Public · Community college

Community College of Aurora

Aurora, Colorado · Large city

20%
Transfer rate: $8,656
Avg net price: 33%
Grad / completion: $44,592
Median earnings

Community College of Aurora is a public associate-granting institution in Aurora, Colorado (large city setting), enrolling 3,250 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,250 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersSnowy

About Aurora, Colorado

Aurora is a home rule city located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. Aurora originated in the 1890 as the town of Fletcher, taking its name from Denver businessman Donald Fletcher who saw it as a real estate opportunity. The Town of Fletcher was incorporated on May 5, 1903. Fletcher skipped town, leaving the community with a huge water debt. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 10 miles to Denver, CO
To the ocean: 750 miles
Nearest airport: 12 miles to Denver (DEN) · major hub

How Community College of Aurora compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 17% · #42 of 49 in Colorado

First-year retention61%

Higher than 25%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,592

Higher than 82% · #10 of 44 in Colorado

Average net price$8,656

Cheaper than 76% · #6 cheapest of 49 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment3,250

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Community College of Aurora 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 gender

Women1,99861%
Men1,25239%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White25%
Black23%
Hispanic34%
Asian6.3%
Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,250
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 16%
First-generation students: 51%
Students over 25: 16%
Median family income: $25,239
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $70,794
Endowment: $1,372,402

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 798 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Colorado99%
Other U.S. states1.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Community College of Aurora draws overwhelmingly from Colorado.

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: $4,470
Out-of-state tuition: $17,070
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,460
Total cost of attendance: $17,275
Average net price: $8,656

Outcomes

Graduated: 33%
First-year retention: 61%
Transferred to another college: 20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $38,842
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,592
Median debt at graduation: $10,500
Students with federal loans: 6%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 27%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

33%

Low-income (Pell)

15%

First-generation

16%

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: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 21

Reported offenses in an average year

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

7.7reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

5.3

Burglary

1.7

Robbery

0.3

Aggravated assault

0.3

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

$6,305

$30–48k

$6,611

$48–75k

$9,726

$75–110k

$12,409

$110k+

$16,700

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?

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

27%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,553

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 27% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,553. 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 264 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): $44,592
Typical debt at graduation: $10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 24%
Out-earn a HS grad: 54%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 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

$42,411

Men

$49,101

Men out-earn women by $6,690 (16%) 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: 90°F
Winter low: 18°F
Annual rain: 15.4″
Annual snow: 49″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Denver-Stapleton, CO US station (4.7 mi from campus).

What Community College of Aurora graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

487 grads$39k 1 yr$48k 5 yr$12k debt

487$38,729$48,154$12,250 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

91 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

91———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

79 grads$38k 1 yr$56k 5 yr$15k debt

79$38,496$56,353$15,235 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

54 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$18k debt

54——$17,667 Film/Video and Photographic ArtsAssoc.

47 grads$21k 1 yr$37k 5 yr$21k debt

47$20,533$36,726$20,750 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

46 grads$38k 1 yr$55k 5 yr$11k debt

46$37,502$55,279$10,925 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

26 grads— 1 yr$56k 5 yr— debt

26—$55,648—Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and ServicesCert.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionCert.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Computer ScienceAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Fire ProtectionCert.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———

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 Community College of Aurora

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Community College of Aurora side by side →

Colorado Mountain College

Public

Glenwood Springs, Colorado · Remote town · 125 mi to Denver

Students: 2,816
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 27%
Earnings: $44k

Red Rocks Community College

Public

Lakewood, Colorado · Large suburb · 9 mi to Denver

Students: 4,889
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $46k

Aims Community College

Public

Greeley, Colorado · Midsize city · 48 mi to Denver

Students: 3,635
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $42k

Arapahoe Community College

Public

Littleton, Colorado · Large suburb · 9 mi to Denver

Students: 5,383
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 40%
Earnings: $48k

Community College of Denver

Public

Denver, Colorado · Large city · 1 mi to Denver

Students: 5,096
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 2%
Earnings: $39k

Pueblo Community College

Public

Pueblo, Colorado · Midsize city · 41 mi to Colorado Springs

Students: 3,619
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $37k

Colleges near Community College of Aurora

Pickens Technical College

Aurora, CO · Public · Certificate · 686 students

1 mi

Empire Beauty School-Aurora

Aurora, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 70 students

2 mi

Pima Medical Institute-Aurora

Aurora, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 266 students

2 mi

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Denver, CO · Public · Bachelor's · 10,519 students

3 mi

Concorde Career College-Aurora

Aurora, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 256 students

3 mi

Avalon Institute-Aurora

Aurora, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 162 students

4 mi

Arizona College of Nursing-Aurora

Aurora, CO · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 336 students

4 mi

Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology

Denver, CO · Private for-profit · Associate · 139 students

4 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.