Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 9/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Colorado Technical University's Colorado Springs campus is a large for-profit institution with 28,086 enrolled students - the bulk of which are online learners attached to this physical site. The overall ROI score of 9 places it deep in the Below Benchmark tier. The defining number is the 18.8% six-year completion rate: fewer than one in five students who start finish a credential, which structurally undermines every other outcome. Average earnings six years after entry are $34,100, rising to a median of just $37,180 at the ten-year mark - an unusually flat trajectory that suggests the credential does not unlock a meaningful career escalator. Net price of $16,745 actually exceeds the $12,750 in-state tuition figure, which can occur at for-profits when fees, books, and required materials inflate the all-in cost; four-year out-of-pocket runs roughly $66,980. The payback period is 94.9 years - in plain English, typical earnings barely cover the cost over a working lifetime. The 41.5% three-year repayment rate confirms that a substantial share of borrowers are not paying down principal. Pell rate at 61.6% means the federal-aid system is heavily underwriting outcomes that are not delivering value.
How Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score9/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate18.8% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $12,750/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $12,750/yr |
| Average net price | $16,745/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $66,980 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $37,180 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $29,832 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $316 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 18.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 28,086 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $12,750/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $16,745/year, or roughly $66,980 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $16,474/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $22,394/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $29,832, which works out to about $316 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,100) and comes to 0.88, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $16,474 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,990 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $18,404 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,215 |
| $110,001+ | $22,394 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $16,474 net - only a few hundred dollars below the headline net price, indicating institutional aid is essentially flat across income bands. For Pell-eligible students this is essentially the full federal Pell maximum plus subsidized loans plus often unsubsidized loans. Combined with the 18.8% completion rate, the expected-value math is deeply unfavorable.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$30,001-48,000 pays $16,990, $48,001-75,000 pays $18,404. The bracket curve is mild and net price barely flexes with income - another for-profit signature.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
$75,001-110,000 pays $22,215 and $110,001-plus pays $22,394 - essentially flat at the top of the curve. Families paying near full freight at CTU are subsidizing for-profit operating margins for a credential with a 94.9-year payback. There is no plausible scenario in which this is the right financial choice for a high-income full-pay family.
Earnings by Major
Top 9 most popular majors at Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $65,877 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $46,981 | F |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $48,816 | F |
| Computer Science | $85,337 | C |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $78,606 | D |
| Registered Nursing | $95,519 | B+ |
| Accounting | $57,068 | F |
| Business Administration and Management | $41,964 | F |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration | $84,277 | C |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is the genuine outlier in CTU's portfolio: $87,579 first-year earnings, $95,519 by year four, $30,319 in median debt for a 0.346 ratio and a B+ grade. With 195 graduates, this is the one program where the math indisputably works. Verify CTU pass rates before committing.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is by far the largest program (1,463 graduates - the dominant volume at this campus). $53,147 first-year earnings rise to $65,877 by year four; $41,758 in debt yields a 0.786 ratio (D grade). The earnings curve is real, but the debt load is heavy.
Computer Science
Computer Science produces 214 graduates with $67,531 first-year earnings and $85,337 by year four - among the strongest earnings curves in the portfolio. But $44,014 in debt drives a 0.652 ratio (C grade). For working adults pivoting careers who genuinely need online flexibility, the math is more defensible than at most CTU programs.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 446 students - a high-volume program - but posts $50,705 in median debt against $38,817 first-year earnings, producing a 1.306 ratio and an F grade. Four-year earnings are $46,981.
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Healthcare admin produces 228 graduates at $42,511 first-year and $48,816 four-year, with $48,425 in debt - a 1.139 ratio and an F grade. Students considering this major should look at AAS pathways in Colorado community colleges first.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 32.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 41.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 32.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 39.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 28,086 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 61.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,570 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. SAT and ACT scores are also unreported. Functionally, CTU operates an open-admission model - the gating constraint is not selectivity but persistence and completion, which the 18.8% completion rate quantifies bluntly.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
CTU's completion rate is 18.8%.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs (this school) | 9 | $16,745 | $37,180 |
| Baker College | 9 | $13,157 | $35,833 |
| Strayer University-Georgia | 9 | $18,318 | $40,092 |
| Strayer University-South Carolina | 9 | $17,979 | $40,092 |
| South University-Columbia | 8 | $27,693 | $34,421 |
| South University-Tampa | 8 | $20,434 | $34,421 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
CTU enrolls 28,086 students, mostly working adults pursuing online credentials. The 61.6% Pell rate confirms a heavily lower-income, federal-aid-dependent population. The school fits students who need a flexible online format. Active-duty military and veterans using GI Bill benefits sometimes use CTU because of TA-friendly billing, but the underlying outcomes data should give pause.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs scores 9/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $16,745 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $37,180 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 18.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 41.5% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $29,832 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs: Common Questions
Is Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs scores 9/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $16,745 a year after aid against $37,180 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $16,745 a year, or roughly $66,980 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $37,180 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $29,832, against average earnings of $34,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs?
The six-year graduation rate is 18.8%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.