Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, Colorado · Also known as Colorado Mesa · Website
$45,823
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$45,823
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Colorado Mesa University is a public 4-year college in Grand Junction, Colorado with 8,143 undergraduates and 312 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $15,103 a year (tuition and fees $9,927 in-state, $25,124 out-of-state). It admits 82% of applicants and 41% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $45,823 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$15,103
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$9,927
Out-of-state $25,124
Admission rate
82%
US median 78%
Completion rate
41%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,000
About $233 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$45,823
Rank 1,902 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $15,103
- Tuition in-state
- $9,927
- Tuition out-of-state
- $25,124
- Cost of attendance
- $24,046
- Students with a need-based grant
- 28%
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,792
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $11,920
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,692
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,945
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $20,606
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,474 in 2015-16 to $9,927 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 82%
- Average SAT
- 1,055
- SAT reading, middle
- 545
- SAT math, middle
- 529
- ACT, middle
- 23
- Undergraduates
- 8,143
- Graduate students
- 312
- Part-time students
- 15%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 18
- Completion rate
- 41%
- Retention rate
- 79%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 106
- Endowment
- $59.8M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,902 of 5,094 US colleges and 25 of 69 in Colorado (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CO median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $15,103 | $17,042 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,927 | $9,958 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 82% | 89% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 41% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 79% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,000 | $11,008 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,223 | $36,984 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $45,823 | $42,169 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 49% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 67% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
106 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 201 | $20,000 | $46,316 | $69,297 | $68,257 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 146 | $22,250 | $69,631 | $81,319 | $88,910 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 123 | $25,000 | $31,253 | $49,348 | $54,562 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 121 | $19,250 | Withheld | $73,377 | $56,073 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 91 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 82 | $24,500 | $32,565 | $45,737 | $57,214 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 79 | $20,170 | $32,460 | $43,775 | $44,125 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $24,000 | $38,204 | $58,708 | $55,378 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 73 | $12,673 | Withheld | $56,747 | $57,584 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $23,093 | $34,116 | $54,321 | $50,706 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 59 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 56 | $5,500 | $49,330 | $70,482 | $53,078 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $22,080 | $65,284 | $96,708 | $92,374 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 41 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $32,681 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $21,061 | $32,899 | $54,717 | $56,359 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $25,000 | $42,136 | $44,651 | $53,072 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,384 | $55,012 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $30,572 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 28 | Withheld | $65,638 | $80,359 | $57,702 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | Withheld | $52,198 | $71,577 | $76,194 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $19,846 | $33,622 | $43,733 | $48,590 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $21,300 | $54,004 | $74,932 | $70,786 |
| Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's | Associate's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | $56,832 | $56,451 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Grand Junction and Colorado on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Colorado
- Homes: Homes for sale in Colorado
Questions and answers
How much does Colorado Mesa University cost?
$15,103 a year is the average net price at Colorado Mesa University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,927 for in-state students and $25,124 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $24,046. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,792 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Colorado Mesa University?
82% of applicants are admitted to Colorado Mesa University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,055 and the middle ACT score is 23. The median admission rate of colleges in Colorado is 89%.
How much do Colorado Mesa University graduates earn?
$45,823 a year is the median pay of former Colorado Mesa University students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,223 after 6 years). That ranks 1,902 of 5,094 US colleges and 25 of 69 in Colorado. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $69,631.
How much student debt do Colorado Mesa University graduates have?
$22,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Colorado Mesa University graduates, about $233 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 31% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Colorado Mesa University?
41% of first-time, full-time students at Colorado Mesa University finish within 6 years. 79% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Colorado Mesa University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (201 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (146 bachelor's graduates), Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (123 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 106 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.