The cost of college in Colorado — and what it pays back
Across the 50 Colorado institutions we profile, the median net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is $16,468/yr, $434 below the $16,902 national median. Graduates earn a median $43,242 ten years after entry (below the $43,549 national median), and 14 of the 50 schools clear their full cost on institution-wide earnings. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
How Colorado's 50 colleges split by ROI verdict
Verdicts: payback under 5 / 10 / 20 / over 20 years (or none).
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado School of Mines | $28,690 | $97,335 | 2.3 yrs |
| Colorado State University Global | $16,510 | $76,813 | 2.3 yrs |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | $11,900 | $64,270 | 3 yrs |
| Regis University | $18,397 | $72,105 | 3.1 yrs |
| University of Colorado Boulder | $25,346 | $69,738 | 4.7 yrs |
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikes Peak State College | $6,007 | $40,796 | no payback |
| Pickens Technical College | $6,600 | $39,210 | no payback |
| Emily Griffith Technical College | $7,197 | $35,487 | no payback |
| Colorado Mountain College | $7,813 | $44,127 | no payback |
| Community College of Aurora | $8,656 | $44,592 | no payback |
How many Colorado colleges actually pay for themselves?
14 of 50 — 28% of the Colorado institutions we profile clear their full net cost on institution-wide earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The rest need a high-paying major to pay off; the school average alone does not do it.
Do Colorado graduates out-earn the national median?
Colorado graduates report a median $43,242 ten years after entry, $307 below the $43,549 national median. Earnings track the local labour market and the mix of fields the state's colleges graduate, not the state border itself.