Colleges / Metropolitan State University of Denver
College · Public · Denver, CO · City
MSU

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO

Hispanic-serving
AddressSpeer Blvd and Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80217-3362
Websitewww.msudenver.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate99%
6-yr median pay$45k
Net price / yr$15k
Undergrad size15,002
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $15k/yr for a shot at a $45k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 99% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1019 · ACT 21.

If you get in

15,002 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $25k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $15k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$98k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$61k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$37k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$11.1k
Tuition · out-of-state
$30.7k
Books & supplies
$1,460

How students pay for it.

Pell grants36%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans28%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention66%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr32%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$45k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$52k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out29%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
15,002
Location
Denver, CO
Region
Rocky Mountains (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · medium full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
MSU Denver
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White42%
  • Hispanic37%
  • Black9%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Asian4%
  • Unknown1%
  • American Indian / Alaska Native1%
  • International1%
First-gen students40%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time44%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$32k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 76

What you can study.

Colleges / Metropolitan State University of Denver
College · Public · Denver, CO · City
MSU

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO

Hispanic-serving
AddressSpeer Blvd and Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80217-3362
Websitewww.msudenver.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate99%
6-yr median pay$45k
Net price / yr$15k
Undergrad size15,002
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $15k/yr for a shot at a $45k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 99% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1019 · ACT 21.

If you get in

15,002 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $25k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $15k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$98k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$61k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$37k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.4x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$11.1k
Tuition · out-of-state
$30.7k
Books & supplies
$1,460

How students pay for it.

Pell grants36%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans28%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention66%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr32%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$45k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$52k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out29%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
15,002
Location
Denver, CO
Region
Rocky Mountains (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · medium full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
MSU Denver
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White42%
  • Hispanic37%
  • Black9%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Asian4%
  • Unknown1%
  • American Indian / Alaska Native1%
  • International1%
First-gen students40%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time44%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$32k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 76

What you can study.