Top Ten Colorado Colleges for Value

Back in March, we posted about the ten best U.S. colleges for value according to SmartAsset — and one Colorado college made the cut. Now, SmartAsset is getting even more Colorado-centric. The site has revealed its picks for the ten best Colorado colleges for value, and while the top choice...

By Michael Roberts

May 24, 2016

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Back in March, we posted about the ten best U.S. colleges for value according to SmartAsset — and one Colorado college made the cut.

Now, SmartAsset is getting even more Colorado-centric.

The site has revealed its picks for the ten best Colorado colleges for value, and while the top choice is no shock (yes, it's the one that wound up in the U.S. top ten), the other rankings contain their fair share of surprises.

Note that four entries among Forbes's twelve highest-ranked Colorado colleges circa 2015 don't appear here — and the mag gave no love to a number of the institutions on view below.

Continue to count down the photo-illustrated SmartAsset best Colorado value top ten, featuring data from the site; note that in-state tuition rates were used where applicable. For more information from SmartAsset, click here.

Number 10: University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $22,270

Average Starting Salary: $47,800

College Tuition: $40,707

Student Living Costs: $15,370

Student Retention Rate: 86 percent

College Education Value Index: 38.42

Number 9: Colorado State University-Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $5,984

Average Starting Salary: $44,200

College Tuition: $7,327

Student Living Costs: $13,611

Student Retention Rate: 63 percent

College Education Value Index: 40.11

Number 8: Regis University
Denver, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $12,501

Average Starting Salary: $50,500

College Tuition: $32,424

Student Living Costs: $13,902

Student Retention Rate: 78 percent

College Education Value Index: 40.24

Number 7: Colorado College
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $31,282

Average Starting Salary: $44,100

College Tuition: $44,222

Student Living Costs: $13,178

Student Retention Rate: 94 percent

College Education Value Index: 43.48

Number 6: University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $5,552

Average Starting Salary: $45,900

College Tuition: $7,024

Student Living Costs: $13,400

Student Retention Rate: 66 percent

College Education Value Index: 44.64

Continue to keep counting down the ten best Colorado colleges for value according to SmartAsset.

Number 5: University of Colorado-Denver
Denver, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $6,011

Average Starting Salary: $47,300

College Tuition: $7,933

Student Living Costs: $16,622

Student Retention Rate: 72 percent

College Education Value Index: 45.08

Number 4: Western State Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $6,150

Average Starting Salary: $46,000

College Tuition: $7,343

Student Living Costs: $12,702

Student Retention Rate: 70 percent

College Education Value Index: 47.80

Number 3: Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $7,738

Average Starting Salary: $45,800

College Tuition: $9,313

Student Living Costs: $13,890

Student Retention Rate: 85 percent

College Education Value Index: 52.23

Number 2: University of Colorado-Boulder
Boulder, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $9,799

Average Starting Salary: $50,000

College Tuition: $10,347

Student Living Costs: $18,450

Student Retention Rate: 84 percent

College Education Value Index: 53.95

Number 1: Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

Average Scholarships and Grants: $9,138

Average Starting Salary: $65,500

College Tuition: $16,485

Student Living Costs: $14,118

Student Retention Rate: 94 percent

College Education Value Index: 85.49

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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