More selective than 38% of Colorado colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $31,642. College Scorecard.
Higher than 81% of Colorado colleges we cover and 72% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 74% of Colorado colleges we cover and 71% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Colorado State University-Fort Collins acceptance rate & admissions
Of 36,612 applicants, Colorado State University-Fort Collins admitted 32,801 and 5,293 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Colorado State University-Fort Collins tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Colorado residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Colorado State University-Fort Collins costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Colorado State University-Fort Collins took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Colorado. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $13,259 | $57,677 | 2.9 years |
| $30–48k | $14,460 | $62,901 | 3.2 years |
| $48–75k | $15,905 | $69,187 | 3.5 years |
| $75–110k | $21,927 | $95,382 | 4.8 years |
| $110k+ | $29,763 | $129,469 | 6.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (47% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($60,543) minus $40,610 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in CO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $19,933 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins majors, earnings & careers
Colorado State University-Fort Collins offers 71 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 22
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 12
- Engineering · 11
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 4
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at Colorado State University-Fort Collins
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $114,076 | $23,250 |
| Information Science / Studies | $102,765 | $25,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $99,172 | $25,900 |
| Fire Protection | $98,019 | $34,008 |
| Chemical Engineering | $97,271 | $21,240 |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $94,921 | $25,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $94,260 | $26,184 |
| Civil Engineering | $88,001 | $25,480 |
Quick list of all 71 majors
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services$39,595
- Agricultural Business$58,983
- Animal Sciences$53,934
- Anthropology$43,129
- Apparel and Textiles$57,184
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services$66,984
- Biochemistry$70,343
- Biology$60,981
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Biotechnology$55,981
- Business Administration$79,256
- Chemical Engineering$97,271
- Chemistry$71,615
- Civil Engineering$88,001
- Communications$61,434
- Computer and Information Sciences$114,076
- Computer Engineering—
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$94,921
- Dance—
- Data Science—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology$54,370
- Economics$69,934
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$99,172
- Engineering Science—
- English$46,154
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Engineering$82,005
- Environmental Science / Conservation$50,330
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences Business Services—
- Fire Protection$98,019
- Food Science and Technology—
- Forestry$62,919
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science$71,631
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$65,940
- History$52,144
- Hospitality Management$62,556
- Human Development and Family Studies$53,597
- Information Science / Studies$102,765
- Interior Architecture$61,894
- International / Global Studies$48,973
- Journalism$53,528
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$60,835
- Landscape Architecture—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$51,830
- Linguistics$55,647
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$94,260
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$69,269
- Music$39,414
- Natural Sciences—
- Neuroscience—
- Nutrition Science$59,528
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$52,971
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Plant Sciences$42,034
- Political Science$67,873
- Psychology$54,268
- Public Health—
- Social Work$54,720
- Sociology$57,300
- Soil Sciences$57,671
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$41,309
- Theatre$34,552
- Zoology / Animal Biology$44,226
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Fort Collins
Overall prices in the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,759. Housing costs 21% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 16 inches of rain a year, 49 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); wildfire (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Larimer County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Larimer County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Colorado State University-Fort Collins with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Colorado by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 89% | $21,279 | 67% | $60,543 | This school |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 78% | $25,346 | 74% | $69,738 | |
| University of Northern Colorado | 86% | $17,760 | 51% | $52,231 | |
| University of Colorado Colorado Springs | 97% | $15,788 | 47% | $54,659 | |
| Colorado Mesa University | 82% | $15,103 | 41% | $45,823 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Colorado State University-Fort Collins would cost you $4,067 less per year than University of Colorado Boulder, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Colorado State University-Fort Collins, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$2,293).
- University of Colorado Boulder gives aided families $1,975 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Colorado resident | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | CU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,373 | $15,666 | −$2,293 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,200 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $15,606 | $16,950 | −$1,344 |
| Personal & travel | $2,737 | $3,104 | −$367 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,274 | +$764 | −$2,038 |
| Sticker price | $31,642 | $37,684 | −$6,042 |
| Average grants | −$10,363 | −$12,338 | +$1,975 |
| You pay | $21,279 | $25,346 | −$4,067 |
“+” means Colorado State University-Fort Collins costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Colorado State University-Fort Collins
What is the Colorado State University-Fort Collins acceptance rate?
Colorado State University-Fort Collins accepts 89% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 32,801 of 36,612 applicants were admitted.
How much does Colorado State University-Fort Collins cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $31,642 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $21,279 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,259 and families earning $110k+ pay $29,763.
How much do Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduates earn?
Former Colorado State University-Fort Collins students earn a median $60,543 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Colorado State University-Fort Collins graduation rate?
67% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 86% return for their second year.
How long does a Colorado State University-Fort Collins degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Colorado State University-Fort Collins costs about $69,187 after grants ($15,905 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $60,543 ten years after starting, $19,933 more than high school graduates in Colorado ($40,610), so the cost is repaid in 3.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Colorado State University-Fort Collins: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/colorado-state-university-fort-collins (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).