State Hub

Colleges in Colorado

CampusPin tracks 58 colleges in Colorado, 38 universities and 20 community colleges. Compare tuition, acceptance, size, and setting to build a shortlist that fits.

Colleges tracked

58

Universities

38

Community colleges

20

Avg. in-state tuition

$15k

About college search in Colorado

How Colorado's higher-education landscape shapes a search

Colorado operates a diversified public higher-education sector. The University of Colorado System runs four campuses (Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, and the Anschutz Medical Campus). Colorado State University runs Fort Collins (the state’s land-grant flagship) plus Pueblo and Global campuses. The Colorado School of Mines (Golden) is a specialized STEM-focused public. Other major publics include the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley) and Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Colorado Community College System operates 13 colleges with formal transfer to public four-year institutions.

CU Boulder and CSU as research anchors

CU Boulder is the most-selective public university in the state; Colorado State University (Fort Collins) is the land-grant research institution.

Colorado School of Mines

Mines (Golden) is a specialized public university focused on engineering and applied sciences, one of the few STEM-focused publics in the U.S.

CCCS (13 community colleges)

The Colorado Community College System runs 13 colleges with formal gtPathways transfer agreements to Colorado public four-year universities.

COSI and other affordability programs

The Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative and need-based COF (College Opportunity Fund) reduce in-state cost for eligible students. Verify with the institution.

Public university system

CU System + CSU System + independent publics

Colorado’s public four-year sector includes the CU System (Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, Anschutz), the CSU System (Fort Collins, Pueblo, Global), Mines, UNC, Metro State, Western Colorado, Adams State, and Fort Lewis (an institution serving Native American students tuition-free).

Community college network

Colorado Community College System (CCCS), 13 colleges

CCCS coordinates 13 community colleges. The gtPathways general-education transfer framework guarantees credit transfer to Colorado public four-year institutions.

In-state vs. out-of-state tuition

Colorado in-state public tuition is in the mid-range. The state College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend reduces in-state tuition at public institutions for eligible Colorado residents who enroll part-time or full-time. Verify residency and COF eligibility with the institution.

Top metros for college search

Where Colorado's higher-education density concentrates

  • Denver metro

    Denver hosts CU Denver, the University of Denver (private), Metropolitan State, the Community College of Denver, and Regis (private).

  • Boulder

    Boulder is built around CU Boulder, the state’s most-selective public research university.

  • Fort Collins

    Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University, the state’s land-grant research and agricultural anchor.

  • Colorado Springs

    Colorado Springs hosts UCCS (University of Colorado Colorado Springs), the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado College (private), and Pikes Peak State College.

  • Golden / Western Foothills

    Golden is the home of the Colorado School of Mines, with the Colorado state government nearby in Denver.

What Colorado actually costs

Median net price after grants
$11,440 for families under $30,000
$21,362 at $110,000 or more
Across 40 Colorado colleges reporting the full series. All five income bands
Median federal debt at graduation
$18,257 with 30.1% borrowing
Debt without the borrower share is misleading, so CampusPin never shows one alone. Debt by college
Studying entirely online
25% of Colorado students
Federal enrolment collection, weighted by students rather than campuses. Where they study

Every college we track

Colleges and universities in Colorado

Filter all Colorado schools

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West region overview

What students weigh when searching colleges in Colorado

Across Colorado (CO), CampusPin currently indexes 58 institutions: 29 public and 29 private, split between 38 universities and 20 community colleges. Students often deal with large geographic spread, strong public systems, and meaningful differences between urban, suburban, and remote options.

Compare travel distance and delivery format early so your list reflects how you would actually attend.
Use online and hybrid filters when geography is broad but schedule flexibility matters.
Review campus environment and support detail carefully because Western state searches can mix very different school contexts.

Browse by major

Colorado colleges by program

Start from the major. Each guide covers what the field studies, its federal CIP classification, and the pay and projected openings for the occupations it leads to, then send you into Colorado search to build a shortlist.

