Most Affordable Public Universities in Colorado
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
18 public universities in Colorado are listed here, 18 of them reporting a net price. They run from $6,007 a year at Pikes Peak State College to $28,690 at Colorado School of Mines, with a middle of about $15,327.
The cheapest are Pikes Peak State College, Colorado Mountain College and Red Rocks Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Colorado, cheapest first · 18
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Pikes Peak State College
- Colorado Mountain College
- Red Rocks Community College
- Community College of Denver
- Colorado State University Pueblo
- University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
- Pueblo Community College
- Adams State University
- Colorado Mesa University
- Metropolitan State University of Denver
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs
- Western Colorado University
- Colorado State University Global
- Fort Lewis College
- University of Northern Colorado
- Colorado State University-Fort Collins
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Colorado School of Mines
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Colorado?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Pikes Peak State College at about $6,007 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Colorado cost on average?
- Across the 18 public universities in Colorado that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $15,327 a year after aid, running from $6,007 to $28,690.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 12% to 38%, with a middle of about 27%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free