2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Colorado

[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 10 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Colorado
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools
Metropolitan State College Of Denver earned the #1 spot for value among area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools in Colorado. Set in the city of Denver, Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $11,124 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $30,684. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $31,966. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from Metropolitan State College Of Denver generally make around $34,906. Set against $31,966 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 99%.
Students looking for strong value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies will find it at University Of Colorado Boulder, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Boulder, University Of Colorado Boulder is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $15,214, with out-of-state students paying around $42,970. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $20,373. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates of University Of Colorado Boulder earn a median of $55,861 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 78%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 10 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.