Cost & financial aid brief
University of Colorado Colorado Springs Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Colorado Colorado Springs cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices differ across family income bands.
The lowest band, under $30,000, averages $12,065, while the highest, over $110,000, averages $22,142. The spread between the two ends is $10,077, a pattern of lower costs at lower incomes rather than an individual aid package.
The published cost of attendance at University of Colorado Colorado Springs is $24,595. Azimuth ranks the university #355 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 $12,065, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $12,104, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $22,142. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,077.
Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $8,807 against the sticker price. The average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $15,788, which is $1,720 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
In-state tuition and fees are $10,149; out-of-state students pay $24,336. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,000 in federal student loans.
That is $1,229 below the peer median of $21,229. 80.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,710 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who finish at University of Colorado Colorado Springs carry a median of $20,000 in federal loans. 80.9% of federal aid recipients take out federal loans.
That median sits $1,229 below the $21,229 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,710 under the Parent PLUS program.
Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,980 at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Azimuth places that median at the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That is $5,679 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $4,362 more than expects for similar students.
Azimuth places that earnings gap at the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span from $45,999 on the downside to $86,954 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $62,980.
For borrowers who finish, median federal debt is $20,000. That is $1,229 below the peer median.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,710. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $21,710
- Estimated parent payment
- $276/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $21,710
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $227/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $276/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $503/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $62,980, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.7% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.