Colorado College
Colorado College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Colorado College Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Small Colleges in Colorado 2026
- #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Colorado 2026
- #2 Best Private Colleges in Colorado
- #3 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #5 Best Colleges in Colorado
- #10 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees
- #16 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #16 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #17 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Computer Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #20 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #23 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #34 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #38 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
About Colorado College
Featured Alumni
Marcia McNutt ranks among our Top Influential Earth Scientists Today.
Jane Lubchenco ranks among our Top Influential Earth Scientists Today.
James Heckman ranks among our Top Influential Political Economists Today.
According to Wikipedia, Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offers 42 majors and 33 minors. Notable alumni include Liz Cheney, Dutch Clark, Thomas Hornsby Ferril, James Heckman, Steve Sabol, Ken Salazar, and Marc Webb.
Colorado College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,532 | 18% | 94% | 86% | 1345 | 31 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Colorado College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $73,566 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $13,592 |
| 30K - 48K | $13,250 |
| 48K - 75K | $13,798 |
| 75K - 110K | $28,292 |
| 110K+ | $43,403 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Colorado College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Colorado College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $70,914 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Colorado College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 2,393 | 2,349 | 44 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Colorado College?
Colorado College is located at 14. E Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.
How Safe is Colorado College?
Relative to its enrollment, Colorado College has a violent crime rate of 0.24% and a property crime rate of 0.44%. Colorado Springs has a violent crime rate of 0.72% and a property crime rate of 3.49%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Colorado College Known For?
Colorado College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Earth Sciences
- Sociology
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Political Science
- History
- Physics
- Education
- Chemistry
- Religious Studies
Colorado College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Colorado College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Colorado College ranks #115 in the U.S. and #416 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesColorado College ranks #125 in the U.S. and #535 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesColorado College ranks #141 in the U.S. and #575 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesColorado College ranks #148 in the U.S. and #527 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesColorado College ranks #167 in the U.S. and #583 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesColorado College ranks #182 in the U.S. and #731 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesColorado College ranks #184 in the U.S. and #623 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesColorado College ranks #187 in the U.S. and #533 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesColorado College ranks #187 in the U.S. and #447 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesColorado College ranks #212 in the U.S. and #652 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesColorado College ranks #235 in the U.S. and #937 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesColorado College ranks #253 in the U.S. and #712 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesColorado College ranks #277 in the U.S. and #1192 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesColorado College ranks #307 in the U.S. and #1278 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesColorado College ranks #346 in the U.S. and #1813 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesColorado College ranks #554 in the U.S. and #2428 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are Colorado College's Most Influential Alumni?
Colorado College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Here are some of Colorado College's most famous alumni:
- Donna Haraway
- An American philosopher, scholar in the field of science and technology studies.
- Rollo May
- An American psychiatrist.
- Terry Winograd
- An American professor.
- James Heckman
- An American economist.
- Naomi Oreskes
- An American historian, scientist, academic (1958 - Present).
- Marcia McNutt
- An American geophysicist (1952 - ), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
- Jane Lubchenco
- An American ecologist, (1947 - ).
- George Selgin
- An American economist.
- William Drea Adams
- An American academic, administrator, tenth Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
- Susan Stokes
- An American political scientist.
- Liang Shih-chiu
- A Chinese writer.
- Dee Bradley Baker
- An American voice actor .
