College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Metropolitan State University of Denver

COLarge public institution · Overall rank #193 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Metropolitan State University of Denver #193 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

The fit is clearest for a student who wants a public university in Denver and expects to work after the degree. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study, and the degree mix is led by Business and Psychology.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes that to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — which adds, while what it cannot explain subtracts.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish at a rate slightly above the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is among the highest we track. The lowest income band averages a net price well below the published cost, and the spread between the lowest and highest bands is modest for a public university.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and Metropolitan State University of Denver serves a large transfer population. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid fields — Computer Science and engineering technologies — are much smaller.

Metropolitan State University of Denver at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
98.8%
Six-year completion[2]
31.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,186

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$14,927
Median student debt[4]
$21,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$13,743

Metropolitan State University of Denver rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public university in Denver, Colorado, enrolling 15,002 undergraduates. It sits near the top of the national ranking.

It is an open-access institution, admitting 98.8% of applicants, a rate that runs well above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The student body is shaped heavily by transfer.

An estimated 65.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the first-time, full-time cohort describes a minority of the people who study here. For that group, 62.9% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate is 31.5%, compared with 65.0% at similar schools. The four sit far apart.

Mobility is the strongest (90th percentile) and return is the weakest (57th percentile). Access and affordability fall between them (78th and 76th percentiles).

Azimuth evaluates Metropolitan State University of Denver on four pillars among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is the strongest, at the 90th percentile.

Access and affordability sit close together, at the 78th and 76th percentiles respectively. Return is the weakest of the four, at the 57th percentile.

35.5% of undergraduates at Metropolitan State University of Denver receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks the university #323 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 36.1%, 4.6 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #144 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,934 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Metropolitan State University of Denver rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#193

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 90
Access & reach
National percentile: 78
Affordability
National percentile: 76
Return on investment
National percentile: 57

Top-ranked majors

  1. Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians#2
  2. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians#4
  3. Human Services, General#10

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Metropolitan State University of Denver briefing

Metropolitan State University of Denver cost & financial aid[6][7]

At Metropolitan State University of Denver, the published cost of attendance is $24,622. In-state tuition and fees are $11,124, and out-of-state tuition is $30,684.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay an average net price of $15,327. For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cut the sticker price by $9,295.

The is $307 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #339 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That places the affordability pillar in the 76th percentile. The average net price applies to aid recipients; families without aid face the full sticker price.

The published cost of attendance is $24,622. Azimuth ranks Metropolitan State University of Denver #339 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $12,481, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $14,927, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $23,822. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,341.

Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,327, which is $307 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,500 in federal student loans. That is $1,424 above the peer median of $20,076.

75.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,743 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$14,927

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Metropolitan State University of Denver

Federal borrowing is common at Metropolitan State University of Denver: 75.6% of federal aid recipients take out federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $21,500.

That median is $1,424 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,743 in Parent PLUS loans.

Among federally aided completers at Metropolitan State University of Denver who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $60,186. Azimuth places that figure in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Those completers earn about $4,934 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that earnings gap in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, run from $48,167 on the downside to $86,117 on the upside. The earnings scenarios are based on the mix of programs offered.

Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,500 in federal student loans, $1,424 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,743. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$13,743

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$244/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$175/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Metropolitan State University of Denver briefing

Metropolitan State University of Denver career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $48,167 on the downside to $86,117 on the upside, a wide band that shows differing program outcomes. These figures are estimates from the program mix rather than reported salaries of observed graduate cohorts.

At the program level, Computer Science shows the highest returns, with graduates earning $111,187 four years after completion from 70 degrees awarded. Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians follows at $100,358 four years after completion, with 20 degrees awarded.

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $98,267 four years after completion from 55 degrees awarded.

Four years after completing a degree, the median earnings for federally aided graduates of Metropolitan State University of Denver who are working and not enrolled is $60,186. That figure is $5,424 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university in the 52nd percentile for this measure among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,934 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result falls in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from a downside of $48,167 to an upside of $86,117, with the typical scenario matching the observed median.

An estimated 30.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Metropolitan State University of Denver graduates earn $60,186 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, placing the result at the 52nd percentile. That median is $5,424 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #629 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. They earn about $4,934 more than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,111.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,177. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,150.

The program mix spans psychology, business, biology and the health professions (17.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded are in STEM). Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $48,167 on the downside to $86,117 on the upside.

An estimated 30.0% of graduates continue directly to graduate study after completing a degree, based on the program mix.

Graduates of Metropolitan State University of Denver earn about $4,934 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $21,500 in federal student loans. That is $1,424 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,743 in Parent PLUS loans.

