by our College Data Analytics TeamMetropolitan State University of Denver is a public institution in Denver, Colorado enrolling 15,002 undergraduates. It accepts 99% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 32%, near the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,334 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 26%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Metropolitan State University of Denver ranks #1,334 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 26%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
Metropolitan State University of Denver was awarded 17 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, MSU Denver is ranked #1,334 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
Within the state, MSU Denver holds the #19 spot on the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking.
See all of the rankings for Metropolitan State University of Denver.
With an acceptance rate of 99%, Metropolitan State University of Denver is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.
About 20% of students accepted to MSU Denver submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 450 and 570. Math scores were between 430 and 560.
MSU Denver received ACT scores from 2% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 17 and 26.
Learn more about Metropolitan State University of Denver admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Metropolitan State University of Denver is about average at 14 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Metropolitan State University of Denver is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At Metropolitan State University of Denver this rate is 63%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate is the percent of first-time, full-time students who get their bachelor’s degree within four years. At MSU Denver this rate is 32%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
In the current academic year, there are 15,002 undergraduates at MSU Denver.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
The typical net cost at MSU Denver is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,481 | $12,436 | $14,927 | $19,539 | $23,822 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of MSU Denver, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At MSU Denver, approximately 28% of students took out student loans averaging $7,197 a year. That adds up to $28,788 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 10.7%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%. Get more details about paying for Metropolitan State University of Denver.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver make about $52,093 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Metropolitan State University of Denver make the most money.
Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public institution situated in Denver, Colorado. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Contact details for Metropolitan State University of Denver can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 890 Auraria Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204 |
| Phone: | 3035563058 |
| Website: | www.msudenver.edu/ |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_State_College_of_Denver |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/msudenver |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/msudenver |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 28 majors graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 3,450 | NA |
| Social Work | 293 | $40,872 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 269 | $34,388 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 185 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 172 | $45,469 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 132 | $39,189 |
| Air Transportation | 127 | $40,969 |
| General Biology | 125 | $34,512 |
| Accounting | 117 | $51,393 |
| Nutrition Science | 111 | $32,738 |
11,054 students took at least one online class at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
Learn more about online learning at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Interested in comparing MSU Denver? Match them up using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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