Resources › For Students and Parents Top Colorado Colleges Learn about 8 of the Top Colleges and Universities in Colorado Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on August 21, 2018 If you want to go to a great college with ready access to world-class skiing, climbing, hiking, fishing, kayaking and other outdoor activities, Colorado is worth a close look. My top picks for the state range in size from 1,400 students to over 30,000, and the admissions standards vary greatly. The list includes public and private institutions, a Catholic university, a career-focused school, and a military academy. My criteria for selecting Colorado's top colleges include retention rates, four- and six-year graduation rates, value, student engagement, and notable curricular strengths. I have listed the schools alphabetically rather than forcing them into any kind of artificial ranking; these eight schools vary so much in mission and personality that any distinctions in rank would be dubious at best. Compare Colorado Colleges: SAT Scores | ACT Scores Air Force Academy (USAFA) United States Air Force Academy. PhotoBobil / Flickr Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Enrollment: 4,237 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: military academy Distinctions: highly selective admissions; 8 to 1 student / faculty ratio; free, high quality education; five-year active service requirement after graduation; applicants need to be nominated by a member of Congress; member of the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Air Force Academy profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for USAFA admissions Colorado College Colorado College Science Center. Greverod / Wikimedia Commons Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Enrollment: 2,114 (2,101 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; highly ranked liberal arts college; unusual one-class-at-a-time schedule with three-and-a-half week semesters For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Colorado College profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Colorado College admissions Colorado School of Mines Colorado School of Mines. rkimpeljr / Flickr Location: Golden, Colorado Enrollment: 6,069 (4,610 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public engineering school Distinctions: 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio; strong focus on the earth's resources -- minerals, materials, and energy; some of the country's highest starting salaries for graduates; Division II athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Colorado School of Mines profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Mines admissions Read More Top Mountain State Colleges and Universities By Allen Grove Colorado State University - Fort Collins Colorado State University. ecopolitologist / Flickr Location: Fort Collins, Colorado Enrollment: 31,856 (25,177 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public university Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 18 to 1 student / faculty ratio; Honors Program to challenge high-achieving students; students from all 50 states and 85 countries; member of the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Colorado State University profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for CSU admissions Johnson & Wales University-Denver Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Jeffrey Beall / Flickr Location: Denver, Colorado Enrollment: 1,278 (1,258 undergraduates) Type of Institution: specialized career-centered university Distinctions: schools of business, hospitality and culinary arts; students from 49 states and 9 countries; strong emphasis on real-life experiences and hands-on learning; classes in a student's major begin the first year; good choice for students with clear career goals For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Johnson & Wales University profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for JWU admissions Regis University Regis University. Jeffrey Beall / Flickr Location: Denver, Colorado Enrollment: 8,368 (4,070 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Distinctions: 14 to 1 student / faculty ratio; strong institutional emphasis on community service; popular programs in business and nursing; NCAA Division II athletic programs For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Regis University profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Regis admissions University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Boulder. Aidan M. Gray / Flickr Location: Boulder, Colorado Enrollment: 33,977 (27,901 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public university Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the American Association of Universities for strong research programs; member of the NCAA Division I Pac 12 Conference For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Colorado profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for CU admissions University of Denver (DU) DU, University of Denver. CW221 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Denver, Colorado Enrollment: 11,614 (5,754 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; strong pre-professional programs; popular business programs; member of the NCAA Division I Summit League For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Denver profile GPA, SAT and ACT graph for DU admissions 20 Top Mountain State Colleges and Universities The Mountain States. If you love the mountains and outdoor opportunities of Colorado, be sure to check out these 20 top Mountain State colleges and universities. More Top Colleges and Universities Cornell University Sage Hall. Photo Credit: Allen Grove If you want to see top picks across the United States, check out these articles of great schools: Private Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective | More Top Picks Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Colorado Colleges." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/top-colorado-colleges-788303. Grove, Allen. (2023, April 5). Top Colorado Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-colorado-colleges-788303 Grove, Allen. "Top Colorado Colleges." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-colorado-colleges-788303 (accessed April 20, 2024). copy citation