Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

Adams State University

Alamosa, Colorado·Public, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·adams.edu
Acceptance
99.2%
+15.1pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
6-yr Graduation
39%
-5.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
2,901
peer median 3,793
Avg net price
$14,173
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeResearch fundingCommon Data SetDocumentsAlumni

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.

IPEDS
Applied
1,580
1,580 candidates competed
Admitted
1,567
99.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
303
19.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
39%-5.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
20%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
32%
Full-time retention
51%

Pell equity

11.0pp gap
Pell recipients
33%
Non-Pell
44%

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.

FVT/GE

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.

Total programs
50
Passing
9
18.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

50programs
  • Passing9 · 18.0%
  • No Data41 · 82.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
3
Safe
5
No data
41

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.

9
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+6.7%
$41,809 vs $39,174
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+14.1%
$44,701 vs $39,174
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+15.5%
$56,207 vs $48,653
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+16.8%
$74,560 vs $63,816
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+30.5%
$51,111 vs $39,174
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+34.1%
$59,136 vs $44,091
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+44.1%
$56,467 vs $39,174
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Master's Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+60.2%
$74,831 vs $46,700

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

7
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
87%
$48,765 debt · $56,207 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
56%
$23,413 debt · $41,809 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
55%
$41,000 debt · $74,560 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
45%
$20,249 debt · $44,701 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
44%
$22,306 debt · $51,111 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
37%
$21,783 debt · $59,136 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
26%
$20,688 debt · $78,402 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1950Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 3

  1. Aug 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Jun 2018Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,130
$30–48k$10,511
$48–75k$13,658
$75–110k$19,496
$110k+$21,092

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$14,173
vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $14,173
Federal loans
33.4%
In-state tuition
$9,776
Out-of-state
$21,848

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 749 students received $4.0M in Pell grants, alongside $18.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
749
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.0M
$3,994,854 total
Direct Loans
$18.7M
1,843 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.7M
442 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.6M
395 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$12.5M
818 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.1M
74 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.0M
114 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 905 borrowers who entered repayment, 30 (3.3%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.3%
+1.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
905
Defaulted
30
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
9.7%
2017
9.3%
2018
5.6%
2019
3.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Adams State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs34
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

957 total completions
01Psychology
45347.3%
02Liberal Arts
21222.2%
03Business
11912.4%
04Education
727.5%
05Parks/Recreation
444.6%
06Social Sciences
181.9%
07Biological Sciences
171.8%
08Visual/Performing Arts
90.9%
09Health Professions
80.8%
10English Language
50.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
2,901
12-mo unduplicated
3,852
Undergraduate
2,053
Graduate
1,799

Gender split

Men
43%1,655
Women
57%2,197

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
37.0%
White
36.2%
Unknown
8.3%
Black
8.2%
Two or more
5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.8%
Non-resident
1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
1.1%
Asian
0.6%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
673
465 M · 208 W
Women athletes
30.9%
Athletic aid
$2.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$7.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.5M
$905K
Recruiting expense
$47K
$29K
Head-coach salaries
$56K
$32K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
120 M · —
$1.3M
Soccer
42 M · 41 W
$414K
Track and Field (Indoor)
48 M · 32 W
$486K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
46 M · 32 W
$486K
Baseball
62 M · —
$334K
Wrestling
43 M · 15 W
$562K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
5.26
15 offenses · 2,854 students

3-year trend

3.162 yrs ago2.551 yr ago5.26Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
33
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
35
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
3
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
6
Burglary
5
Rape
2
Motor vehicle theft
2

By location

15total
  • On campus15

Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
7
Dating violence
5
Stalking
12 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs224
Liquor046

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
125

Adams State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Adams State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

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$14,173Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Chicago State University
15%43.3%2,238$10,133Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
75%22.7%3,793$21,002Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Delta State University
48%100.0%2,654$13,778Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
East Central University
34%58.1%3,377$9,287Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
39%91.7%5,725$6,199Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Framingham State University
48%83.6%4,002$16,698Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Frostburg State University
50%89.2%4,104$15,323Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Governors State University
21%48.3%4,397$9,477Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University Moorhead
57%58.8%4,386$17,816Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
New Mexico Highlands University
27%—2,704$14,141Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Plymouth State University
52%87.5%3,707$19,685Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
44%75.3%4,732$15,944Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southern Oregon University
43%88.6%5,113$16,470Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southwest Minnesota State University
44%62.2%8,214$14,760Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Sul Ross State University
30%98.7%2,384$10,991Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
55%81.3%2,733$13,882Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Baltimore
38%78.7%3,187$17,546Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Houston-Victoria
26%95.9%3,586$8,624Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Illinois Springfield
52%85.9%4,628$8,916Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Texas at Dallas
42%84.5%3,794$8,376Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Wayne State College
52%—4,666$15,108Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western New Mexico University
26%—3,531$7,912Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western Oregon University
47%98.1%3,722$18,290Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Westfield State University
54%81.4%4,588$18,561Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median44%84.0%3,793$14,173

Institutions like Adams State

Explore the federal data for institutions in Adams State's comparison group.

IPEDS

Adams State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Email
oie [at] adams.edu
Phone
719-587-7011
Address
208 Edgemont Blvd. Alamosa, CO 81101

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
Team
1 member
  • Dr. Becky Meidinger

Research funding

External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.

NSF
USA Spending
$29,395,510
All sources
$29,395,510

Common Data Set

Adams State's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

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
Showing 1–12 of 35
1 / 3

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?

Adams State University's acceptance rate is 99.2% (1,567 admitted from 1,580 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

What is the graduation rate at Adams State University?

Adams State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 39% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Adams State University?

Adams State University reports a total enrollment of 2,901 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Adams State University?

The average net price at Adams State University is $14,173 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Adams State University?

Adams State University's yield rate is 19.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Adams State University located?

Adams State University is located in Alamosa, Colorado 81101.

Who runs Institutional Research at Adams State University?

Adams State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

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