Public · University

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs, Colorado · Large city

#5 best value in Colorado
97.4%
Admit rate
$15,788
Avg net price
47%
Graduation rate
$54,659
Median earnings

University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Colorado Springs, Colorado (large city setting), enrolling 8,697 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,697 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 97% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Colorado Colorado Springs's admitted students.

Admit rate
97.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1010–1220
Avg GPA (est.)
3.23

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Colorado Colorado Springs's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Colorado Colorado Springs's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs is a home rule city that is the county seat of and the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The Ute, Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples were the first recorded inhabiting the area which would become Colorado Springs. Part of the territory included in the United States' 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the current city area was designated part of the 1854 Kansas Territory. Almost immediately following the arrival of railroads beginning in 1871, the city's location at the base of Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains made it a popular tourism destination. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
708 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to City of Colorado Springs (COS) · major hub

How University of Colorado Colorado Springs compares

Selectivity97.4%

More selective than 9% · #12 most selective of 17 in Colorado

SAT average1133

Higher than 41%

Graduation rate47%

Higher than 34% · #11 of 19 in Colorado

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,659

Higher than 52% · #11 of 22 in Colorado

Average net price$15,788

Cheaper than 69% · #5 cheapest of 20 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$20,000

Lower than 75%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment8,697

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare University of Colorado Colorado Springs 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

10,749students
  • Undergraduate8,69781%
  • Graduate2,05219%

Undergraduates by gender

8,697undergrads
  • Women4,86156%
  • Men3,83644%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black5.0%
  • Hispanic21%
  • Asian4.0%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,697
Graduate enrollment
2,052
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$42,591
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$83,862

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 1,747 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Colorado81%
  • Other U.S. states19%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Colorado Colorado Springs 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
97.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1010–1220
SAT average
1133
SAT reading
510–620
SAT math
500–600
ACT composite
20–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.23

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,149
Out-of-state tuition
$24,336
Room & board
$12,918
Books & supplies
$1,800
Total cost of attendance
$24,595
Average net price
$15,788

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)
47%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
30%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,766
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,659
Median debt at graduation
$20,000
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 19% 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
28%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
39%

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
1,719
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
20%
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
425 (220 men · 205 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 (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)215
Soccer63
Baseball45
Lacrosse30
Basketball29
Softball27
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
41
Property offenses (2022–2024)
29

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (11,354 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.

23reported offenses a year
14 violent a year9.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
9.0
Motor vehicle theft
5.7
Burglary
3.7
Fondling
2.0
Aggravated assault
1.3
Murder
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Arson
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
$12,065
$30–48k
$11,642
$48–75k
$12,104
$75–110k
$18,388
$110k+
$22,142

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
$55,674

$12,104/year × about 4.6 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.

63%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,720
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 63% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,720. 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 1,551 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)
$54,659
Typical debt at graduation
$20,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$50,024
Men
$61,479

Men out-earn women by $11,455 (23%) 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
81°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
15.9″
Annual snow
32.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1, CO US station (6.3 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 University of Colorado Colorado Springs

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

Colleges near University of Colorado Colorado Springs

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.