Public · University

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, Colorado · Midsize city

85.9%
Admit rate
$17,760
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$52,231
Median earnings

University of Northern Colorado is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Greeley, Colorado (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,598 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 5,598 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big Sky ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
85.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
950–1190
Avg GPA (est.)
3.11

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

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

About Greeley, Colorado

Greeley is the home rule city that is the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in, Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley began as the Union Colony of Colorado, which was founded in 1869 by Nathan C. Meeker, an agricultural reporter for the New York Tribune, as an experimental utopian farming community "based on temperance, religion, agriculture, education and family values," with the backing of the Tribune's editor Horace Greeley, who had visited Colorado in the 1859 Pike's Peak Gold Rush and had popularized the phrase "Go West, young man". In 2014 the Greeley Creative District was certified as an official Creative District by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
49 miles to Denver, CO
To Great Lakes shore
766 miles
Nearest airport
38 miles to Denver (DEN) · major hub

How University of Northern Colorado compares

Selectivity85.9%

More selective than 34% · #8 most selective of 17 in Colorado

SAT average1082

Higher than 23%

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #9 of 19 in Colorado

First-year retention76%

Higher than 49%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,231

Higher than 45% · #12 of 22 in Colorado

Average net price$17,760

Cheaper than 61% · #10 cheapest of 20 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$20,470

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment5,598

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare University of Northern Colorado 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

7,987students
  • Undergraduate5,59870%
  • Graduate2,38930%

Undergraduates by gender

5,598undergrads
  • Women3,64465%
  • Men1,95435%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black4.6%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian2.1%
  • Other or multiracial7.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,598
Graduate enrollment
2,389
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$51,738
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$80,892
Endowment
$119,815,567

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 1,229 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Colorado84%
  • Other U.S. states15%
  • International0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Northern Colorado draws overwhelmingly from Colorado.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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
85.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
950–1190
SAT average
1082
SAT reading
490–610
SAT math
460–580
ACT composite
21–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.11

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,416
Out-of-state tuition
$27,266
Room & board
$16,154
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$29,254
Average net price
$17,760

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)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
38%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
32%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,756
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,231
Median debt at graduation
$20,470
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 13% 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
38%
Low-income (Pell)
48%
First-generation
47%

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
3,542
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
63%
Housing charge (year)
$7,285
Meal plan (year)
$7,190
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big Sky Conference
Varsity athletes
581 (332 men · 249 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)209
Football120
Basketball43
Soccer40
Baseball39
Wrestling37
Swimming and Diving (combined)29
Softball26
Golf19
Volleyball19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
46
Property offenses (2022–2024)
110

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (8,869 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.

52reported offenses a year
15 violent a year37 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
29
Rape
8.7
Burglary
7.3
Fondling
6.3
Arson
0.7
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
$12,695
$30–48k
$13,290
$48–75k
$16,038
$75–110k
$18,441
$110k+
$24,306

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
$70,387

$16,038/year × about 4.4 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.

82%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,686
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 82% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,686. 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 1,180 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)
$52,231
Typical debt at graduation
$20,470
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$49,526
Men
$57,562

Men out-earn women by $8,036 (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
92°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
14.7″
Annual snow
34.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Greeley Unc, CO US station (0.7 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 Northern Colorado

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

Colleges near University of Northern Colorado

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.