Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 3.0Salish Kootenai College is 6.4 miles from Polson
No college sits inside Polson’s boundary, but Salish Kootenai College’s campus in Pablo, with 522 students on campus, is 6.4 miles from the center of town, and Flathead Valley Community College is 38.2 miles away in Kalispell. About 4% of Polson’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as 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 Polson. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Polson
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Polson
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Polson.
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 Polson’s median household income ($53,418) 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 Polson: 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 Polson
Is Polson a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Polson residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Montana (5). The nearest campus, Salish Kootenai College, is 6.4 miles away in Pablo.
What colleges are near Polson?
Within 15 miles: Salish Kootenai College (6.4 miles, 522 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Polson, and what does it cost?
Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, 38.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,912 a year for Montana residents; the federal net price, $8,099, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Salish Kootenai College cost if we live in Montana?
Tuition and fees are $4,311 a year in-state and $11,583 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 Polson. 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 →