by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the college options in Colorado, narrowing things down is no easy task. This list ranks **21** schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluated 21 colleges across over 20 objective factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Learn more about these excellent colleges below:
Colorado School Of Mines earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Colleges ranking in Colorado. Set in Golden, CO, Colorado School Of Mines is a public institution. Roughly 82% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $21,914, while out-of-state students pay about $45,824. Graduates go on to earn a median of $76,298 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $24,521 to complete a degree here.
Out of the 21 colleges in Colorado in this year's ranking, University Of Denver landed the #2 spot. University Of Denver is a private not-for-profit school based in Denver, CO. Roughly 76% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,398. Early-career graduates earn a median of $56,999. Typical student debt is $22,534.
A rank of #3 makes University Of Colorado Boulder one of the top colleges in Colorado. Based in Boulder, CO, University Of Colorado Boulder is a public institution. About 74% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $15,214, compared with $42,970 for out-of-state students. University Of Colorado Boulder graduates report median early-career earnings of $55,861. Graduates carry a median of $20,373 in student loans.
The strong outcomes at Colorado State University Fort Collins earned it the #4 place in Colorado. This public school is set in Fort Collins, CO. Colorado State University Fort Collins graduates 66% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,373, compared with $35,061 for out-of-state students. Median early-career earnings reach $51,693. Graduates carry a median of $22,843 in student loans.
Colorado College came in at #5 on this year's Best Colleges ranking in Colorado. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, Colorado College is a private not-for-profit institution. Colorado College graduates 88% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $70,734. Early-career graduates earn a median of $37,342. Colorado College students take on a median of $17,921 in debt.
Denver School Of Nursing landed the #6 spot in Colorado this year. Denver School Of Nursing is a private for-profit school based in Denver, CO. In-state tuition and fees run about $19,458. Median early-career earnings reach $80,304. The median student debt is $32,832.
Regis University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. This private not-for-profit school is set in Denver, CO. Regis University graduates 62% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $28,140. Regis University graduates report median early-career earnings of $72,028. Students borrow a median of $31,773 to complete a degree here.
University Of Colorado Denver did well this year, earning the #8 position. Set in Denver, CO, University Of Colorado Denver is a public institution. University Of Colorado Denver graduates 46% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $10,383, while out-of-state students pay about $29,391. Median early-career earnings reach $66,022. Students borrow a median of $26,582 to complete a degree here.
University Of Northern Colorado landed the #9 spot in Colorado this year. This public school is set in Greeley, CO. The six-year graduation rate is 51%. In-state tuition and fees run about $11,901, compared with $26,979 for out-of-state students. University Of Northern Colorado graduates report median early-career earnings of $45,705. Typical student debt is $23,974.
Colorado State University Global Campus did well this year, earning the #10 position. This public school is set in Denver, CO. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,000. Median early-career earnings reach $68,936. Graduates carry a median of $31,361 in student loans.
University Of Colorado At Colorado Springs landed the #11 spot in Colorado this year. This public school is set in Colorado Springs, CO. The six-year graduation rate is 47%. In-state tuition and fees run about $10,906, compared with $25,039 for out-of-state students. Early-career graduates earn a median of $52,626. Graduates carry a median of $23,559 in student loans.
Metropolitan State College Of Denver did well this year, earning the #12 position. Set in Denver, CO, Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a public institution. Roughly 31% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $11,124, compared with $30,684 for out-of-state students. Median early-career earnings reach $44,861. Students borrow a median of $27,484 to complete a degree here.
Mesa State College landed the #13 spot in Colorado this year. Located in Grand Junction, CO, Mesa State College is a public institution. Mesa State College graduates 47% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,927, while out-of-state students pay about $25,124. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $43,617. Students borrow a median of $22,310 to complete a degree here.
Fort Lewis College did well this year, earning the #14 position. This public school is set in Durango, CO. Fort Lewis College graduates 36% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,958, while out-of-state students pay about $21,526. Graduates go on to earn a median of $30,676 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $18,888 to complete a degree here.
Western State College Of Colorado came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Gunnison, CO. Western State College Of Colorado posts a six-year graduation rate of 50%. In-state tuition and fees run about $11,318, compared with $24,434 for out-of-state students. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $36,712. Typical student debt is $23,455.
Colorado Mountain College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Based in Glenwood Springs, CO, Colorado Mountain College is a public institution. About 14% of students finish within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,616, compared with $12,840 for out-of-state students. Graduates go on to earn a median of $48,694 early in their careers. The median student debt is $12,953.
Colorado State University Pueblo landed the #17 spot in Colorado this year. This public school is set in Pueblo, CO. Colorado State University Pueblo graduates 40% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,720, with out-of-state students paying around $17,944. Early-career graduates earn a median of $49,098. Typical student debt is $25,325.
Adams State College placed #18 among the best colleges in Colorado. Located in Alamosa, CO, Adams State College is a public institution. About 32% of students finish within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,824, with out-of-state students paying around $21,944. Early-career graduates earn a median of $48,101. Students borrow a median of $25,523 to complete a degree here.
Colorado Christian University did well this year, earning the #19 position. Colorado Christian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lakewood, CO. Colorado Christian University posts a six-year graduation rate of 63%. In-state tuition and fees run about $28,846. Median early-career earnings reach $47,333. Typical student debt is $36,092.
Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs placed #20 among the best colleges in Colorado. Located in Colorado Springs, CO, Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs is a private for-profit institution. Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs graduates 14% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $12,750. Median early-career earnings reach $62,222. Graduates carry a median of $39,095 in student loans.
Arapahoe Community College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Set in Littleton, CO, Arapahoe Community College is a public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,434, compared with $17,034 for out-of-state students. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $47,579. Students borrow a median of $20,448 to complete a degree here.
Pueblo Community College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Pueblo, CO. In-state tuition and fees run about $5,049, while out-of-state students pay about $17,649. Pueblo Community College graduates report median early-career earnings of $42,377. Graduates carry a median of $14,106 in student loans.
Nazarene Bible College placed #23 among the best colleges in Colorado. Located in Colorado Springs, CO, Nazarene Bible College is a private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,482. Graduates go on to earn a median of $40,357 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $40,332 to complete a degree here.
Pikes Peak Community College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Set in Colorado Springs, CO, Pikes Peak Community College is a public institution. Students from in state pay about $4,510 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $17,110. Early-career graduates earn a median of $41,037. Students borrow a median of $16,066 to complete a degree here.
Red Rocks Community College landed the #25 spot in Colorado this year. Red Rocks Community College is a public school based in Lakewood, CO. Students from in state pay about $4,859 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $17,459. Red Rocks Community College graduates report median early-career earnings of $76,340. Students borrow a median of $14,471 to complete a degree here.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
These rankings are produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Colleges are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.