Private for-profit · Community college

Colorado School of Trades

Lakewood, Colorado · Large suburb

#2 for grad earnings in Colorado

0%
Transfer rate: $26,083
Avg net price: 81%
Grad / completion: $51,591
Median earnings

Colorado School of Trades is a private for-profit associate-granting institution in Lakewood, Colorado (large suburb setting), enrolling 85 undergraduates.

Private for-profitSmall · 85 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 91% admitCold wintersSnowy

About Lakewood, Colorado

Lakewood is the home rule city that is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The urban and suburban development of the community known as Lakewood was started in 1889 by Charles Welch and W.A.H. Loveland, who platted a 13-block area along Colfax Avenue west of Denver in eastern Jefferson County. Belmar is the town center with a mix of retail, residential, cultural, and public space. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 6 miles to Denver, CO
To the ocean: 741 miles
Nearest airport: 12 miles to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC)

How Colorado School of Trades compares

Selectivity90.9%

More selective than 36% · #4 most selective of 6 in Colorado

Graduation rate81%

Higher than 78% · #10 of 49 in Colorado

First-year retention93%

Higher than 85%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,591

Higher than 92% · #2 of 44 in Colorado

Average net price$26,083

Cheaper than 16% · #42 cheapest of 49 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$20,000

Lower than 6%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment85

Larger than 24%

Percentiles compare Colorado School of Trades with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Colorado.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White74%
Black1.2%
Hispanic12%
Asian3.5%
Other or multiracial9.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 85
Student–faculty ratio: 10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 28%
First-generation students: 32%
Students over 25: 44%
Median family income: $22,376
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $36,585

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

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $26,083

Admissions

Admission rate: 90.9%
Test scores: Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %): —
SAT average: —
SAT reading: —
SAT math: —
ACT composite: —

Outcomes

Graduated: 81%
First-year retention: 93%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $44,718
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $51,591
Median debt at graduation: $20,000
Students with federal loans: 32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 62%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free

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

$26,083

$30–48k

—

$48–75k

—

$75–110k

—

$110k+

—

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.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Colorado School of Trades funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

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

Median earnings (10 years): $51,591
Typical debt at graduation: $20,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 39%
Out-earn a HS grad: 62%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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.

Campus climate

Summer high: 86°F
Winter low: 20°F
Annual rain: 17.5″
Annual snow: 58″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

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

What Colorado School of Trades graduates study — and earn

Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians

89 grads$40k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$20k debt

89$39,981$44,677$20,000

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 Colorado School of Trades

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Colorado School of Trades side by side →

Concorde Career College-Aurora

For-profit

Aurora, Colorado · Large city · 7 mi to Denver

Students: 256
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $42k

Concorde Career College-North Hollywood

For-profit

North Hollywood, California · Large city · 13 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 158
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $51k

Worsham College of Mortuary Science

For-profit

Wheeling, Illinois · Large suburb · 24 mi to Chicago

Students: 183
Tuition: $21k
Transfer: 26%
Earnings: $62k

Concorde Career College-Garden Grove

For-profit

Garden Grove, California · Large suburb · 26 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 214
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $46k

Concorde Career College-Dallas

For-profit

Dallas, Texas · Large city · 10 mi to Dallas

Students: 194
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $42k

Modern Technology School

For-profit

Fountain Valley, California · Small city · 29 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 101
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $51k

Colleges near Colorado School of Trades

Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 2,050 students

2 mi

Colorado Christian University

Lakewood, CO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,549 students

2 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Denver

Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 213 students

3 mi

Red Rocks Community College

Lakewood, CO · Public · Certificate · 4,889 students

3 mi

Colorado School of Healing Arts

Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 52 students

3 mi

Regis University

Denver, CO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,627 students

5 mi

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO · Public · Bachelor's · 15,002 students

5 mi

Community College of Denver

Denver, CO · Public · Associate · 5,096 students

5 mi

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.