The earnings advantage and a debt level near the peer median sit side by side here.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,111
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$5,177
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$4,934

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Metropolitan State University of Denver briefing

Metropolitan State University of Denver acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Metropolitan State University of Denver admits 98.8% of applicants, a rate that sits above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
98.8%
Approximate lower endpoint
880
Reported average
1019
Approximate upper endpoint
1130

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Metropolitan State University of Denver briefing

What are the largest majors at Metropolitan State University of Denver?[12]

The highest-earning programs at Metropolitan State University of Denver are concentrated in technical fields, and they are not the largest ones. Computer Science graduates earn $111,187 four years after completion, from 70 degrees awarded a year.

Azimuth ranks the program #95 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians and Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians follow, with medians of $100,358 and $98,267 from 20 and 55 degrees awarded.

The latter holds a #4 national rank in its field. The largest programs sit at more moderate earnings levels.

Research and Experimental Psychology awards 282 degrees a year and posts a median of $48,655, ranked #36 nationally. Accounting, with 117 degrees awarded, reaches $73,698 and ranks #1 in Colorado.

Business accounts for 22.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Psychology at 9.2% and Health Professions at 7.5%. Azimuth ranks 38 of the university's programs nationally.

The largest single program is Research and Experimental Psychology, with 282 degrees awarded and median earnings of $48,655 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #36 within its field and #1 in Colorado.

The highest-earning program is Computer Science, at $111,187 from 70 degrees awarded, ranked #95 nationally and #3 in Colorado. Among the best nationally ranked programs, Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians sits at #2 with earnings of $86,131 from 27 degrees awarded.

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians ranks #4 with earnings of $98,267 from 55 degrees awarded.

Metropolitan State University of Denver awards degrees across 38 ranked programs, with earnings data available for 47. The largest program family is Business, accounting for 22.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Psychology at 9.2% and Health Professions at 7.5%.

The three largest programs by degrees awarded are Research and Experimental Psychology with 282 degrees awarded, Business Administration and Management with 182, and Biology with 180. The highest-ranked program is Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, which awards 27 degrees a year and ranks #1 in Colorado within its field.

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians is also highly ranked, at #4 nationally and #1 in Colorado, with 55 degrees awarded and median earnings of $98,267. Computer Science is the highest-earning program, with graduates earning a median of $111,187 from 70 degrees awarded a year.

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies shows a benchmark ratio of 1.22x against the national median for its field, with median earnings of $58,918. Human Services rounds out the top-ranked programs at #10 nationally and #1 in Colorado, with 41 degrees awarded.

The pattern here is one of concentrated strength in applied and technical fields. The top-ranked programs are largely in engineering technologies and human services, and the highest earnings come from computer science and engineering-related fields. 17.0% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Research and Experimental Psychology 282 degrees awarded
$48,655
Business Administration, Management and Operations 182 degrees awarded
$65,387
Biology, General 180 degrees awarded
$57,920
Criminal Justice and Corrections 157 degrees awarded
$56,564
Accounting and Related Services 117 degrees awarded
$73,698
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 104 degrees awarded
$57,096

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Metropolitan State University of Denver briefing

What colleges are similar to Metropolitan State University of Denver?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Admissions peerPortland State University90.9% admitted
Comparison with Metropolitan State University of Denver
MeasureMetropolitan State University of DenverPortland State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,186$62,060+$1,874 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver
Average annual net price$15,327$9,552-$5,775 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver · lower cost
Admission rate98.8%90.9%
Explore Portland State University →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Colorado Colorado SpringsNearby option · CO
Comparison with Metropolitan State University of Denver
MeasureMetropolitan State University of DenverUniversity of Colorado Colorado Springs
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,186$62,980+$2,794 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver
Average annual net price$15,327$15,788+$461 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver · higher cost
Admission rate98.8%97.4%
Explore University of Colorado Colorado Springs →
Higher-earnings alternativeOregon Institute of Technology$87,138 earnings
Comparison with Metropolitan State University of Denver
MeasureMetropolitan State University of DenverOregon Institute of Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,186$87,138+$26,952 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver
Average annual net price$15,327$15,706+$379 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver · higher cost
Admission rate98.8%95.0%
Explore Oregon Institute of Technology →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price
Comparison with Metropolitan State University of Denver
MeasureMetropolitan State University of DenverCalifornia State University-Los Angeles
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,186$59,756-$430 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver
Average annual net price$15,327$3,967-$11,360 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver · lower cost
Admission rate98.8%91.3%
Explore California State University-Los Angeles →
Similar profileUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaMatched across several measures
Comparison with Metropolitan State University of Denver
MeasureMetropolitan State University of DenverUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,186$61,903+$1,717 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver
Average annual net price$15,327$15,664+$337 vs Metropolitan State University of Denver · higher cost
Admission rate98.8%86.6%
Explore University of Hawaii at Manoa →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings