Best colleges for criminal justice in Colorado
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus ranks first in Colorado for criminal justice value (#16 nationally, value score 77.8): graduates earn $61,192 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $10,217 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 6 Colorado colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best criminal justice colleges in Colorado
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus ranks first in Colorado for criminal justice value (#16 nationally, value score 77.8): graduates earn $61,192 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $10,217 a year. 6 Colorado colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $55,923 and the average net price is $14,881 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 6 Colorado colleges qualify. At the median one, criminal justice graduates earn $55,923 and the average net price is $14,881 a year.
- Median earnings
- $55,923
- National: $55,481
- Median net price
- $14,881
- National: $16,222
- Median federal debt
- $18,341
- criminal justice graduates
- Public colleges
- 5 of 6
- in this list
6 colleges
The Colorado ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Rank in Colorado 1
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO · Public · #16 nationally
77.8Value- Earnings
- $61,192
- Net price
- $10,217
- Federal debt
- $16,500
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Earnings
- $58,708
- Net price
- $14,808
- Federal debt
- $19,000
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Rank in Colorado 3
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO · Public · #157 nationally
55.1Value- Earnings
- $56,564
- Net price
- $13,803
- Federal debt
- $18,214
- Graduation rate
- 31%
- Rank in Colorado 4
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO · Public · #207 nationally
49.1Value- Earnings
- $53,198
- Net price
- $14,954
- Federal debt
- $17,239
- Graduation rate
- 46%
- Earnings
- $55,282
- Net price
- $18,711
- Federal debt
- $18,468
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Rank in Colorado 6
Lakewood, CO · Private nonprofit · #364 nationally
19.0Value- Earnings
- $44,849
- Net price
- $28,605
- Federal debt
- $24,786
- Graduation rate
- 69%
Method: the same value score as the national criminal justice ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about criminal justice colleges in Colorado
What are the best colleges for criminal justice in Colorado?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Colorado colleges for criminal justice are University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus (value score 77.8), Colorado Mesa University (value score 61.8) and Metropolitan State University of Denver (value score 55.1). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Colorado college has the highest earnings for criminal justice graduates?
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus: its criminal justice graduates have median earnings of $61,192 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable criminal justice college in Colorado on this list?
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus has the lowest average net price of the ranked Colorado colleges, $10,217 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Colorado colleges are ranked for criminal justice?
6 Colorado colleges have a criminal justice bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Colorado.