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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 1,500 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)
GretchenKoenig / Flickr
- Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Enrollment: 4,620 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: military academy
- Distinctions: highly selective admissions; 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
Colorado College
Greverod / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Enrollment: 2,091 (2,065 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
Colorado School of Mines
rkimpeljr / Flickr
- Location: Golden, Colorado
- Enrollment: 5,287 (3,786 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public engineering school
- Distinctions: 14 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
Colorado State University - Fort Collins
ecopolitologist / Flickr
- Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
- Enrollment: 30,155 (22,831 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: public university
- Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 17 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
Johnson & Wales University-Denver
Jeffrey Beall / Flickr
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Enrollment: 1,532 (all undergraduate)
- 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
Regis University
Jeffrey Beall / Flickr
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Enrollment: 11,069 (5,594 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private Catholic university
- Distinctions: 13 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
University of Colorado at Boulder
Aidan M. Gray / Flickr
- Location: Boulder, Colorado
- Enrollment: 32,697 (26,648 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
University of Denver (DU)
CW221 / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Enrollment: 11,842 (5,455 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private university
- Distinctions: 12 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 Sun Belt Conference
- For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Denver profile
