Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, Colorado·Public, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·msudenver.edu
6-yr Graduation
32%
-8.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
18,453
peer median 16,949
Avg net price
$14,294
+$1.5k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
11,622
11,622 candidates competed
Admitted
11,483
98.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,196
19.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
32%-8.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
12%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
31%
Full-time retention
63%

Pell equity

1.0pp gap
Pell recipients
29%
Non-Pell
28%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 132 Title IV programs, 51 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 80 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
132
Passing
51
38.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.8%
+0.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

132programs
  • Passing51 · 38.6%
  • No Data80 · 60.6%
  • Failing1 · 0.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
2
Watch
6
Safe
43
No data
80

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.

52
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-0.6%
$38,957 vs $39,174
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.5%
$42,490 vs $39,174
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+9.4%
$42,870 vs $39,174
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+16.8%
$45,766 vs $39,174
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+18.8%
$46,535 vs $39,174
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+21.2%
$47,460 vs $39,174
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+21.7%
$47,666 vs $39,174
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+23.9%
$48,518 vs $39,174

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-0.6%
$217

Debt vs earnings

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

49
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
61%
$26,090 debt · $42,490 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
57%
$22,250 debt · $38,957 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
53%
$35,500 debt · $66,816 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
53%
$25,724 debt · $48,518 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
52%
$27,092 debt · $52,414 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
50%
$29,000 debt · $57,768 earn
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
49%
$26,062 debt · $53,125 earn
Linguistic Comparative and Related Language Studies and Services
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
49%
$24,750 debt · $50,926 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1971Next review Aug 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 13

Action history · 11

  1. Jun 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  2. Jul 2024Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  3. Jul 2023Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Dec 2022Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (NUR) - Baccalaureate program
  5. Apr 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$12,364
$30–48k$12,005
$48–75k$13,276
$75–110k$19,263
$110k+$21,812

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

Avg net price
$14,294
+$1,529vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $12,766
Federal loans
29.6%
In-state tuition
$10,780
Out-of-state
$29,503

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 8,049 students received $40.6M in Pell grants, alongside $52.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
8,049
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$40.6M
$40,570,429 total
Direct Loans
$52.6M
9,606 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

7k
20
6k
21
6k
22
7k
23
8k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$16.3M
4,284 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$22.2M
4,434 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$10.5M
668 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.9M
171 loan awards
Grad PLUS$709K
49 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.

Of 4,492 borrowers who entered repayment, 126 (2.8%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.8%
+0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,492
Defaulted
126
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.7%
2017
8.9%
2018
6.8%
2019
2.8%
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 Msudenver

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs112
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,531 total completions
01Business
56422.3%
02Liberal Arts
33713.3%
03Public Admin
33213.1%
04Psychology
28011.1%
05Health Professions
25210.0%
06Education
2007.9%
07Computer Sciences
1485.8%
08Biological Sciences
1415.6%
09Security/Protective
1405.5%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
1375.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
18,453
12-mo unduplicated
21,767
Undergraduate
20,421
Graduate
1,346

Gender split

Men
44%9,478
Women
56%12,289

Race / ethnicity composition

White
42.8%
Hispanic
36.6%
Black
7.8%
Two or more
5.5%
Asian
4.5%
Unknown
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.0%
Non-resident
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
263
138 M · 125 W
Women athletes
47.5%
Athletic aid
$2.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$6.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.1M
$1.4M
Recruiting expense
$23K
$25K
Head-coach salaries
$65K
$70K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
89 M · 76 W
$513K
Soccer
33 M · 27 W
$1.1M
Baseball
45 M ·
$551K
Basketball
15 M · 14 W
$2.1M
Softball
· 21 W
$537K
Tennis
8 M · 9 W
$372K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.00
68 offenses · 16,995 students

3-year trend

3.772 yrs ago3.791 yr ago4.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
207
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
64
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
6
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
31
Arson
12
Burglary
9
Rape
6
Aggravated assault
5
Fondling
3
Robbery
2

By location

68total
  • On campus54
  • Public property14

VAWA offenses

7
Domestic violence
8
Dating violence
9
Stalking
24 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • National origin2
  • Sexual orientation2
  • Religion1
  • Gender identity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons90
Drugs4012
Liquor192

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 4 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.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
574

Msudenver vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Msudenver selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectMetropolitan State University of Denver
32%18,453$14,294Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Colorado State University Global
98.4%10,257$14,099Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southern Utah University
50%81.8%15,444$11,432Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Adams State University
32%99.2%2,901$14,173Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Weber State University
47%32,701$10,722Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Utah Valley University
40%46,807$8,463Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median40%98.4%16,949$12,766

Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan State University of Denver

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Msudenver.

What is the graduation rate at Metropolitan State University of Denver?

Metropolitan State University of Denver reports a 6-year graduation rate of 32% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Metropolitan State University of Denver?

Metropolitan State University of Denver reports a total enrollment of 18,453 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Metropolitan State University of Denver?

The average net price at Metropolitan State University of Denver is $14,294 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Metropolitan State University of Denver?

Metropolitan State University of Denver's yield rate is 19.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Metropolitan State University of Denver located?

Metropolitan State University of Denver is located in Denver, Colorado 80217-3362.

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