Best Public Colleges in Colorado 2024

Published: Mar 15, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Public colleges and universities account for almost 75 percent of all undergraduate students in the U.S. The best public colleges in Colorado provide broad access to reputable degree programs, affordable tuition, and sprawling educational communities.

Adams State University 100%
Colorado State University Pueblo 99%
University of Colorado Colorado Springs 95%
Fort Lewis College 93%
University of Northern Colorado 91%
Western Colorado University 91%
Colorado State University 90%
Metropolitan State University of Denver 89%
University of Colorado Boulder 80%
Colorado Mesa University 80%

Community College of Denver 19 to 1
Red Rocks Community College 19 to 1
Colorado Mesa University 19 to 1
University of Colorado Boulder 18 to 1
Metropolitan State University of Denver 18 to 1
Pueblo Community College 18 to 1
Western Colorado University 18 to 1
University of Colorado Denver 17 to 1
Colorado School of Mines 17 to 1
University of Northern Colorado 16 to 1

Colorado School of Mines $17,160
University of Colorado Boulder $10,806
Colorado State University $9,709
University of Colorado Colorado Springs $9,338
Metropolitan State University of Denver $8,280
University of Colorado Denver $8,160
University of Northern Colorado $8,127
Colorado Mesa University $8,020
Fort Lewis College $7,056
Western Colorado University $6,816

Colorado School of Mines $17,154
Western Colorado University $13,972
University of Colorado Colorado Springs $13,854
University of Colorado Boulder $12,168
University of Northern Colorado $11,192
Colorado State University $10,834
Red Rocks Community College $10,082
Colorado Mesa University $9,270
Metropolitan State University of Denver $9,066
Adams State University $7,132

Red Rocks Community College
Pueblo Community College
Colorado State University Pueblo
Western Colorado University
Colorado Mountain College
Adams State University
Colorado Mesa University
Community College of Denver
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Fort Lewis College

United States Air Force Academy 12%
Colorado School of Mines 57%
University of Colorado Denver 72%
Colorado Mesa University 80%
University of Colorado Boulder 80%
Metropolitan State University of Denver 89%
Colorado State University 90%
Western Colorado University 91%
University of Northern Colorado 91%
Fort Lewis College 93%

United States Air Force Academy 6 to 1
Colorado Mountain College 13 to 1
Adams State University 13 to 1
Fort Lewis College 15 to 1
University of Colorado Colorado Springs 15 to 1
Colorado State University Pueblo 15 to 1
University of Northern Colorado 16 to 1
Colorado State University 16 to 1
University of Colorado Denver 17 to 1
Colorado School of Mines 17 to 1

Community College of Denver $3,680
Red Rocks Community College $3,680
Pueblo Community College $3,680
Colorado Mountain College $4,560
Adams State University $5,976
Colorado State University Pueblo $6,539
Western Colorado University $6,816
Fort Lewis College $7,056
Colorado Mesa University $8,020
University of Northern Colorado $8,127

Colorado State University Pueblo $5,821
Fort Lewis College $6,750
University of Colorado Denver $6,984
Adams State University $7,132
Metropolitan State University of Denver $9,066
Colorado Mesa University $9,270
Red Rocks Community College $10,082
Colorado State University $10,834
University of Northern Colorado $11,192
University of Colorado Boulder $12,168

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Colorado

Fans of the outdoors will feel right at home in Colorado. With the Rocky Mountains, Colorado River, and even part of the Great Plains, you’re sure to find adventure in The Centennial State. Students looking to balance outdoor adventure with higher education can choose from over 40 colleges and universities offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees for an average in-state tuition of $10,800.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Colorado’s 28 public institutes include junior colleges, universities, the United States Air Force Academy, and the Colorado School of Mines, a research university that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Tuition for Colorado’s public schools ranges from $3,000 to $19,000, with many of the colleges and junior colleges starting at $4,000 and the universities at $8,000. Several of public colleges in Colorado enroll a large number of online students, including Colorado State University

Colorado’s private institutions boast smaller class sizes and student populations. This category includes five religiously affiliated campuses. Private colleges in Colorado tend to be more expensive, ranging from $4,000 to $55,000 in tuition. There are several online colleges in Colorado that are categorized as private schools.

The University of Colorado, Boulder, a notable research institute, is ranked as the number one school in the state and has a student population of just over 32,000. Students can earn degrees in computer science and physics both through in-person courses and online learning. Influential Boulder alumni include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Academy Award-winning actor and director Robert Redford.

Prospective art students can check out Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, and those desiring a career in the medical field can look into the Institute of Business and Medical Careers.

To learn more, check out the best brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Colorado.

What are Colorado’s Colleges & Universities?

Colorado’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

This list is composed entirely of public colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 17 public universities in Colorado. To be included in our list of the best public colleges in Colorado, shcools must receive direct funding from the state, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor’s degress.

How do we determine Colorado's best public colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Public Colleges in Colorado 2023

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Colorado’s Best Public College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Check out our directory of public colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top public colleges in every state.

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Best Public Colleges in Colorado 2024

10 Best Public Colleges in Colorado

Colleges and Universities in Colorado

What are Colorado’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Public Colleges in Colorado 2023

Career Outlook for degree at University of Colorado Boulder

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Colorado State University

Most Influential Alumni

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Colorado School of Mines

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Colorado Denver

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Northern Colorado

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Metropolitan State University of Denver

Most Influential Alumni

Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Most Influential Alumni

University of Colorado Colorado Springs’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Colorado Mesa University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Fort Lewis College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Community College of Denver

Community College of Denver’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Western Colorado University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Adams State University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Colorado Mountain College

Career Outlook for degree at Colorado State University Pueblo

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Red Rocks Community College

Career Outlook for degree at Pueblo Community College

Colorado’s Best Public College in Your Area of Interest