Public · Community college

Community College of Denver

Denver, Colorado · Large city

2%
Transfer rate: $9,450
Avg net price: 20%
Grad / completion: $39,095
Median earnings

Community College of Denver is a public associate-granting institution in Denver, Colorado (large city setting), enrolling 5,096 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,096 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersSnowy

About Denver, Colorado

Denver is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. By the terms of the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie between the United States and various tribes including the Cheyenne and Arapaho, the United States unilaterally defined and recognized Cheyenne and Arapaho territory as ranging from the North Platte River in present-day Wyoming and Nebraska southward to the Arkansas River in present-day Colorado and Kansas. Apollo Hall opened soon after the city's founding in 1859 and staged many plays for eager settlers. In the 1880s Horace Tabor built Denver's first opera house. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 1 mile to Denver, CO
To the ocean: 744 miles
Nearest airport: 13 miles to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC)

How Community College of Denver compares

Graduation rate20%

Higher than 4% · #49 of 49 in Colorado

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,095

Higher than 66% · #21 of 44 in Colorado

Average net price$9,450

Cheaper than 72% · #10 cheapest of 49 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$12,495

Lower than 25%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 21%

Undergraduate enrollment5,096

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare Community College of Denver 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

Women3,00559%
Men2,09141%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White31%
Black12%
Hispanic39%
Asian6.6%
Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 5,096
Student–faculty ratio: 22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 31%
First-generation students: 49%
Students over 25: 31%
Median family income: $20,562
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $76,041

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,902
Out-of-state tuition: $17,136
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,460
Total cost of attendance: $19,550
Average net price: $9,450

Outcomes

Graduated: 20%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $36,412
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $39,095
Median debt at graduation: $12,495
Students with federal loans: 17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 20%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

20%

Low-income (Pell)

13%

First-generation

13%

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: D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 5.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 30
Property offenses (2022–2024): 108

Reported offenses in an average year

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

46reported offenses a year

10 violent a year36 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

Burglary

8.7

Rape

4.3

Fondling

2.7

Aggravated assault

2.0

Arson

2.0

Robbery

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

$8,356

$30–48k

$9,533

$48–75k

$10,662

$75–110k

$13,041

$110k+

$16,275

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.

10%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,123

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 10% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,123. 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 471 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): $39,095
Typical debt at graduation: $12,495
Debt vs. one year's pay: 32%
Out-earn a HS grad: 48%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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

$38,052

Men

$40,553

Men out-earn women by $2,501 (7%) 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: 91°F
Winter low: 21°F
Annual rain: 15.8″
Annual snow: 40.7″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Denver Water Dept, CO US station (0.9 mi from campus).

What Community College of Denver graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

471 grads$29k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$14k debt

471$29,078$46,051$14,445 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

213 grads$18k 1 yr$32k 5 yr$14k debt

213$18,399$31,940$14,375 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

114 grads$24k 1 yr$62k 5 yr$12k debt

114$23,614$61,513$12,000 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

105 grads— 1 yr$55k 5 yr$11k debt

105—$55,124$11,000 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

46 grads$58k 1 yr$72k 5 yr$24k debt

46$57,873$72,066$24,375 Foods, Nutrition, and Related ServicesCert.

39 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

39———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

37 grads$72k 1 yr— 5 yr$33k debt

37$72,086—$32,510 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

30 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

30———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

24 grads$77k 1 yr$66k 5 yr$29k debt

24$76,712$66,188$29,472 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

23 grads$39k 1 yr$38k 5 yr$18k debt

23$38,655$37,983$17,750 Legal Support ServicesCert.

23 grads— 1 yr$48k 5 yr— debt

23—$48,043—

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 Denver

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

Pueblo Community College

Public

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

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

Aims Community College

Public

Greeley, Colorado · Midsize city · 48 mi to Denver

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

Emily Griffith Technical College

Public

Denver, Colorado · Large city · 1 mi to Denver

Students: 6,123
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $35k

Community College of Aurora

Public

Aurora, Colorado · Large city · 10 mi to Denver

Students: 3,250
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $45k

Red Rocks Community College

Public

Lakewood, Colorado · Large suburb · 9 mi to Denver

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

Colorado Mountain College

Public

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

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

Colleges near Community College of Denver

Metropolitan State University of Denver

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

< 1 mi

Aveda Institute-Denver

Denver, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 280 students

1 mi

Emily Griffith Technical College

Denver, CO · Public · Certificate · 6,123 students

1 mi

Denver College of Nursing

Denver, CO · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 757 students

1 mi

Colorado Chinese Medicine University

Denver, CO · Private for-profit · Graduate

2 mi

Montessori Education Center of the Rockies

Denver, CO · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 10 students

3 mi

Regis University

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

4 mi

Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

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