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Student Life

Student gather on the Oval for an event at the sunset illuminates the sky.

The UM student experience

College is way more than the sum of your classes. It’s also an opportunity to immerse yourself in all that UM’s campus life has to offer. There’s a lot to do. Time to get started.

Find Your Community Find Your Community Housing Housing Dining Dining Supporting the Whole You Supporting the Whole You Spaces on and Around Campus Spaces on and Around Campus The Vibe The Vibe
Find Your Community

Finding friends and building your community is a part of your education at UM. Get a head start by connecting with other incoming students, and dive into a vast world of clubs, sports and extracurricular activities once you’re here. 

Connect with Your Incoming Class

Connect with other incoming students before arriving on campus through the ZeeMee app. Once you are accepted to UM, be sure to join the University of Montana Admitted Students community.

Making New Friends Has Never Been Easier

With student clubs, passionate learners and a healthy dose of crisp mountain air – there’s something special about our campus that brings people together. Your community comes together at UM in a beautiful way, guided by your interests, passions and the support you need. 

Welcome, Parents and Families

Help your student make the most of their UM Admissions experience by tapping into a host of resources designed especially for you. Visit the Parents and Families webpage on the Admissions website for more resources.

Honors Students Make the Most of Their Education

UM is home to a thriving and active honors community of 800 students. Benefits include small class sizes, specialized faculty mentorship and extensive support for out-of-classroom experiences. Plus, the honors student lounge has the best napping couches on campus.

Go All In with Esports

UM’s newest athletic program wants you to join Grizzly Esports in the all-new Esports Arena on the second floor of the UC. Play select games competitively against other schools in the Big Sky Division, or come to weekly practices with your favorite titles and make some new friends. Scholarships are available for eligible Esport athletes. 

March to Your Own Beat

UM’s Grizzly Marching Band is a long-standing group of hardworking and passionate students who know how to have the most fun on gameday. Grizzly Marching Band is open to any and all students interested in making some noise and being part of a tight-knit community. 

Whatever You're Into, We've Got a Club for You

With more than 200 student organizations, you’ll find a club that matches your passion. Student clubs are a way to fast-track making friends and building your community. Find something that aligns with your long-standing interests or branch out and try something new!

Housing

Planning to live on campus? Lucky you. Residential students get the whole experience. Friends down the hall, classes nearby and easy access to meals at The Lodge – life doesn’t get much better than this.

Welcome to Your New Home

Our nine residence halls are more than a place to crash at night. They’re your home base for making new friends, taking breaks between classes and thriving on your own. We have lots of options to suit your needs. 

Off-Campus Living

All traditional first-year students are required to live on campus their first year (unless they receive a housing waiver). After that, off-campus housing is available at places like Lewis and Clark Village apartments, the family-friendly University Villages or through private rentals throughout Missoula.  

Shared values, shared space

Students in our Living Learning Communities live together in a designated floor of our residence halls and share common classes, interests or hobbies.

From resident to RA

Like many students, Josh Martelon felt nervous about moving far from home to attend college, but living on campus gave him the community support to thrive. Inspired by his on-campus living experience, Josh became a resident assistant and helps other students find their place at UM.
The College Tour: Living on Campus
Dining at UM

You’re going to need high-quality fuel to get you through busy days of classes, studying and adventure. Explore the many food options we serve up for our campus community.  

Meal Plans to Keep You Satisfied

Find the right meal plan that works for you at the all-you-care-to-eat The Lodge Dining Center. From five and seven-day plans to flexible plans that fit your schedule and dining habits, you’ll never go hungry in Griz Country.

Meet Me at The Lodge

With seven distinct meal stations, a rotating menu of fresh foods and plenty of seating – The Lodge at UM is a place to gather and quench your appetite. Bring a book, meet some friends or refill your drink and look out the floor-to-ceiling windows; there’s no wrong way to use our signature dining space.

Food Restrictions? We’ve Got You

Eating right is key to your academic success. That's why Campus Dining offers free nutritional counseling to all students with a meal plan. Let us help you navigate your food allergies, religious requirements, medical restrictions and dietary needs.

Green Thumbs, Great Eats

When you live in a beautiful place, being earth friendly just comes naturally. UM’s Campus Dining serves locally grown produce – some from our own garden – and reduces waste through extensive recycling and composting efforts.

Food is fuel

Whether dining on campus or venturing around town in search of the best breakfast burrito, fueling up for the day is a major part of the college experience. At UM and around Missoula, there are plenty of options to fill your plate.
The College Tour: The Food Scene
Supporting the Whole You

Your health is your wealth at UM. That includes more than just doctor visits and low-cost counseling at Curry Health Center. It also includes mental, emotional, financial, occupational and spiritual health. Discover all the UM resources to be the best you can be. 

A Culture of Well-Being

Supporting your academic journey means supporting all of you. UM focuses on eight dimensions of wellbeing and provides resources to address all your needs. From counseling to job fairs and community events, you’ll be amazed at how much you can grow in our supportive environment.  

Elevate Your Education

Explore occupation pathways and prepare yourself for a fulfilling career through Experiential Learning and Career Success, aka ELCS, UM’s signature career readiness program.  

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

UM's Curry Health Center is your one-stop-shop for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, mental health and wellness needs.

