BaccalaureatePublic

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, Colorado·Public, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·coloradomesa.edu
6-yr Graduation
41%
+2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
9,785
peer median 3,958
Avg net price
$15,103
-$936 vs Baccalaureate
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
12,465
12,465 candidates competed
Admitted
10,225
82.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,359
23.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
41%+2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
28%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
47%
Full-time retention
79%

Pell equity

13.4pp gap
Pell recipients
32%221 of 693
Non-Pell (all)
45%568 of 1250
Subsidized loan, no Pell
37%100 of 270
No Federal Aid
48%468 of 980

Non-Pell students graduate at a 13.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

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 124 Title IV programs, 24 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 99 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
124
Passing
24
19.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.8%
+0.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

124programs
  • Passing24 · 19.4%
  • No Data99 · 79.8%
  • Failing1 · 0.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
6
Safe
16
No data
99

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.

25
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-17.9%
$32,144 vs $39,174
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+9.0%
$42,701 vs $39,174
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
+9.3%
$42,801 vs $39,174
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+10.0%
$43,078 vs $39,174
Education General
Graduate Certificate · Education
+11.4%
$49,139 vs $44,091
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+11.6%
$43,733 vs $39,174
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+11.7%
$43,775 vs $39,174
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+14.0%
$44,651 vs $39,174

Debt vs earnings

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

25
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
88%
$28,202 debt · $32,144 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
57%
$25,610 debt · $44,651 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
54%
$24,500 debt · $45,737 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
53%
$26,500 debt · $50,441 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
52%
$22,532 debt · $43,733 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
51%
$25,792 debt · $50,384 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
48%
$23,870 debt · $49,348 earn
Education General
Graduate Certificate · Education
48%
$23,650 debt · $49,139 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1957Next review Aug 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 11

Action history · 16

  1. Dec 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  2. Aug 2024Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
  3. Jan 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  4. Jan 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Aug 2023Initial Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree

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$10,792
$30–48k$11,920
$48–75k$14,692
$75–110k$16,945
$110k+$20,606

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

Avg net price
$15,103
-$936vs Baccalaureate median $16,039
Federal loans
30.9%
In-state tuition
$9,927
Out-of-state
$25,124

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, 3,408 students received $18.2M in Pell grants, alongside $32.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,408
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$18.2M
$18,181,749 total
Direct Loans
$32.7M
5,335 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
’20
3k
’21
3k
’22
3k
’23
3k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$7.0M
1,960 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$9.9M
2,323 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.1M
185 loan awards
Parent PLUS$10.3M
759 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.4M
108 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 2,346 borrowers who entered repayment, 80 (3.4%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.4%
+1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,346
Defaulted
80
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.3%
2017
10.9%
2018
8.1%
2019
3.4%
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 Colorado Mesa

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs100
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,247 total completions
01Business
29924.0%
02Health Professions
25020.0%
03Parks/Recreation
16012.8%
04Liberal Arts
1239.9%
05Security/Protective
877.0%
06Psychology
856.8%
07Biological Sciences
796.3%
08Engineering Tech
594.7%
09Visual/Performing Arts
564.5%
10Computer Sciences
493.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
9,785
12-mo unduplicated
11,051
Undergraduate
10,664
Graduate
387

Gender split

Men
45%5,009
Women
55%6,042

Race / ethnicity composition

White
63.0%
Hispanic
20.9%
Unknown
6.8%
Two or more
3.9%
Non-resident
1.5%
Asian
1.5%
Black
1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
831
507 M · 324 W
Women athletes
39.0%
Athletic aid
$4.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$16.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.3M
$1.8M
Recruiting expense
$122K
$61K
Head-coach salaries
$83K
$74K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 14

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
136 M · 141 W
$1.1M
Football
171 M · —
$1.8M
Lacrosse
55 M · 38 W
$926K
Wrestling
49 M · 41 W
$1.2M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
43 M · 39 W
$848K
Soccer
37 M · 30 W
$861K

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
0.89
8 offenses · 8,995 students

3-year trend

1.802 yrs ago1.461 yr ago0.89Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
37
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
19
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
3
Fondling
3
Aggravated assault
2

By location

8total
  • On campus6
  • Public property2

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs416
Liquor1319

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
18.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
371

Colorado Mesa vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Colorado Mesa 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
SubjectColorado Mesa University
41%—9,785$15,103Baccalaureate
United States Air Force Academy
88%14.1%4,114—Baccalaureate
Fort Lewis College
36%77.3%3,544$17,296Baccalaureate
Utah Tech University
28%—13,167$16,039Baccalaureate
Lewis-Clark State College
32%87.7%3,801$15,635Baccalaureate
The University of Montana-Western
54%99.8%1,358$16,558Baccalaureate
Peer group median39%82.5%3,958$16,039

Institutions like Colorado Mesa

Explore the federal data for institutions in Colorado Mesa's comparison group.

IPEDS

Colorado Mesa Institutional Research office

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

Office
Institutional Research, Planning and Decision Support
Phone
970-248-1020
Address
1100 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 81501-3122

The Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Decision Support provides data and responds to frequently asked questions about Colorado Mesa University's students, faculty, staff and academic programs.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Holly Teal
    Director of Institutional Research and Decision Support

Common Data Set

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

Total enrollment
9,785
9,473 UG · 312 grad
6-yr graduation rate
47%
First-year retention
79%
Student–faculty ratio
18 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$17,391
after avg need-based grant
01

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$28,608
Tuition
$9,63034%
Fees
$9843%
Room & board
$13,86648%
Books
$2,4008%
Other
$1,7286%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $28,608 (2023-2024).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$28,608
Net (aided)
$17,391
Avg need grant
$11,217

Sticker $28,608 → about $17,391 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($11,217); 69% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Federal38.8%
State all states29.2%
Institutional scholarships, annual gifts25.3%
External scholarships, not awarded by the college6.6%

0% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
52%
Avg debt
$23,189

52% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $23,189 on average.

02

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
47%
Retention
79%

6-year graduation rate 47%; first-year retention 79%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students47%
Pell recipients37%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 10 pts below the overall rate (37% vs 47%).

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students244
10-19 students452
20-29 students401
30-39 students126
40-49 students50
50-99 students94
100+ students2

51% of classes have under 20 students; 7% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
18 to 1
Women faculty
52%

Key faculty indicators.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic63.0%
Hispanic/Latino20.9%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown6.8%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic3.9%
Nonresident Alien1.5%
Asian, non-Hispanic1.5%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic1.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.6%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.4%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
122
Share
1%

1% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
9,47397%
Graduate
3123%

9,473 undergraduates and 312 graduate students.

05

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
930
Admitted
923
Enrolled
445

930 transfer applicants → 923 admitted (99.2%) → 445 enrolled

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Colorado Mesa University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Colorado Mesa.

What is the graduation rate at Colorado Mesa University?

Colorado Mesa University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 41% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Colorado Mesa University?

Colorado Mesa University reports a total enrollment of 9,785 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Colorado Mesa University?

The average net price at Colorado Mesa University is $15,103 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Colorado Mesa University?

Colorado Mesa University's yield rate is 23.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Colorado Mesa University located?

Colorado Mesa University is located in Grand Junction, Colorado 81501-3122.

Who runs Institutional Research at Colorado Mesa University?

Colorado Mesa University's IR work is done by the Institutional Research, Planning and Decision Support.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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