Public · University
Western Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado · Remote town
- 99.7%
- Admit rate
- $16,425
- Avg net price
- 51%
- Graduation rate
- $46,833
- Median earnings
Western Colorado University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Gunnison, Colorado (remote town setting), enrolling 1,586 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Western Colorado University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 99.7%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1163–1353
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.45
Enter a test score to see where you land against Western Colorado University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Western Colorado University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The City of Gunnison got its name from the first known European-American explorer of the area, John W. Gunnison. He was searching for a route for the transcontinental railroad in 1853 and only stayed for three days before traveling west to Utah. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 115 miles to Colorado Springs, CO
- To the ocean
- 616 miles
- Nearest airport
- 1 mile to Gunnison Crested Butte (GUC)
How Western Colorado University compares
More selective than 4% · #15 most selective of 17 in Colorado
Higher than 67%
Higher than 41% · #10 of 19 in Colorado
Higher than 37%
Higher than 29% · #15 of 22 in Colorado
Cheaper than 66% · #6 cheapest of 20 in Colorado
Lower than 74%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare Western Colorado University 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
- Undergraduate1,58679%
- Graduate42021%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women66142%
- Men92558%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White76%
- Black3.1%
- Hispanic11%
- Asian1.2%
- Other or multiracial8.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,586
- Graduate enrollment
- 420
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 12%
- First-generation students
- 25%
- Students over 25
- 7%
- Median family income
- $61,406
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $68,652
- Endowment
- $9,479,865
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 99.7%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1163–1353
- SAT average
- 1230
- SAT reading
- 608–683
- SAT math
- 555–670
- ACT composite
- 22–26
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.45
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $11,318
- Out-of-state tuition
- $24,434
- Room & board
- $10,760
- Books & supplies
- $1,350
- Total cost of attendance
- $25,736
- Average net price
- $16,425
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)
- 35%
- First-year retention
- 72%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $40,037
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,833
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,250
- Students with federal loans
- 20%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 59%
About 16% 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)
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
- 1,263
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 80%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,304
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,183
- Application fee
- $30
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 663 (391 men · 272 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 16
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,568 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$13,908/year × about 4.5 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.
Modest institutional aid: 86% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,492. 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 436 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)
- $46,833
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 43%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 53%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $4,628 (10%) 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
- 80°F
- Winter low
- -6°F
- Annual rain
- 10.6″
- Annual snow
- 45.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Gunnison 3SW, CO US station (3.1 mi from campus).
What Western Colorado University graduates study — and earn
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 Western Colorado University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Western Colorado University side by side →
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, Washington · Midsize suburb · 48 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 2,160
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1216
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $45k
University of North Carolina Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina · Small city · 2 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 2,910
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1251
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $44k
Dakota State University
Madison, South Dakota · Distant town · 37 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 2,071
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1215
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $51k
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, Maine · Remote rural · 70 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,140
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1130
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $44k
Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas · Remote town · 80 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 2,239
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $48k
Framingham State University
Framingham, Massachusetts · Small city · 19 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,566
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Western Colorado University
Technical College of the Rockies
Delta, CO · Public · Certificate · 165 students
Colorado Mountain College
Glenwood Springs, CO · Public · Certificate · 2,816 students
Adams State University
Alamosa, CO · Public · Bachelor's · 1,250 students
Intellitec College-Grand Junction
Grand Junction, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,077 students
Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, CO · Public · Certificate · 8,143 students
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.











