10-yr median earnings
$69,738
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Boulder, Colorado
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution in Boulder, Colorado. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $25,346
- Avg net price / yr
- $69,738
- 10-yr median earnings
- 74.6%
- 150%-time completion
- 78.1%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
University of Colorado Boulder pairs top-10% former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 8%
- former-student earnings, US
- 78.1%
- acceptance rate
- 74.6%
- 150%-time completion
- +27%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: R1
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this University of Colorado Boulder profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
B-
College Value Score
66/100
University of Colorado Boulder
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$69,738
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$25,346
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate B+
74.6%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$19,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
82.4%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A-
90.1%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$25,346
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
74.6%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 74.6%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - University of Colorado Boulder vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How University of Colorado Boulder ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
University of Colorado Boulder: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$69,738 Top 8% higher than 92% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | University of Colorado Boulder | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $69,738 | #385 of 5103 | 92nd |
| Average net price | $25,346 | #3964 of 5020 | 21st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 74.6% | #1061 of 4858 | 78th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 31,939 | #55 of 5462 | 99th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
31,939
Undergraduate enrollment
78.1%
Acceptance rate
1,357
SAT average
74.6%
150%-time completion
$69,738
10-yr median earnings
90.1%
First-year retention
How University of Colorado Boulder ranks in Colorado
State rank among 69 reporting Colorado colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | University of Colorado Boulder | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $69,738 | #6 of 69 | 91st |
| Average net price | $25,346 | #52 of 69 | 25th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 74.6% | #16 of 65 | 75th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 31,939 | #1 of 75 | 99th |
Highest former-student earnings in Colorado
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado School of Mines | $97,335 | $28,690 |
| 2 | Denver College of Nursing | $81,809 | - |
| 3 | Colorado State University Global | $76,813 | $16,510 |
| 4 | Regis University | $72,105 | $18,397 |
| 5 | University of Denver | $71,155 | $36,131 |
| 6 | University of Colorado BoulderThis school | $69,738 | $25,346 |
| 7 | Colorado College | $65,222 | $33,375 |
| 8 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | $64,270 | $11,900 |
| 9 | Galen Health Institutes-Aurora | $61,480 | - |
| 10 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | $60,543 | $21,279 |
| 11 | Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology | $59,093 | $30,065 |
| 12 | Colorado State University Pueblo | $55,563 | $10,051 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 78.1% |
| SAT Average | 1,357 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 610 – 720 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 630 – 710 |
| ACT Average | 28 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 29 – 33 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at University of Colorado Boulder
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$14,231 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$14,381 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$18,828 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$34,818 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at University of Colorado Boulder - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $15,666 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $44,918 |
| Average Net Price | $25,346 |
14.5%
Pell Grant Rate
24.8%
Federal Loan Rate
$19,500
Median Debt
$207/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at University of Colorado Boulder swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $20,706 to $23,127 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -1.7%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$20,706
Highest year
$23,127
Most recent (2023)
$21,480
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $21,8492023 · $21,480
Over the same years, enrollment went +20.6% (25,461 → 30,707 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
48.2%
Female
20.4%
First Generation
Outcomes
90.1%
Retention Rate
$54,939
Median Earnings (6yr)
68.8%
Earning Over $25K
82.4%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 74.6% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 90.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $54,939 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $69,738 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 68.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 82.4% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $19,500 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $207/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 48 | 6,840 | $72,735 | $121,952 | $18,966 |
| Master's | 22 | 1,291 | $101,999 | $170,375 | $46,190 |
| Doctoral | 8 | 123 | $82,039 | $107,618 | $33,336 |
| First Professional | 1 | 169 | $109,411 | $109,411 | $105,696 |
Top programs at University of Colorado Boulder by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Electrical, Electronics, a…
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$170,375 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$148,463 median earnings
- Engineering, General
Engineering, General
$146,964 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$137,635 median earnings
- Management Sciences and Qu…
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$125,007 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$121,952 median earnings
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, a…
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
$120,144 median earnings
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, a…
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
$116,350 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Master's | 110 | $170,375 | - |
| Computer Science | Master's | 58 | $148,463 | - |
| Engineering, General | Master's | 64 | $146,964 | - |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's | 281 | $137,635 | $41,000 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Master's | 89 | $125,007 | $33,316 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's | 473 | $121,952 | $19,687 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Master's | 131 | $120,144 | $41,000 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's | 199 | $116,350 | $24,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's | 88 | $115,960 | $41,000 |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's | - | $115,181 | $23,338 |
| Law | First Professional | 169 | $109,411 | $105,696 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral | 17 | $107,618 | - |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's | 26 | $100,631 | $19,221 |
| Civil Engineering | Master's | 39 | $98,355 | - |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's | 47 | $95,780 | $23,650 |
Nearby Schools
Naropa University
Boulder, CO
339 students
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder
Boulder, CO
8,504 students
Dr. Ida Rolf Institute
Boulder, CO
12 students
Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture
Louisville, CO
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology
Broomfield, CO
397 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Orange Ulster BOCES
Newburgh, NY
$25,337 net price · $9 apart
Career Center of Southern Illinois
Red Bud, IL
$25,204 net price · $142 apart
Eastern Center for Arts and Technology
Willow Grove, PA
$25,158 net price · $188 apart
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Williamsport, PA
$25,110 net price · $236 apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at University of Colorado Boulder? ▼
University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution in Boulder, Colorado. The acceptance rate is 78.1%. The average SAT score is 1,357. Undergraduate enrollment is 31,939 students.
How much do University of Colorado Boulder former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at University of Colorado Boulder who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $69,738 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $54,939.
How much does University of Colorado Boulder cost? ▼
The average net price at University of Colorado Boulder is $25,346. In-state tuition is $15,666 and out-of-state tuition is $44,918. Median student debt at graduation is $19,500.
What is the graduation rate at University of Colorado Boulder? ▼
University of Colorado Boulder has a 74.6% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 90.1%.
Is University of Colorado Boulder worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at University of Colorado Boulder is $19,500, while former students earn a median of $69,738 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 28% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 82.4% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $207.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from University of Colorado Boulder
- Compare University of Colorado Boulder against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Colorado side by side.Browse Colorado
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.