Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, Colorado · Also known as MSU Denver · Website
$52,093
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$52,093
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public 4-year college in Denver, Colorado with 15,002 undergraduates and 1,179 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $15,327 a year (tuition and fees $11,124 in-state, $30,684 out-of-state). It admits 99% of applicants and 32% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $52,093 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$15,327
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$11,124
Out-of-state $30,684
Admission rate
99%
US median 78%
Completion rate
32%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,500
About $228 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$52,093
Rank 1,310 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
- $15,327
- Tuition in-state
- $11,124
- Tuition out-of-state
- $30,684
- Cost of attendance
- $24,622
- Students with a need-based grant
- 36%
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,481
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,436
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,927
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,539
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,822
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 $6,420 in 2015-16 to $11,124 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
- 99%
- Average SAT
- 1,019
- SAT reading, middle
- 520
- SAT math, middle
- 505
- ACT, middle
- 21
- Undergraduates
- 15,002
- Graduate students
- 1,179
- Part-time students
- 44%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 32%
- Retention rate
- 63%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 108
- Endowment
- $28.9M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
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 1,310 of 5,094 US colleges and 15 of 69 in Colorado (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CO median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $15,327 | $17,042 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $11,124 | $9,958 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 99% | 89% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 32% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 63% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,500 | $11,008 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $45,391 | $36,984 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $52,093 | $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. 48% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 73% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
108 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 250 | $20,511 | $39,955 | $48,655 | $55,695 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 226 | $38,640 | $51,748 | $66,816 | $65,123 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 153 | $20,000 | $44,497 | $56,564 | $55,378 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 134 | $23,805 | $41,018 | $57,920 | $57,214 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 134 | $21,975 | $53,001 | $65,387 | $68,257 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 116 | $21,917 | $44,015 | $55,915 | $51,790 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 112 | $18,625 | $41,161 | $57,096 | $54,562 |
| Air TransportationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $23,556 | $43,922 | $72,846 | $85,825 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 97 | $22,087 | $54,030 | $73,698 | $76,194 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 92 | $23,528 | $40,681 | $49,025 | $47,382 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 86 | $22,195 | $77,333 | $86,259 | $88,910 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 82 | $19,500 | $73,874 | $111,187 | $107,009 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 73 | $20,500 | $52,216 | $64,069 | $69,303 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 72 | $21,889 | $42,196 | $59,502 | $55,693 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $24,854 | $35,487 | $51,955 | $48,590 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 67 | $20,437 | $54,579 | $77,596 | $83,343 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $23,075 | $59,451 | $91,399 | $83,290 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 59 | $26,270 | $42,785 | $48,518 | $50,680 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $16,858 | $38,351 | $57,312 | $56,726 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $18,399 | $46,461 | $62,250 | $58,716 |
| Nutrition SciencesMaster's | Master's | 48 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 47 | $28,000 | $49,122 | $57,768 | $65,824 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $17,813 | $39,526 | $58,918 | $48,471 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $21,000 | $39,920 | $60,639 | $63,293 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Denver and Colorado on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Colorado
- Homes: Homes for sale in Colorado
Questions and answers
How much does Metropolitan State University of Denver cost?
$15,327 a year is the average net price at Metropolitan State University of Denver after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $11,124 for in-state students and $30,684 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $24,622. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,481 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Metropolitan State University of Denver?
99% of applicants are admitted to Metropolitan State University of Denver. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,019 and the middle ACT score is 21. The median admission rate of colleges in Colorado is 89%.
How much do Metropolitan State University of Denver graduates earn?
$52,093 a year is the median pay of former Metropolitan State University of Denver students who work, 10 years after they started ($45,391 after 6 years). That ranks 1,310 of 5,094 US colleges and 15 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 $77,333.
How much student debt do Metropolitan State University of Denver graduates have?
$21,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Metropolitan State University of Denver graduates, about $228 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 28% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Metropolitan State University of Denver?
32% of first-time, full-time students at Metropolitan State University of Denver finish within 6 years. 63% 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 Metropolitan State University of Denver?
Research and Experimental Psychology (250 bachelor's graduates), Social Work (226 master's graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (153 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 108 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.