Resources to Help You Succeed

You’re never alone in your efforts at UM. Got questions, concerns or seeking advice? UM has tons of free resources available to every student from the first day of classes to graduation. Take advantage of everything that comes with your tuition.

Spaces On and Around Campus

Spanning 156 acres, nestled at the bottom of Mount Sentinel in the Missoula Valley, UM’s campus is a mountain paradise bordering the Clark Fork River. Explore some of our special and notable spaces, like the historic bell tower overlooking The Oval, ringing with the sounds of knowledge and learning.  

You’ve Got to See This Place

Once you know, you know. UM and the surrounding Missoula Valley are what mountain dreams are made of. If you haven’t visited yet, what are you waiting for? Just be careful, once you get a taste of the good life at UM, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else. (Can’t make it in person? Check out our Virtual Tour online.)

Student Central

The University Center (aka the UC) is a magnet for events, activities, eating and hanging with friends. Explore the three-story garden, gaming den, food court, bookstore and Esports Arena, all while most likely running into a friend, professor and your growing community.

Whispering Not Required

UM's Mansfield Library is a hub of scholarly activity, with thousands of books, high-tech recording studios, group and individual study spaces, IT support and friendly faces at the checkout desk.

Mountain of Soul

How many universities have a wild mountain as part of their main campus? For us, Mount Sentinel is more than just a place to hike the M Trail. It’s rooted into the soul of our community. And it’s our collective responsibility to sustain this resource for future generations.
Encompassing 600 acres of grassland and forest, it is home to one of Montana’s most popular hiking trails, Mount Sentinel often sees 1,000 visitors a day. Now, UM is helping to preserve it for future generations.
The Vibe

It just feels right. There’s something in our mountain air and friendly community that makes you feel at ease in Missoula and on campus. It’s not fake or phony or exaggerated by social media – it’s a place with roots and a free-flowing attitude that pairs with sunny sidewalks and mile-long views.  

There is No Place Like Missoula

The secret is out. Missoula is the place to be. A vibrant downtown, bustling art and music scene, and some of the best outdoor recreation and landscapes you’ve ever seen – all within walking distance. If you like beautiful views and a friendly community, you’ll pick up what Missoula is putting down.  

Traditions That Make Us Montana

Our traditions aren't like the usual stuffy university traditions, they're cool traditions. Like the president delivering pizzas to the student section in the stadium, an ice rink on the Oval, tubing down the river and bonfires of varying sizes.

Thriving in Winter

Grizzlies don’t hibernate during winter. The snowy season is a wonderful time of year on campus, offering a nice respite for reading, writing and catching up on shows and hanging with friends. Discover your new favorite season in Montana.

Life as a Griz

Attending UM is about more than coursework, class schedules and textbooks. UM students are active throughout Missoula's vibrant community and can be found exploring all corners of Montana.
The College Tour: Life as a Griz

Root for the Home Team

When in your in Montana, the University of Montana is the home team. Cheer on the Grizzlies across 15 NCAA athletic programs, including Griz Football, Men’s and Lady Griz Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball and Tennis.

Amped or Acoustic – We’ve Got the Soundtrack

Are you into live music? Give your ears something to listen to across campus and throughout Missoula. Free shows on The Oval, big gigs at local amphitheaters and enough late-night venues to dance the night away – show up and find your favorite soundtrack in ZooTown.  
THE VIBE: STUDENT SCENES
Image Gallery
Students play a lawn game on the Oval during WelcomeFeast.
WelcomeFeast brings students to the Oval for games and free lunch each fall.
Students pet a dog during a Stress Less event in the UC.
If you like dogs, you're in luck. There's a dog every wherever you look in Missoula, including this guy who attended a recent StressLess event during finals week.
A student ice skates on the rink on the Oval. Main Hall stands in the background.
Sharpening your skating skills and show us your moves on UM's ice rink.
Students sing and dance during Orientation karaoke.
Orientation karaoke has been known to get a little crazy.
A student sings into a microphone while playing guitar on the Oval.
Missoula's concert scene is fire, but our favorite shows involve students on the Oval.
Two students dance at the Foresters' Ball.
They say the Foresters' Ball is a "swingin good time" and they aren't wrong. Head to this annual party held in a replica western town built by forestry students to to cut a rug, get married (or divorced), go to jail and flex your flannel.
Three students in white lab coats share a laugh
First-year pharmacy students work to make a hard candy compound during a lab.
A student walks a slackline between two trees.
You'll know spring is near when students break out the slacklines.
A student takes a rest while ice fishing
It's definitely OK to take a quick nap while ice fishing.
A dancer rehearses before a performance
Students in the School of Theatre and Dance rehearse for the American College Dance Association (ACDA) Benefit Concert.
A student reads a hardback book in the University Center.
The University Center is a favorite spot to take in some greenery in the dead of winter.
A cross-country skier skates the groomed trails at the UM Golf Course.
The groomed cross-country ski trails at the UM Golf Course are a popular option in winter.
An art student draws while sitting outside
It's tradition on campus to take class outside as soon as the weather warms up.
A person takes in student art work displayed in the Gallery of Visual Arts
The Gallery of Visual Arts displays student artwork throughout the year.