Fields with a distinct set of Colorado colleges

51 fields where the colleges that awarded credentials in Colorado are a materially different set from those of any closely related field, based on federal completions data. Showing the 36 with the most colleges. The number is how many colleges awarded credentials.

How to use the Colorado hub

Start with CampusPin results filtered to Colorado so your first pass stays geographically focused.
Use school profiles to compare tuition, admissions, program format, and campus fit before building a shortlist.
If you are looking for lower-cost or transfer-first options, compare community colleges and four-year destinations separately.
Use blog guides and help-center content when you need stronger decision frameworks, not just more schools.

Next actions for Colorado

Explore all colleges in ColoradoView community colleges in ColoradoView online programs in ColoradoRead planning guides before you compare

Frequently asked questions

Questions families ask about colleges in Colorado

Which is the public flagship university in Colorado?
The University of Colorado Boulder is generally considered the state’s primary public flagship and most-selective public university. Colorado State University in Fort Collins is the state’s land-grant institution.
How many HBCUs are in Colorado?
Colorado has no federally designated HBCUs.
How does the Colorado College Opportunity Fund (COF) work?
The Colorado College Opportunity Fund (COF) is a state stipend that reduces the in-state tuition rate paid by eligible Colorado residents at participating public institutions. Each enrolled credit hour up to the cap reduces the student’s tuition charge. Verify eligibility and current per-credit amount with the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
What is Fort Lewis College’s tuition waiver?
Fort Lewis College in Durango operates a tuition waiver for Native American students who are members of federally recognized tribes, a long-standing program rooted in the institution’s historical commitments.

Related blog clusters

Guides that pair well with a Colorado search

Cost and Financial Aid

College affordability, net price, aid interpretation, borrowing decisions, and budgeting guidance for students and families using CampusPin to compare higher-ed options with more discipline.

Community College

Community-college strategy, affordability, transfer readiness, and credential pathway content for students exploring two-year options through CampusPin.

College Search Strategy

Filter-first search strategy, shortlist building, and planning content for students and parents using CampusPin to discover best-fit colleges and universities.

Help Center

Workflow guides for students searching in Colorado

Getting Started With CampusPin

A fast orientation to the CampusPin workflow, from your first search through profile review, pins, and next-step planning.

How to Use Filters to Narrow Your College List

A practical help article on how to use CampusPin filters without over-filtering or locking yourself into the wrong criteria too early.

How to Read a CampusPin School Profile

A guide to the major sections inside a CampusPin institution profile and how to interpret them effectively. Each page connects to clearer next steps, related guides, and the CampusPin tools that help you decide.

CampusPin research

National analyses with Colorado in the data

Each report is built from a checksum-verified snapshot, with full methodology and a downloadable CSV that includes Colorado.

Comparing schools on price? See our national analysis of how college cost relates to graduation and earnings, an association driven by selectivity and sector, not evidence that a pricier college pays off.

Explore Colorado

More ways to explore Colorado colleges

What this count of 58 includes

Other sites publish very different totals for Colorado, and most do not say what they are counting. Here is exactly what this one counts, so you can check it against anyone else's.

By level
38 listed as universities and 20 as community colleges. CampusPin records this as an institution type, and uses it as an approximation of four-year versus two-year; it is not a separately reported degree-level field.
By control
29 public and 29 private. CampusPin records control as public or private only, so private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions are not separated here.
  • Every institution counted has its own CampusPin profile listing the figures behind it and where each one came from, so the total can be checked against its parts rather than taken on trust.
  • This is CampusPin's directory of 3,798 institutions nationwide, not the full federal universe. NCES counted 5,829 Title IV institutions, administrative offices, and U.S. service academies nationwide for 2024-25. That figure includes entities a student would never apply to, which is one reason published totals differ so widely.
  • Figures come from federal sources on a reporting lag, so a very new or very recently closed institution may not be reflected yet. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
Full data methodologyCoverage and data quality

Data sources & methodology

College listings for Colorado are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own published information.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

  • IPEDS / NCES College Navigator

    Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.

  • U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

    Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.

  • Institutional websites

    Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

MethodologyData dictionaryReport a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. Colleges in Colorado. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-by-state/colorado