Photo: J.B. Chandler · CC BY-SA 3.0Stone Child College is 13.6 miles from Big Sandy
No college sits inside Big Sandy’s boundary, but Stone Child College’s campus in Box Elder, with 260 students on campus, is 13.6 miles from the center of town, and Great Falls College Montana State University is 71.9 miles away in Great Falls. About 1% of Big Sandy’s residents are enrolled in college, below Montana (5%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Big Sandy. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Big Sandy
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Big Sandy
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Big Sandy.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Big Sandy’s median household income ($60,521) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Big Sandy: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Big Sandy
Is Big Sandy a college town?
No. About 1 of every 100 Big Sandy residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Montana (5). The nearest campus, Stone Child College, is 13.6 miles away in Box Elder.
What colleges are near Big Sandy?
Within 15 miles: Stone Child College (13.6 miles, 260 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Big Sandy, and what does it cost?
Great Falls College Montana State University in Great Falls, 71.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,028 a year for Montana residents; the federal net price, $12,468, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Stone Child College cost if we live in Montana?
Tuition and fees are $3,610 a year in-state and $3,610 from out of state.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Big Sandy. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →