Research brief & institution hub

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

COLarge public institution · Overall rank #130 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus #130 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is a public university in Denver where the degree mix is led by Business, Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences. Mobility is well above average.

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

Pell recipients complete at a rate above the entering cohort as a whole, and the lowest income band pays well below the published cost. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is wide, so what a family pays depends heavily on income.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning fields are much smaller ones.

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
74.7%
Six-year completion[2]
46.2%
Four-year earnings[3]
$74,059

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$10,834
Median student debt[4]
$20,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$21,716

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is a public university in Denver, Colorado, enrolling 10,519 undergraduates. The university sits in the top tenth of the Azimuth composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Admission is slightly more selective than the norm for comparable institutions (same type and size): the university admits 74.7% of applicants, against a peer median of 78.1%. Among full-time first-year students, 72.7% return for a second year, compared with a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate for that first-time, full-time cohort is 46.2%, while the peer median is 65.0%. An estimated 56.2% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate describes a minority of the student body.

Most students at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus did not start here. The four sit close together, with mobility the strongest at the 90th percentile and access the weakest at the 72nd percentile.

Return and affordability fall between them, at the 85th and 84th percentiles respectively.

Azimuth ranks University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus on four pillars among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is the strongest, at the 90th percentile, and access is the weakest, at the 72nd percentile. Return sits at the 85th percentile and affordability at the 84th percentile.

26.2% of undergraduates at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks the university #416 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort complete at 56.2%, 10.0 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. For mobility, Azimuth ranks University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus #148 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,573 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#130

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 90
Access & reach
National percentile: 72
Affordability
National percentile: 84
Return on investment
National percentile: 85

Top-ranked majors

  1. Education, General#11
  2. Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#21
  3. Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#23

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 / University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus briefing

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus cost & financial aid[6][7]

Affordability at this institution is stronger than at most nonprofit four-year peers. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar stands at the 84th percentile.

Average net price is the cost aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. After those discounts, first-time full-time aid recipients at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus pay $11,900 on average.

That average sits $3,734 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 pay $6,743 on average, and those from families earning over $110,000 pay $22,475.

Borrowers who complete hold a median of $20,500 in federal loans, $424 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The published cost of attendance at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is $24,902. Azimuth ranks the university #226 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 $6,743, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $10,834, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $22,475. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,732.

Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $11,900, which is $3,734 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

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

75.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $21,716.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$10,834

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Among undergraduates at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, 75.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $20,500.

That median sits $424 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,716 in Parent PLUS loans.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 41% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $21,717 per borrower. Including 40% who held federal loans averaging $19,335. A smaller share of graduates, 5%, held private loans averaging $22,760.

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus combines earnings that outpace the model's expectation with a debt load that sits close to the peer norm. Graduates earn about $13,573 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the gap at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median earnings of $74,059 four years after completion rank at the 82nd percentile. That runs $8,449 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a typical outcome of $74,059, with a downside of $51,387 and an upside of $90,261. On the borrowing side, completers who took federal loans carry a median of $20,500, which is $424 above the peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture here is one of earnings that beat the model's prediction by a wide margin, paired with a debt figure that is essentially in line with peers.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,716. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 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
$20,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$21,716

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$233/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$276/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 / University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus briefing

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Graduates at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus earn more than the model predicts and more than the peer median four years after completion. The return pillar stands at the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $74,059 four years after completion, placing that figure at the 82nd percentile. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $65,610, so the university sits $8,449 above that benchmark.

They earn about $13,573 more than the model expects for similar students. That outcome falls in the 89th 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 $10,394. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,179.

A federally aided graduate of University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus who is working and not enrolled earns $74,059 four years after completion. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure falls at the 82nd percentile.

The median draws on an earnings cohort of 3,469 completers. Graduates earn about $13,573 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. That result sits in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Estimated earnings scenarios based on the program mix span from $51,387 on the downside to $90,261 on the upside, with $74,059 as the typical outcome. An estimated 33.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled is $74,059 four years after completion. That figure is at the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Against the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), that amount sits $8,449 above. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus #226 for return.

Graduates earn about $13,573 more than the model expects for similar students. That result sits at the 89th percentile nationally 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 $10,394. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $3,179.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,163. The program mix covers business, health fields, engineering and the biological and social sciences.

Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix range from $51,387 on the downside to $90,261 on the upside, showing the span across program clusters. An estimated 33.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread: from $51,387 on the downside to $90,261 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $112,754 four years after completion, and Electrical Engineering graduates earn $110,754. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, posts a median of $75,142.

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus pairs a net price that runs below the peer median with debt that sits above it. For the lowest income band, that average is $6,743, against $22,475 for the highest.

The spread between the two ends is $15,732, and aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $20,500 in federal student loans.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,716 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,394
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$3,179
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$13,573

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 / University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus briefing

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus admits 74.7% of applicants, a rate that sits close to the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 14,931 first-year applicants and 11,151 admitted applicants.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
74.7%
25th percentile
980
Median
1101
75th percentile
1220

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus?[12]

The highest-earning programs at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus are concentrated in engineering and computing. Computer and Information Sciences leads at $112,754 four years after completion, with 98 degrees awarded.

Electrical Engineering follows at $110,754 from 50 degrees awarded. The largest program is Business Administration and Management, with 443 degrees awarded and median earnings of $75,142.

Azimuth ranks it #71 nationally within its field. Nursing is the second largest, at 243 degrees awarded and $84,950 in median earnings.

Several programs with more moderate earnings hold strong national ranks. Education is ranked #11 nationally by Azimuth, with median earnings of $50,728 and 56 degrees awarded.

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies follows at #21 nationally, with $55,361 in median earnings and 33 degrees awarded.

Business accounts for 16.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 12.1% and Social Sciences at 10.5%. Azimuth ranks 24 of the university's programs nationally.

Business Administration and Management is the largest single program, with 443 degrees awarded and median earnings of $75,142 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #71 nationally and #3 in Colorado.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where completers earn a median of $112,754 four years after completion, from 98 degrees awarded. The best nationally ranked program is Education, at #11 in its field, with 56 degrees awarded and median earnings of $50,728 four years after completion.

The program mix at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is led by Business, which accounts for 16.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Biological Sciences follows at 12.1%, with Social Sciences at 10.5%.

The university has 24 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 25 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, awarding 443 degrees a year.

Graduates earn a median of $75,142 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks the program #71 nationally and #3 in Colorado within its field. Nursing is the second-largest program at 243 degrees awarded, with median earnings of $84,950 and a state rank of #1 in Colorado.

The highest-ranked program is Education, which awards 56 degrees a year and graduates earn a median of $50,728. It also ranks #1 in Colorado.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn a median of $112,754 four years after completion from 98 degrees awarded. Electrical Engineering follows at $110,754 from 50 degrees.

Strength is spread across several fields: the top-ranked programs include Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies and Human Development and Family Studies, while the highest earners are concentrated in engineering alongside computer science. Across all fields, 23.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

The pattern is one of breadth: strong ranks appear in education, communication and the social sciences. The highest pay is in technical fields, and the largest programs sit between the two.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 443 degrees awarded
$75,142
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 243 degrees awarded
$84,950
Biology, General 224 degrees awarded
$58,231
Psychology, General 165 degrees awarded
$52,990
Economics 161 degrees awarded
$71,385
Communication and Media Studies 148 degrees awarded
$62,882

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 / University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus?[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 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus.

Admissions peerFort Lewis College77.3% admitted
Comparison with University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
MeasureUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusFort Lewis College
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,059$46,601-$27,458 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Average annual net price$11,900$17,296+$5,396 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · higher cost
Admission rate74.7%77.3%
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Colorado Colorado Springs97.4% admitted
Comparison with University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
MeasureUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusUniversity of Colorado Colorado Springs
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,059$62,980-$11,079 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Average annual net price$11,900$15,788+$3,888 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · higher cost
Admission rate74.7%97.4%
Explore University of Colorado Colorado Springs →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Colorado BoulderNearby option · CO
Comparison with University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
MeasureUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusUniversity of Colorado Boulder
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,059$76,850+$2,791 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Average annual net price$11,900$25,346+$13,446 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · higher cost
Admission rate74.7%78.1%
Explore University of Colorado Boulder →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
MeasureUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusSan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,059$89,614+$15,555 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Average annual net price$11,900$13,760+$1,860 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · higher cost
Admission rate74.7%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Bernard M Baruch College$3,033 average net price
Comparison with University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
MeasureUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusCUNY Bernard M Baruch College
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,059$82,748+$8,689 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Average annual net price$11,900$3,033-$8,867 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · lower cost
Admission rate74.7%47.5%
Explore CUNY Bernard M Baruch College →
Similar profileCalifornia State University-East BayMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
MeasureUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusCalifornia State University-East Bay
Peer earnings · 4 years$74,059$72,596-$1,463 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Average annual net price$11,900$9,320-$2,580 vs University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · lower cost
Admission rate74.7%97.4%
Explore California State University-East Bay →

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