Adams State University
About
Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado, United States. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 50 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 41 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing9 · 18.0%
- No Data41 · 82.0%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 4
Action history · 3
- Aug 2022Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Jun 2018Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation RemovedHigher Learning Commission
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 749 students received $4.0M in Pell grants, alongside $18.7M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 905 borrowers who entered repayment, 30 (3.3%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Adams State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 13
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus15
Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Sexual orientation1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Adams State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Adams State selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectAdams State University | 39% | 99.2% | 2,901 | $14,173 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Chicago State University | 15% | 43.3% | 2,238 | $10,133 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Citadel Military College of South Carolina | 75% | 22.7% | 3,793 | $21,002 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Delta State University | 48% | 100.0% | 2,654 | $13,778 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
East Central University | 34% | 58.1% | 3,377 | $9,287 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | 39% | 91.7% | 5,725 | $6,199 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Framingham State University | 48% | 83.6% | 4,002 | $16,698 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Frostburg State University | 50% | 89.2% | 4,104 | $15,323 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Governors State University | 21% | 48.3% | 4,397 | $9,477 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Minnesota State University Moorhead | 57% | 58.8% | 4,386 | $17,816 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
New Mexico Highlands University | 27% | — | 2,704 | $14,141 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Plymouth State University | 52% | 87.5% | 3,707 | $19,685 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | 44% | 75.3% | 4,732 | $15,944 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Southern Oregon University | 43% | 88.6% | 5,113 | $16,470 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Southwest Minnesota State University | 44% | 62.2% | 8,214 | $14,760 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Sul Ross State University | 30% | 98.7% | 2,384 | $10,991 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
SUNY Polytechnic Institute | 55% | 81.3% | 2,733 | $13,882 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Baltimore | 38% | 78.7% | 3,187 | $17,546 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Houston-Victoria | 26% | 95.9% | 3,586 | $8,624 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Illinois Springfield | 52% | 85.9% | 4,628 | $8,916 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of North Texas at Dallas | 42% | 84.5% | 3,794 | $8,376 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Wayne State College | 52% | — | 4,666 | $15,108 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Western New Mexico University | 26% | — | 3,531 | $7,912 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Western Oregon University | 47% | 98.1% | 3,722 | $18,290 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Westfield State University | 54% | 81.4% | 4,588 | $18,561 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| Peer group median | 44% | 84.0% | 3,793 | $14,173 |
Adams State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The mission of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness is to take an active role in advancing the institutional goal to become the university community of choice for diverse groups by providing guidance and service in the fields of research, accreditation, planning, and data management.
Visit IR office page- Dr. Becky Meidinger
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Common Data Set (1)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookFacts and Census Reports - Institutional Effectiveness - Adams State UniversityThe page provides information on the enrollment and demographics of Adams State University through various dashboards and reports. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness compiles data such as enrollment trends, degrees granted, persistence by ethnicity/gender, and admission yield. It serves as a resource for institutional data and is connected to external data resources like IPEDS and CDHE.adams.edu
- Strategic planAdams State Strategic Plan2023Adams State University's Strategic Plan 2025-2030 focuses on providing equitable education and promoting success, especially for underserved communities, as Colorado’s premier Hispanic-Serving Institution. With the vision to transform education into a social good, the plan outlines four pillars: Academics, Students, Human Agency and Infrastructure, and Place - each with defined priorities to enhance educational experiences, personal development, resource management, and community engagement. The plan emphasizes the importance of servingness, innovation, professional development, and data-mindedness to optimize opportunities for students, faculty, and the broader community.adams.edu
Notable alumni of Adams State (35)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Carmen Roybal Arteaga
- Gene Carpenter
- Tony Case
- Connie Claussen
- Robert E. DeNier
- Anthony Drealan
- Ted Egger
- Gary W. Gallagher
- Nino Giarratano
- Sydney Gidabuday
- Grace Padilla
- Jarrell Harrison
Frequently asked questions about Adams State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Adams State.
What is the acceptance rate at Adams State University?
What is the graduation rate at Adams State University?
How many students attend Adams State University?
What is the average net price at Adams State University?
What is the yield rate at Adams State University?
Where is Adams State University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Adams State University?
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