The Montana University System (MUS) is the state’s system of public colleges and universities, serving more than 40,000 students statewide and governed by the Board of Regents of Higher Education, which was established under the Montana Constitution with full authority to supervise, coordinate, manage, and control the entire system. Under the direction of the Montana Board of Regents, the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) serves as the central administrative unit and provides strategic direction while coordinating the overall structure, function, and budget of Montana’s dynamic collection of post-secondary institutions. OCHE oversees 16 public campuses statewide, including flagship research universities, regional four-year institutions, and various two-year institutions that operate either as standalone colleges with independent accreditation, embedded colleges dependent on four-year institutions, or community colleges with local governance under Board supervision. Montana is unique as the only state where every reservation has a tribal college, with seven tribally controlled institutions operating independently while receiving state funding for non-beneficiary students.
