The cornerstone of Main Hall was laid in 1896, and the university opened its doors in 1900 as the Montana State School of Mines.
These funds also contributed to the construction of the Lesar Family Nursing Simulation Center, which opened in spring 2022 in the Science & Engineering building.
This change gives greater independence by reporting directly to the Board of Regents and handling its own finances instead of through the University of Montana.
On April 25, 2023, the university announced the largest donation in its history from Ryan Lance, CEO of ConocoPhillips.
The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Frontier Conference since the 1933–34 academic year.
Montana Tech won the conference's most prestigious all-sports recognition, called the Bandy Award, in 2023, marking the first time since 1993 to do so.
[43][44] The Orediggers men's basketball team, coached by Adam Hiatt, have won back-to-back-to-back Frontier Conference regular season and tournament championships in 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24.
The Orediggers made Frontier Conference history in 2023–24, becoming the first program to win three consecutive regular season and tournament championships.
Montana Tech set a Frontier Conference record for most points scored in a championship game with 103 in the 2022–23 season.
Montana Tech won their Regional Bracket to advance to the final site in Kansas City for the first time in program history in 2022–23.
The Orediggers beat rival Carroll College 62–61 on February 28, 2022 to win their first Frontier Conference tournament championship since 1999.
[47] Montana Tech began participating in the NAIA as the Orediggers track and field team started in spring 2021.
[53] In 2014, Montana Tech was ranked sixth in the nation for graduates earning the highest starting salaries, according to the Washington Post.
[54] In 2015, The Wall Street Journal ranked Montana Tech ninth in the nation for best public universities for return on investment.