.
• Bitterroot College UM's affiliated two-year campus in Hamilton, Montana.
• UM Campus Dining Campus dining program operating 19 unique dining locations including The Lodge all-you-care-to-eat dining center with 7 micro-restaurants, with sustainability programs, an on-campus Iron Griz garden, and Starbucks. Largest employer of students on campus with 350 student employees.
• UM Catering Full-service catering program serving UM events from small continental breakfasts to galas for 1,000 guests, with locally and regionally sourced menus.
• UM Housing & Residence Life UM's on-campus housing program offering nine residence halls, Lewis and Clark Village (apartment-style), and University Villages (family and graduate housing).
• UM Campus Recreation Recreation program offering intramural sports, fitness programs, outdoor programs (hiking, climbing, skiing, kayaking), youth camps, the Grizzly Pool, and the UM Golf Course, housed in the Fitness and Recreation Center.
• UM Club Sports UM's Sports Club Union offering 36 individual club sports across co-ed, men's, and women's categories, with 6 national championships and 17 regional or conference championships, involving 1,265 students.
• Curry Health Center UM's student health center providing medical, dental, counseling, and wellness services, plus an on-campus pharmacy, physical therapy clinic, and traveler's health services.
• Military and Veteran Services UM's office supporting military-affiliated students with VA education benefits processing, ROTC, and resource coordination. Operates the MVSO (Military & Veterans Services Office).
• UM Iron Griz Garden / Urban Agriculture Campus Dining's 1/2-acre urban spread of vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, an apiary, and egg-laying ducks managed by Anastasia Orkwiszewski, supplying dining outlets across campus.
• Big Sky Aphasia Program UM's internationally recognized aphasia treatment program led by Dr. Jenna Musick, providing affordable, high-quality language therapy for people with aphasia, often caused by stroke or brain injury, combined with interdisciplinary collaboration and hands-on student training.
• Office for Student Success UM student success office offering the Undergraduate Advising Center, Financial Education, KPCN Peer Connection Network, Writing Center, math/writing placement, the Four Bear Program, and TRiO Student Support Services.
• Montana Grizzlies Athletics UM's intercollegiate athletics program featuring the Montana Grizzlies, with supporting resources including GrizTix ticketing and the Griz Gear store. Home to the Grizzly football program that has produced 29 Rhodes Scholars since 1893.

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Montana State University: Montana's other public research university in Bozeman, part of the same Montana University System. Directly comparable as a public R1/R2 flagship peer competing for in-state students, state appropriations, and federal research funding.
• University of Wyoming: Public flagship in neighboring Wyoming, similarly sized student body and rural state context. Comparable tuition pricing, research tier, and reliance on state appropriations and resource-extraction sectors.
• University of Idaho: Public land-grant research university in neighboring Idaho. Comparable land-grant mission, agriculture/forestry signature programs, and rural-state enrollment profile to UM.
• Boise State University: Idaho's metropolitan public research university of similar scale. Comparable in size, Carnegie classification, and mix of research with significant online and dual enrollment activity.
• Utah State University: Public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. Comparable forestry/wildlife programs, R1-tier research activity, and rural-state enrollment profile.
• Northern Arizona University: Public university in Flagstaff with a similarly sized student body, emphasis on forestry and environmental sciences, and reliance on a small-state population. Direct structural comparable for enrollment scale and signature programs.
• University of North Dakota: Public flagship in a small rural state with comparable scale, R2/R1 research activity, and a comparable mix of health professions, law, and aviation signature programs.

Broad incumbents

• Washington State University: Larger public R1 land-grant neighbor with overlapping forestry, agriculture, and health programs. Comparable as a regional public research incumbent serving the inland Pacific Northwest.
• University of Oregon: Pacific Northwest public R1 university with comparable Journalism school prominence and academic portfolio. Operates at a larger scale and offers benchmark for out-of-state recruitment within the region.
• Colorado State University: Larger public R1 land-grant with strong forestry, veterinary, and atmospheric science programs. Comparable as an aspirational peer for UM's natural-resource and health sciences expansion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/umontana
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversityOfMontana
• Facebookfacebook.com/69748712645
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-montana-18756
• Instagraminstagram.com/umontana

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Montana