2026 Best Value Public Health Schools in Colorado

[Public Health](/majors/health-care-professions/public-health/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong public health education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools to find the best return on investment for public health students.
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2026 Best Value Public Health Schools in Colorado
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the public health degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Public Health Schools
Leading the list is Fort Lewis College, our #1 best value for public health in Colorado. Set in the town of Durango, Fort Lewis College is a mid-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,958 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $21,526. Public Health graduates carry a median of $14,615 in student loans. Soon after graduation, public health degree recipients from Fort Lewis College generally make around $37,498. That is a strong return on a $14,615 median debt. Fort Lewis College admits about 77% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in public health will find it at University Of Colorado Denver, which ranked #2. University Of Colorado Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. In-state tuition and fees average $10,383, compared with $29,391 for out-of-state students. Public Health graduates carry a median of $23,396 in student loans. Early-career public health graduates make about $50,902. Set against $23,396 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.