Cheap Colleges in Colorado for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $9,000 and $45,824 a year in tuition and fees at the 15 public colleges and universities we rank in Colorado, a gap of $36,824 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $24,336, $11,551 (90%) above the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $10,149, so the typical out-of-state premium is $14,187, with nonresidents charged 2.4 times the in-state price.
Colorado State University Global ranks first at $9,000, ahead of Community College of Aurora ($17,070) and Pikes Peak State College ($17,110).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Colorado
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Colorado has 15
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 15 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Colorado State University Global Denver, CO Public · 4-year | $9,000 | $9,000 | $16,510 | — | 6,563 |
| 2 | Community College of Aurora Aurora, CO Public · 4-year | $17,070 | $4,470 | $8,656 | — | 3,250 |
| 3 | Pikes Peak State College Colorado Springs, CO Public · 4-year | $17,110 | $4,510 | $6,007 | 22% | 9,595 |
| 4 | Community College of Denver Denver, CO Public · 4-year | $17,136 | $4,902 | $9,450 | 18% | 5,096 |
| 5 | Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO Public · 4-year | $17,944 | $9,720 | $10,051 | 39% | 3,042 |
| 6 | Fort Lewis College Durango, CO Public · 4-year | $21,526 | $9,958 | $17,296 | 39% | 3,079 |
| 7 | Adams State University Alamosa, CO Public · 4-year | $21,944 | $9,824 | $12,980 | 36% | 1,250 |
| 8 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO Public · 4-year | $24,336 | $10,149 | $15,788 | 46% | 8,697 |
| 9 | Western Colorado University Gunnison, CO Public · 4-year | $24,434 | $11,318 | $16,425 | 51% | 1,586 |
| 10 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO Public · 4-year | $27,266 | $12,416 | $17,760 | 51% | 5,598 |
| 11 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO Public · 4-year | $29,391 | $10,383 | $11,900 | 47% | 10,519 |
| 12 | Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO Public · 4-year | $30,684 | $11,124 | $15,327 | 31% | 15,002 |
| 13 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO Public · 4-year | $34,783 | $13,373 | $21,279 | 67% | 25,538 |
| 14 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 4-year | $44,918 | $15,666 | $25,346 | 75% | 31,939 |
| 15 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO Public · 4-year | $45,824 | $21,914 | $28,690 | 81% | 6,155 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Colorado
Same list in nearby states
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All 28 colleges in Colorado See the national version of this ranking