FAFSA lower earnings list

Colorado schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

14 schools in Colorado are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 72 Colorado schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 25: 11 came off and 0 were added.

A Colorado school is flagged when its graduates’ median earnings four years after completing are below $39,622, the median for Colorado high school graduates aged 25 to 34 (March 2026 release, January 2026 dollars). A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median, $34,635, instead.

Data period: March 2026 release, completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023. Nationally: 999 schools flagged now, 1,365 in December 2025. National report and method

Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Flagged in the March 2026 release (14)

Names as the Department lists them. A linked name opens the school’s CampusPin profile, which shows its earnings and benchmark.

  • Academy of Natural Therapy Inc
  • Avalon Institute-Aurora
  • Cheeks Beauty Academy
  • Colorado Media School
  • Colorado School of Healing Arts
  • Dr. Ida Rolf Institute
  • Empire Beauty School-Aurora
  • Empire Beauty School-Littleton
  • Empire Beauty School-Thornton
  • International Salon and Spa Academy
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Colorado Springs
  • The Salon Professional Academy-Colorado Springs
  • Tigi Hairdressing Academy-Colorado Springs
  • United Beauty College

Flagged in December 2025, not now (11)

The reason is given for each. Because the benchmark and the graduating cohort changed too, coming off is not by itself evidence that graduates earn more.

  • Arizona College of Nursing-Aurora, now above the benchmark
  • Aveda Institute-Denver, now above the benchmark
  • Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology, now above the benchmark
  • Elevate Salon Institute-Westminster, not in the March 2026 list
  • Emily Griffith Technical College, now above the benchmark
  • IBMC College, now above the benchmark
  • Intellitec College-Grand Junction, now above the benchmark
  • Lamar Community College, now above the benchmark
  • Naropa University, now above the benchmark
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Denver, now above the benchmark
  • Pickens Technical College, now above the benchmark

What the notice does and does not mean

  • It is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and a flagged school can still be listed and attended.
  • It describes a whole school, not a program. The Department says earnings differ by credential and field.
  • It covers graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled when earnings were measured.
  • A school with no earnings figure shows no notice. That is an absence of data, not a pass.
Add the Colorado FAFSA notice card to your website (counselors, college-access programs, schools)

Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: the state's flagged count, the previous release and the benchmark, with the notice's caveats and the source, linking back to this page and its full list of schools.

Questions about Colorado

How many Colorado schools are on the FAFSA lower earnings list?
14 schools in Colorado are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 72 Colorado schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 25: 11 came off and 0 were added. Every one is named on this page.
Why did 11 schools in Colorado come off the list?
Of the 11 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 10 now clear the benchmark, 1 is not in the March 2026 list at all. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.
What earnings benchmark are Colorado schools compared with?
$39,622: the median earnings of Colorado high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $38,743, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.
Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?
No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

More on Colorado colleges

Other states

Sources, methodology & citation

Data snapshot: March 22, 2026. Last verified: September 25, 2026.

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.

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.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Colorado schools on the FAFSA "lower earnings" list. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/colorado