2024 Best Colleges in Colorado
33
Colleges
$46,693
Avg Salary*
44%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Top Colorado Colleges ranking - to help you make that decision.
After analyzing 33 schools in Colorado, we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Top Colleges in Colorado
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Colorado School of Mines the best school in Colorado in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Golden, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,676 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Mines is $90,060 during the early years of their career.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #2 in Colorado on this year’s overall quality ranking.Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,728 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from CU - Boulder is $60,740 during the early years of their career.
Full University of Colorado Boulder Report
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Denver helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Colorado.Denver, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,008 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from DU go into careers with an average salary of $66,004 during the early years of their career.
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Out of the 33 schools in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #4 spot on the list.Fort Collins, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 7,914 students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State go into careers with an average salary of $54,983 during the early years of their career.
Full Colorado State University - Fort Collins Report
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Colorado State University - Global Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Colorado. Colorado State University - Global Campus is a medium-sized public school located in Aurora, Colorado that handed out 3,895 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
Read full report on Colorado State University - Global Campus
Colorado College landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 528 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 80%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College make an average of $57,013 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Colorado College
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. Located in Denver, Colorado, the large public school handed out 5,658 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from CU Anschutz is $57,987 during the early years of their career.
Full University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Report
Front Range Community College landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Westminster, Colorado, and it awarded 6,238 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from FRCC is $41,930 during the early years of their career.
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University of Northern Colorado landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. University of Northern Colorado is a public institution located in Greeley, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3,009 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from University of Northern Colorado make an average of $47,112 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Northern Colorado
Regis University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. Located in Denver, Colorado, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 2,297 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Regis U make an average of $63,625 a year.
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Community College of Aurora did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking, coming in at #11. CCA is located in Aurora, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 838 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from CCA is $39,567 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Community College of Aurora
Aims Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. Located in Greeley, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,501 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Aims Community College is $40,288 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #13, Community College of Denver did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado list. CCD is located in Denver, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,130 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from CCD is $36,041 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #14, Colorado Christian University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and it awarded 1,379 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from CCU make an average of $45,728 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Colorado Christian University Report
Otero Junior College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. Otero JC is a public institution located in La Junta, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 413 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Otero JC make an average of $34,393 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Otero Junior College
With a ranking of #16, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado list. This fairly large public school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 2,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UCCS make an average of $47,797 a year.
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Pikes Peak Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking.Colorado Springs, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,559 students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $36,036 during the early years of their career..
Full Pikes Peak Community College Report
Morgan Community College landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking.Fort Morgan, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 349 students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Morgan Community College make an average of $37,205 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Morgan Community College
Red Rocks Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges in Colorado list. Located in Lakewood, Colorado, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,151 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Red Rocks Community College go into careers with an average salary of $41,061 during the early years of their career.
Full Red Rocks Community College Report
With a ranking of #20, Pueblo Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado list. This medium-sized public school is located in Pueblo, Colorado, and it awarded 2,595 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Pueblo Community College make an average of $32,527 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Pueblo Community College
Colorado Mountain College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in Colorado list. Located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,446 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Colorado Mountain College is $40,062 during the early years of their career.
Full Colorado Mountain College Report
Trinidad State Junior College landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. Trinidad State Junior College is a small public school situated in Trinidad, Colorado. It awarded 673 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Trinidad State Junior College go into careers with an average salary of $31,049 during the early years of their career.
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Adams State University landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. Adams State is a public institution located in Alamosa, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 946 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Adams State go into careers with an average salary of $37,685 during the early years of their career.
Full Adams State University Report
Arapahoe Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Littleton, Colorado, and it awarded 653 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Arapahoe Community College is $43,663 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #25, Fort Lewis College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in Colorado list. This small public school is located in Durango, Colorado, and it awarded 654 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from FLC make an average of $38,083 a year.
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