Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado · Website
$60,543
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$60,543
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Colorado State University-Fort Collins is a public 4-year college in Fort Collins, Colorado with 25,538 undergraduates and 7,875 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $21,279 a year (tuition and fees $13,373 in-state, $34,783 out-of-state). It admits 89% of applicants and 67% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $60,543 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$21,279
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$13,373
Out-of-state $34,783
Admission rate
89%
US median 78%
Completion rate
67%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,000
About $212 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$60,543
Rank 770 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
- $21,279
- Tuition in-state
- $13,373
- Tuition out-of-state
- $34,783
- Cost of attendance
- $31,642
- Students with a need-based grant
- 21%
- Students with federal loans
- 32%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $13,259
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $14,460
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,905
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $21,927
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,763
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 $10,558 in 2015-16 to $13,373 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
- 89%
- SAT reading, middle
- 600
- SAT math, middle
- 585
- ACT, middle
- 26
- Undergraduates
- 25,538
- Graduate students
- 7,875
- Part-time students
- 10%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 67%
- Retention rate
- 86%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 238
- Endowment
- $643.3M
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 770 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 69 in Colorado (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CO median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $21,279 | $17,042 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,373 | $9,958 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 89% | 89% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 67% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 86% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,000 | $11,008 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,748 | $36,984 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $60,543 | $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. 71% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 78% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
238 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 | 679 | $19,500 | $54,846 | $79,256 | $68,257 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 330 | $21,500 | $32,958 | $60,981 | $57,214 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 285 | $42,118 | $99,929 | $136,709 | $103,485 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 284 | $21,000 | $37,121 | $54,268 | $50,706 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 257 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Zoology/Animal BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 234 | $23,875 | $27,741 | $44,226 | $44,055 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 217 | $20,500 | $35,326 | $60,835 | $54,562 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 201 | $25,708 | $60,720 | $94,260 | $92,135 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 200 | $21,569 | $78,856 | $114,076 | $92,374 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianBachelor's | Bachelor's | 165 | $23,500 | $78,423 | $94,921 | $93,843 |
| Veterinary MedicineProfessional | Professional | 148 | $185,720 | $94,962 | $128,327 | $131,316 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 145 | $19,746 | $37,335 | $57,300 | $52,657 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 140 | $18,500 | $36,324 | $67,873 | $63,293 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 139 | $21,000 | $36,352 | $53,528 | $56,278 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 136 | $20,500 | $38,731 | $61,434 | $56,359 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 100 | $20,500 | $30,143 | $41,309 | $41,367 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 99 | $21,500 | $48,462 | $69,934 | $82,686 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 93 | $25,000 | $73,326 | $88,001 | $86,517 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 91 | $21,500 | $36,111 | $53,934 | $49,634 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 88 | $19,500 | $35,322 | $54,370 | $48,842 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 87 | $21,500 | $36,272 | $52,144 | $50,680 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 79 | $19,500 | $27,549 | $46,154 | $48,590 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 78 | $27,586 | $53,447 | $69,438 | $71,685 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $22,996 | $34,540 | $51,830 | $53,072 |
| Plant SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $17,500 | $36,980 | $42,034 | $56,567 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Colorado on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Colorado
- Homes: Homes for sale in Colorado
Questions and answers
How much does Colorado State University-Fort Collins cost?
$21,279 a year is the average net price at Colorado State University-Fort Collins after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,373 for in-state students and $34,783 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $31,642. Families earning under $30,000 pay $13,259 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Colorado State University-Fort Collins?
89% of applicants are admitted to Colorado State University-Fort Collins. The median admission rate of colleges in Colorado is 89%.
How much do Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduates earn?
$60,543 a year is the median pay of former Colorado State University-Fort Collins students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,748 after 6 years). That ranks 770 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 69 in Colorado. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral) at $111,285.
How much student debt do Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduates have?
$20,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduates, about $212 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 32% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Colorado State University-Fort Collins?
67% of first-time, full-time students at Colorado State University-Fort Collins finish within 6 years. 86% 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 State University-Fort Collins?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (679 bachelor's graduates), Biology, General (330 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (285 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 238 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.