Doctoral/ProfessionalPublicHSI

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, Colorado·Public, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·unco.edu
6-yr Graduation
51%
-1.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
8,869
peer median 8,735
Avg net price
$17,760
+$3.2k vs Doctoral/Professional
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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
11,127
11,127 candidates competed
Admitted
9,553
85.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,243
13.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
51%-1.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
38%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
51%
Full-time retention
76%

Pell equity

12.6pp gap
Pell recipients
43%301 of 693
Non-Pell (all)
56%691 of 1243
Subsidized loan, no Pell
52%301 of 574
No Federal Aid
58%390 of 669

Non-Pell students graduate at a 12.6-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.

Of 130 Title IV programs, 47 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 3 fail. 80 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
130
Passing
47
36.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
3
2.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.3%
+1.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

130programs
  • Passing47 · 36.2%
  • No Data80 · 61.5%
  • Failing3 · 2.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
2
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
14
Safe
33
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.

50
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-12.2%
$41,645 vs $47,421
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-10.2%
$55,526 vs $61,854
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-3.6%
$37,749 vs $39,174
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+14.9%
$45,008 vs $39,174
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+14.9%
$54,468 vs $47,421
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+15.3%
$71,306 vs $61,854
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+16.6%
$62,559 vs $53,672
Nutrition Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+17.4%
$45,979 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
-3.6%
$1,425

Debt vs earnings

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

44
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
108%
$56,046 debt · $52,060 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Doctoral Degree · Psychology
108%
$78,476 debt · $73,007 earn
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
105%
$43,592 debt · $41,645 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
68%
$44,555 debt · $65,278 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
63%
$44,790 debt · $71,306 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
60%
$22,721 debt · $37,749 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
58%
$31,377 debt · $53,688 earn
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
56%
$34,780 debt · $62,559 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 20

Action history · 22

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
  2. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  4. Aug 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Education for Public Health · Public Health (PHG) - Graduate level school of public health
  5. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship

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$12,695
$30–48k$13,290
$48–75k$16,038
$75–110k$18,441
$110k+$24,306

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

Avg net price
$17,760
+$3,246vs Doctoral/Professional median $14,515
Federal loans
36.5%
In-state tuition
$12,416
Out-of-state
$27,266

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 2,239 students received $12.5M in Pell grants, alongside $49.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,239
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$12.5M
$12,491,632 total
Direct Loans
$49.7M
5,890 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
2k
22
2k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$6.4M
1,649 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$7.8M
1,896 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$14.9M
987 loan awards
Parent PLUS$13.1M
817 loan awards
Grad PLUS$7.3M
541 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 2,941 borrowers who entered repayment, 28 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,941
Defaulted
28
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.6%
2017
5.2%
2018
4.4%
2019
0.9%
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 UNCO

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs91
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,991 total completions
01Education
48424.3%
02Health Professions
30615.4%
03Business
29714.9%
04Psychology
23011.6%
05Visual/Performing Arts
1989.9%
06Parks/Recreation
1447.2%
07Social Sciences
954.8%
08Biological Sciences
954.8%
09Security/Protective
864.3%
10Communication
562.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
8,869
12-mo unduplicated
10,238
Undergraduate
7,075
Graduate
3,163

Gender split

Men
31%3,204
Women
69%7,034

Race / ethnicity composition

White
59.1%
Hispanic
26.7%
Two or more
5.2%
Black
4.6%
Asian
2.1%
Non-resident
1.3%
Unknown
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
445
260 M · 185 W
Women athletes
41.6%
Athletic aid
$7.1M
Total student aid
Budget
$23.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.1M
$3.0M
Recruiting expense
$128K
$125K
Head-coach salaries
$131K
$101K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
110 M · 99 W
$1.3M
Football
120 M ·
$5.7M
Basketball
16 M · 27 W
$3.8M
Soccer
· 40 W
$858K
Baseball
39 M ·
$683K
Wrestling
37 M ·
$1.1M

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
6.40
58 offenses · 9,067 students

3-year trend

6.182 yrs ago4.581 yr ago6.40Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
165
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
79
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
37
Burglary
9
Fondling
7
Rape
5

By location

58total
  • On campus56
  • Non-campus2

Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
13
Stalking
17 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons50
Drugs1419
Liquor935

Residence-hall fires

  • North Hall1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $100-$999

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)
390

UNCO vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UNCO 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
SubjectUniversity of Northern Colorado
51%8,869$17,760Doctoral/Professional
52%90.5%8,137$15,563Doctoral/Professional
53%89.5%10,112$16,511Doctoral/Professional
53%84.8%8,601$13,466Doctoral/Professional
43%80.8%7,895$10,873Doctoral/Professional
56%91.4%9,959$8,624Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median53%89.5%8,735$14,515

Institutions like UNCO

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

UNCO Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Email
oire [at] unco.edu
Phone
970-351-1890
Address
501 20th St. Greeley, CO 80639

The mission of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at the University of Northern Colorado is to support the success of the University mission and goals by providing timely, accurate and unbiased information and analysis for institutional decision making, strategic planning and assessment.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Sonia Brandon, Ph.D.
    Director
  • Heather McKim
    Data Scientist
  • Grace See
    Senior Data Analyst
  • Angela Rockwell, Ph.D.
    Senior Statistician
  • Ted Cain
    Data Analyst

Common Data Set

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

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about University of Northern Colorado

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UNCO.

What is the graduation rate at University of Northern Colorado?

University of Northern Colorado reports a 6-year graduation rate of 51% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Northern Colorado?

University of Northern Colorado reports a total enrollment of 8,869 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Northern Colorado?

The average net price at University of Northern Colorado is $17,760 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Northern Colorado?

University of Northern Colorado's yield rate is 13.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Northern Colorado located?

University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado 80639.

Who runs Institutional Research at University of Northern Colorado?

University of Northern Colorado's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness.

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.
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.
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.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
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.
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.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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