Public · University

Adams State University

Alamosa, Colorado · Remote town

#3 best value in Colorado
Admit rate
$12,980
Avg net price
39%
Graduation rate
$44,372
Median earnings

Adams State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Alamosa, Colorado (remote town setting), enrolling 1,250 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicSmall · 1,250 undergradsRemote townNCAA Division II with football · Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Alamosa, Colorado

Alamosa is the home rule city that is the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in, Alamosa County, Colorado United States. The Alamosa, Colorado, post office opened on March 12, 1878, and the Town of Alamosa was incorporated on August 12, 1878. The town was established by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and quickly became an important rail center. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
597 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to San Luis Valley Regional Airport/Bergman Field (ALS)

How Adams State University compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 22% · #14 of 19 in Colorado

First-year retention51%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,372

Higher than 22% · #17 of 22 in Colorado

Average net price$12,980

Cheaper than 81% · #3 cheapest of 20 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,250

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare Adams State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Colorado.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,546students
  • Undergraduate1,25049%
  • Graduate1,29651%

Undergraduates by gender

1,250undergrads
  • Women61149%
  • Men63951%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White41%
  • Black9.1%
  • Hispanic33%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial15%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,250
Graduate enrollment
1,296
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$31,933
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,107
Endowment
$57,169

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 320 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Colorado63%
  • Other U.S. states37%

A regional draw: about 63% of first-years come from Colorado, the rest from elsewhere.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,824
Out-of-state tuition
$21,944
Room & board
$9,820
Books & supplies
$2,920
Total cost of attendance
$24,352
Average net price
$12,980

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
39%
Graduated on time (4 years)
20%
First-year retention
51%
Transferred to another college
37%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,338
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,372
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

About 20% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
20%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
First-generation
26%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
950
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
76%
Housing charge (year)
$4,113
Meal plan (year)
$5,440
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
676 (460 men · 216 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)218
Football130
Soccer70
Wrestling66
Baseball44
Lacrosse38
Swimming31
Basketball28
Softball25
Volleyball19
Golf7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
24
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,901 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
8.0 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
3.7
Rape
3.3
Burglary
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,947
$30–48k
$10,392
$48–75k
$11,921
$75–110k
$15,787
$110k+
$20,274

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$56,647

$11,921/year × about 4.8 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

76%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,805
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 76% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,805. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 294 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$44,372
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
46%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$41,432
Men
$49,353

Men out-earn women by $7,921 (19%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
83°F
Winter low
0°F
Annual rain
7.3″
Annual snow
30″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Alamosa 1E, CO US station (1.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Adams State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Adams State University side by side →

Colleges near Adams State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.