Metropolitan State University of Denver

Overview

Rankings

• #3 Best Business Colleges in Colorado
• #3 Best Psychology Colleges in Colorado
• #4 Best Online Colleges in Colorado
• #4 Best Nursing Colleges in Colorado
• #5 Best Computer Science Colleges in Colorado
• #5 Best Biology Colleges in Colorado
• #5 Best Data Science Colleges in Colorado
• #6 Best Colleges in Colorado

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Metropolitan State University of Denver? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Denver, Colorado, Metropolitan State University of Denver admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 99%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,019. The graduation rate is roughly 31%.

Acceptance Rate

99%

Retention Rate

63%

SAT Average

1019

ACT Midpoint

21

SAT Range

880–1130

ACT Range

17–26

Full-Time Faculty

100%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$10,105

Student–Faculty Ratio

16:1

Diversity Index

0.68

First-Gen Students

40%

Applicants

10,163

Admitted

9,951

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Metropolitan State University of Denver? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Metropolitan State University of Denver is $30,684, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $15,327. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $12,481 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $21,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$11,124

Out-of-State

$30,684

Avg Net Price

$15,327

Median Debt

$21,500

Pell Grant Rate

36%

Federal Loan Rate

28%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Metropolitan State University of Denver — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Metropolitan State University of Denver Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Metropolitan State University of Denver earn a median of $52,093, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$45,391

8 Years

$48,919

10 Years

$52,093

Debt-to-Earnings

0.41x

Earning > $25K

64%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Metropolitan State University of Denver Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Metropolitan State University of Denver is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.99%, in line with strong performers nationally. About 6.9% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 14.4% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $87,500, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

0.99%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

14.4%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

6.9%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$118,882

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Metropolitan State University of Denver? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Its economic connectedness score is 1.60, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.60

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.01

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

5.3%

Support Ratio

0.89

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Metropolitan State University of Denver produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 7 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

0.10%

Top 97% nationally

Patents Produced

7

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

19

Downstream influence

Inventors From Low-Income

0.13%

Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Top Programs

The fields Metropolitan State University of Denver awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 18% $67,032 early-career
• Psychology 9% $39,352 early-career
• Health Professions 7% $74,763 early-career
• Humanities 6% $50,232 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 6% $86,488 early-career
• Criminal Justice 5% $47,966 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 5% $41,296 early-career
• Transportation 4% $50,714 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.