Mathematics at Rocky Mountain College

The $48,772 in estimated first-year earnings would place this program above Montana's median of $34,475 for math bachelor's degrees, but that figure comes from national benchmarks rather than Rocky Mountain College's actual graduate outcomes. With small cohort sizes preventing data reporting, we're essentially looking at what typical math graduates earn nationally—around $49,000—paired with estimated debt of $21,750 based on similar small private colleges.

That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 suggests graduates could theoretically manage their loans, paying roughly 10% of gross income if they hit that national earning mark. However, Montana's math graduate market tells a different story: the state median of $34,475 is substantially lower than the national figure. Montana State, the only in-state program with reported data, produces graduates earning that lower amount. If Rocky Mountain's outcomes track closer to Montana's reality than the national average used in these estimates, the financial picture becomes tighter—debt would represent two-thirds of first-year income rather than less than half.

The uncertainty here is significant. Without actual graduate earnings data, you're betting that a smaller program at a college with a 1093 average SAT can match or exceed what the typical math graduate earns nationally, despite operating in a state where documented outcomes run $14,000 lower. That's a considerable leap of faith for a program where you can't verify what actually happens to graduates.