Colorado School of Trades
Tuition, net price, acceptance rate, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Lakewood, Colorado
Net price / year
$26,083
after grants & scholarships
lower than 50% of for-profit 2-year colleges
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
81%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 94% of for-profit 2-year colleges
Median earnings
$44,828
4 years after graduating
lower than 58% of for-profit 2-year colleges
Colorado School of Trades at a glance
- What is the tuition at Colorado School of Trades?
- The reported tuition and fees for its programs are $27,150 for the 2024-25 academic year.
- What is the cost of attendance at Colorado School of Trades?
- The average cost of attendance is $29,397 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Colorado School of Trades?
- The average net price is $26,083 a year after grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Colorado School of Trades?
- About 91% of applicants were admitted (fall 2024).
- Is Colorado School of Trades test optional?
- Test policy reported to the federal government: Tests neither required nor recommended.
- What is the graduation rate at Colorado School of Trades?
- 81% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 3 years (entering classes through fall 2021).
- How much do graduates of Colorado School of Trades earn?
- The median graduate earns $44,828 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- 81% of students graduate on time or within 150% of normal time, higher than 94% of for-profit 2-year colleges.
- It would take about 12.6 years of the earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate to cover the estimated net cost (not counting income forgone while studying).
- Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians is the largest field of study here, at 100% of the degrees and certificates awarded.
- The school admits 91% of applicants, so most who apply are accepted.
- About 44% of undergraduates are 25 or older.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Colorado School of Trades
Average net price
$26,083 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Colorado School of Trades net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$52,166
Net price × 2 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Colorado School of Trades acceptance rate and admissions
Acceptance rate
Share of applicants admitted.
Test policy: Tests neither required nor recommended
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Colorado School of Trades
Graduation rate
81%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
88%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$212
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
12.6 years
Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- Debt-to-earnings
- 0.4×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 5.7%
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Earnings ten years after entry
All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.
Typical range: middle half of students
25th percentile $31,637 · median $51,591 · 75th percentile $72,220
Median by family income
This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.
Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By Pell Grant status
By first-generation status
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
Programs and majors at Colorado School of Trades ranked by earnings
| Program | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Earnings over time | Compared with the U.S. median for this field | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians Associate · Graduates: 100 | $44,411 | 1 yr$39,9814 yrs$44,4115 yrs$44,677 | U.S. median $51,353 U.S. middle half $33.7K–$72.1K · Below the U.S. median | $20,000 |
Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.
The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.
The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.
Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 74.1%
- Black or African American 1.2%
- Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
- Asian 3.5%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 1.2%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0%
- Two or more races 1.2%
- U.S. nonresident 0%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 7.1%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 91.8%
- Women 8.2%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
44%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 85
- Part-time students
- 0%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 28%
- Receive federal loans
- 32%
- Students per faculty member
- 10 : 1
- Setting
- Suburb
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Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Colorado School of Trades?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Colorado School of Trades reported tuition and fees of $27,150 for its programs. This is the published price before any aid; what you pay depends on the aid you receive.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Colorado School of Trades?
The average cost of attendance at Colorado School of Trades is $29,397 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $26,083 a year. That is around the middle of for-profit 2-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Colorado School of Trades get?
28% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 32% receive federal loans.
What is the acceptance rate at Colorado School of Trades?
Colorado School of Trades admitted about 91% of applicants in fall 2024. That means most applicants are admitted.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Colorado School of Trades?
81% of first-time, full-time students at Colorado School of Trades finish within 150% of normal time. 88% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Colorado School of Trades graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $44,828 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $40,452.
Is Colorado School of Trades worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Colorado School of Trades, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 12.6 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $20,000, about 0.4 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 81% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.
How much debt do Colorado School of Trades graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $20,000, or about $212 a month on a 10-year plan.
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2021 or AcadYr 2021-22 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things