Montana State University - Northern

What Montana State University - Northern does

Montana State University-Northern is a regional public university headquartered in Havre, Montana, operating as part of the Montana State University System under the governance of the Montana Board of Regents. Founded in 1927 as Northern Montana College and renamed in 2003 upon system integration, the institution serves traditional undergraduate, graduate, online, transfer/adult, and student-athlete cohorts across over 40 degree and program offerings organized into three colleges: Art, Sciences, and Education; Health Sciences; and Technical Sciences. The university positions itself as the most affordable option in Montana and participates in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), which extends reduced tuition to residents of 16 western states and the Northern Mariana Islands; delivery channels include the main Havre campus, a branch campus in Great Falls, and online programs.

The institution's operating technology stack is composed of mainstream third-party enterprise platforms: Canvas as the learning management system, Ellucian Cloud powering the MyMSU-Northern student and employee portal, Banner 9 as the student information system, Microsoft Office 365 campus-wide (with free Office ProPlus on up to five devices per user), WebEx for web conferencing, and supporting tools including Duo two-factor authentication, GlobalProtect VPN, Chrome River for expense management, DocuSign, Qualtrics, and KnowBe4 security awareness training. The university is FERPA-compliant and supports student success through dedicated programs including the Little River Institute, TRIO Student Support Services, Tutoring Central, NORTHnav, and the Vande Bogart Library, alongside KNMC campus radio and the Lights NAIA athletics program in the Frontier Conference.

Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed; the institution is funded through a combination of Montana state appropriations, tuition and fees, federal grants (including TRIO and financial aid), and private donations routed through the MSU-Northern Foundation. Governance sits with the Montana Board of Regents, and the institution is led by Chancellor Greg Kegel, who announced retirement in 2026 after more than 44 years of service. There is no venture capital, private equity, or public-trading ownership structure, and the entity operates as a non-profit public higher education institution rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Montana State University - Northern

Legal name

Montana State University-Northern

Website

https://msun.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Montana State University-Northern is a regional public university in Havre, Montana, offering over 40 associate, bachelor's, and master's programs across three colleges, serving traditional, online, transfer, and graduate students via its Havre campus, a Great Falls branch, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Junior Colleges (61121)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rural/Regional Community Colleges (EDAHADAK)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate education programs
• Online learning platforms
• Career technical education

Headquarters

HQ city

Havre

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Montana State University-Northern is a public regional university that delivers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs across three colleges (Arts/Sciences/Education, Health Sciences, and Technical Sciences) through on-campus instruction in Havre and Great Falls and through fully online programs. It also delivers student support services such as TRIO/Student Support Services, the Little River Institute academic support program, the Vande Bogart Library, and the KNMC campus radio station, and supports all of these with technology platforms including Canvas, Ellucian Cloud/Banner, and Microsoft Office 365.

Product overview

MSU-Northern is a regional public university offering a portfolio of academic programs, student services, and institutional technology platforms. The technology ecosystem consists of Canvas LMS as the core learning platform, MyMSU-Northern (Ellucian Cloud) as the student/employee portal, Microsoft Office 365 for productivity and collaboration, Banner 9 for student information management, and various auxiliary services including the Vande Bogart Library, KNMC radio station, Little River Institute, and Student Support Services. The university provides both on-campus and distance education programs through these integrated technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lights Athletics: Intercollegiate athletics program competing in NAIA as member of the Frontier Conference
• KNMC
• Vande Bogart Library

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs (Associate and Bachelor's) More than 40 degree and program options across three colleges (College of Art, Sciences, and Education; College of Health Sciences; College of Technical Sciences) leading to associate and bachelor's degrees, intended for traditional and transfer students.
• Graduate Degree Programs (Master's Level) Master's-level degree programs and advanced graduate study intended for students seeking post-baccalaureate education.
• Online Degree and Certificate Programs Fully online and distance-learning degree and certificate programs for remote students, delivered through the Canvas LMS and other institutional platforms.
• Dual Enrollment Program High school dual-enrollment pathway allowing eligible high school students to earn college credit prior to graduation.
• Student Support Services (TRIO) Federal TRIO program providing academic support, tutoring, mentoring, and retention services to eligible students to help them remain in college and complete degree programs.
• Little River Institute Academic support program that provides college students with the skills and resources needed to remain in college and complete their degree programs.
• Vande Bogart Library Services University library providing research resources, study spaces, academic support, and access to digital and physical collections for students, faculty, and staff.
• KNMC Campus Radio Station Campus radio station operated by MSU-Northern, broadcasting from the Havre campus and serving the campus and surrounding community.
• Lights Athletics (NAIA Intercollegiate Athletics) Intercollegiate athletics program competing in the NAIA Frontier Conference, including football, basketball, rodeo, and volleyball, for enrolled student athletes.
• Financial Aid and Scholarships Services Financial aid services including FAFSA support, grants, loans, scholarships, work-study, tuition waivers, and veteran benefits administration for enrolled students.
• MSU-Northern Bookstore Campus bookstore selling textbooks, supplies, and university-branded merchandise to students and the campus community.
• Housing and Residence Life On-campus residence life services providing student housing and residential programming.
• Apprenticeship and Trades Programs Apprenticeship and trade-related training programs for students pursuing technical careers.
• Traffic Education Program Traffic education courses offered to the community, including summer course registration.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Aaniiih Nakoda College: Tribal college on the Fort Belknap Reservation in north-central Montana, located near Havre. Comparable as a small rural Montana higher-education institution serving a similar regional population with associate-degree and workforce programs.
• Salish Kootenai College: Tribal college on the Flathead Reservation in Montana offering associate and bachelor's degrees. Comparable as a small Montana institution serving a rural and underserved population, with overlapping associate-degree and workforce-focused programming.

Direct peers

• Montana Technological University: Montana public university with a technical and workforce-focused mission comparable to MSU-Northern's College of Technical Sciences. Competes for similar STEM and trades-oriented students within Montana.
• University of Montana: Montana's other major public university system, also offering associate through doctoral programs. Directly comparable as a Montana public higher-education peer competing for in-state students and state appropriations.
• Great Falls College - Montana State University: Two-year community college in Great Falls affiliated with the Montana State University System. Directly comparable in mission (associate degrees, transfer pathways, workforce training) and operates in the same secondary market as MSU-Northern's branch campus.
• Montana State University - Billings: Another campus in the Montana State University System serving a regional Montana metro area. Comparable as a system peer with similar associate-through-bachelor's portfolio and regional university mission.
• Montana State University - Bozeman: Flagship campus of the same Montana State University System. Directly comparable as a Montana public university sharing system-level resources, brand association, and overlapping applicant pools, but operating at much larger scale with broader research university positioning.

Regional players

• Rocky Mountain College: Private regional college in Billings, Montana. Comparable as a small Montana higher-education institution with a similar mix of undergraduate programs and small-class-size positioning, though operating under a private nonprofit model.
• University of Providence: Private Catholic university in Great Falls, Montana, sharing the same secondary metro market as MSU-Northern's branch campus. Directly comparable on health sciences and undergraduate program mix.
• Carroll College: Private Catholic liberal arts college in Helena, Montana. Comparable as a small Montana institution serving a similar regional student market with comparable undergraduate program breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/msunchancellor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MSUNorthern/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/192763207403635
• Instagraminstagram.com/msunorthern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-state-university-northern

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 Montana State University - Northern