Colorado College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Colorado College is a public institution located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For the most recent reporting cycle, Colorado College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 97%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1140. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $16,431 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Colorado College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.

What GPA does my child need for Colorado College?

Colorado College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.

SAT and ACT scores Colorado College typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–610, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 21–28. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.

How much does Colorado College actually cost?

Published tuition is $9,712 for in-state students and $20,492 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,278 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $16,431 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 26% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.

Application deadlines and early decision data for Colorado College

Most popular majors at Colorado College

The most popular undergraduate programs at Colorado College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Colorado College confers roughly 1,274 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $64,312 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.

Is Colorado College safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Colorado College disclosed 36 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 4.1 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 3 violent offenses and 21 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.

Other colleges in Colorado parents ask about

• University of Colorado Boulder
  83% acceptance
• Colorado State University-Fort Collins
  90% acceptance
• University of Denver
  71% acceptance
• University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
  78% acceptance
• University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  99% acceptance
• Community College of Denver
  93% acceptance
• Arapahoe Community College
• Colorado School of Mines
  20% acceptance

Common questions parents ask about Colorado College