Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
Schools are assigned a value from 1-100, where 100 is best for students from households earning up to $30,000. This value is multiplied by the percentage of the school’s student body that received a Pell Grant, to calculate the economic mobility score. A higher score is better. Read the full explanation
The percentage of a school’s student body that has received a Pell Grant.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
The total debt accrued by the median student at the time of graduation.
The debt-to-earnings ratio is calculated by dividing student debt upon graduation by the annual salary. A debt to earnings ratio of 1 means that annual educational debt is the same as annual earnings.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
The best colleges in Colorado are known for their breathtaking landscapes and varied academics that foster innovation across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Colorado, Boulder, a “Public Ivy,” is among the most esteemed educational institutions in the state. Other renowned schools include the Colorado School of Mines, globally renowned for its excellence in mineral and mining engineering, and Colorado State University, which houses one of the nation's top veterinary programs. Notably, Naropa University in Colorado holds the distinction of being the first Buddhist university in the United States, while Fort Lewis College, with its distinctive heritage, offers Native American students the opportunity to pursue tuition-free education.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$27,978
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$97,335
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate85%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$13,782
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$64,270
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate52%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$20,971
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$69,738
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate72%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$23,367
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$72,105
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate69%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$18,512
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$60,543
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate72%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$28,892
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$65,222
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate88%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$34,737
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$71,155
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate76%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$16,772
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$54,659
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate50%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$17,465
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$52,231
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate57%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$22,405
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$50,416
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate56%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$15,175
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$46,833
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate55%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$12,815
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$55,563
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate43%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$15,602
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$52,093
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate42%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$14,766
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$46,349
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate45%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$7,531
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$44,127
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate39%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$12,836
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$44,372
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate37%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$15,483
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$45,823
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate43%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Explore more schools without data
www.degreechoices.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate
us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.
Average income based on education level
The following figures are the average salaries in Colorado for each level of education.
Average Income
The average income of people in this state with a high-school diploma, certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree, 10 years after enrollment, based on 2021-2022 CSC data.
HS Diploma$42,245
Certificate$49,350
Associate$49,113
Bachelor$57,347
Master$64,698
Cost of attending college in Colorado
In-state-tuition$15,558
The average in-state tuition, before financial aid, of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.
Out-of-state-tuition$24,581
The average tuition for out-of-state students, before financial aid of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.
Most popular degrees in Colorado
In Colorado the most popular degrees are Business Administration, Registered Nursing, and General Psychology. To create this list, we complied and analyzed data from IPEDS and College Scorecard.
They both provide information on how many graduates each program has annually. The list below is both undergraduate- and graduate-level programs.
Popular degrees
1Business Administration 8,147graduates
2Registered Nursing 2,887graduates
3General Psychology 1,718graduates
4Computer and Information Sciences 1,575graduates
5Biology 1,456graduates
6Computer Science 1,409graduates
7Criminal Justice 1,242graduates
8Social Work 1,139graduates
9Comms & Media Studies 1,137graduates
10Accounting 1,108graduates
Fastest growing careers
Colorado job growth
21.1%
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
50.8%
Mathematicians
50%
Genetic Counselors
50%
Veterinarians
49.8%
Interpreters and Translators
47.3%
Physician Assistants
46.9%
Statisticians
45.4%
Massage Therapists
44.4%
Nurse Practitioners
43%
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary
40.7%
Best bachelor’s degrees in Colorado
These majors are most likely to pay off economically after graduation.
Program NamesEconomic Score
1Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. 0.89
Higher education is supposed to act as an economic elevator that lifts students from low-income households into the middle class. But not all colleges do this: unfortunately, many of the nation’s most “prestigious” schools accept very few students from low-income backgrounds.
To determine what colleges are doing the best job at lifting students out of poverty, we have devised a Social Mobility Index (SMI).
The best colleges for social mobility in Colorado are shown below.
Bachelor's degree holders or higher
42.3%
Filters
Colorado
21.1%
