Colorado ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Largest Universities in Colorado

The 50 largest of the 76 Colorado colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

38,799
Largest in Colorado
76
Institutions reporting
1,060
Median Colorado institution
#18
of 51 states by enrolment

University of Colorado Boulder is the largest institution in Colorado with 38,799 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, University of Colorado Boulder leads Colorado at 38,799 students, and the five largest hold 41% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 76 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in Colorado
38,799
Institutions reporting
76
State students in top 5
41%
Median Colorado institution
1,060

Colorado in one line

University of Colorado Boulder is the largest institution in Colorado with 38,799 students, about 37x the 1,060 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold 41% of the state's students, a middling concentration: large institutions matter here without crowding out the rest.

38,799
students at University of Colorado Boulder
41%
of state students, in the top 5
365,522
students enrolled across Colorado
297
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 99.2% of Colorado's students; the other 26 reporting institutions hold the remaining 0.8%. Among the 29 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 16 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 1 also appear in the national safest-50.

99.2%
of state students, in these 50
16
below 1.58 national median /1k
1
also in national safest-50
6.47
University of Colorado Boulder rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 76 Colorado institutions by enrollment (362,559 of 365,522 students, 99.2%). The remaining 26 reporting institutions enroll 0.8% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about Colorado

Colorado ranks 18th by total enrolment among the states and DC, roughly mid-table nationally. The 76 institutions reporting enrolment here split 30 public to 46 private, so neither sector defines the top of this list on its own.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make Colorado's top-50 list is 297 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 76 Colorado institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make Colorado's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 76 Colorado institutions · 2024

297 Top 66% higher than 34% of 76 Colorado institutions

Show national distribution 0–4,000: 52 Colorado institutions (68%). This entry sits in this band. 4,000–8,000: 6 Colorado institutions (8%). Above this entry. 8,000–12,000: 9 Colorado institutions (12%). Above this entry. 12,000–16,000: 3 Colorado institutions (4%). Above this entry. 16,000–20,000: 1 Colorado institutions (1%). Above this entry. 20,000–24,000: 2 Colorado institutions (3%). Above this entry. 24,000–28,000: 0 Colorado institutions (0%). Above this entry. 28,000–32,000: 1 Colorado institutions (1%). Above this entry. 32,000–36,000: 1 Colorado institutions (1%). Above this entry. 36,000–40,000: 1 Colorado institutions (1%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 40,000 every Colorado institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more Colorado institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of Colorado's 76 institutions

24
Regis University Denver, CO · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
4,605
Incidents /1k
7.60
29
Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,056
Incidents /1k
9.24
36
Naropa University Boulder, CO · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
1,094
Incidents /1k
3.66
39
Otero College La Junta, CO · Public
Enrollment
959
Incidents /1k
1.04
40
Denver Seminary Littleton, CO · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
847
Incidents /1k
0.00
50
IBMC College Fort Collins, CO · Private for-profit
Enrollment
297
Incidents /1k
6.73
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO · Public 38,799 100% of the leader · rank #1 6.47
2 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO · Public 34,096 88% of the leader · rank #2 3.23
3 Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO · Private for-profit 31,830 82% of the leader · rank #3 0.00
4 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO · Public 23,124 60% of the leader · rank #4 7.14
5 Front Range Community College Westminster, CO · Public 21,970 57% of the leader · rank #5 0.32
6 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO · Public 18,453 48% of the leader · rank #6 5.26
7 Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO · Public 15,012 39% of the leader · rank #7 0.20
8 University of Denver Denver, CO · Private nonprofit 12,813 33% of the leader · rank #8 7.26
9 Pikes Peak State College Colorado Springs, CO · Public 12,556 32% of the leader · rank #9 0.72
10 University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO · Public 11,354 29% of the leader · rank #10 4.93
11 Colorado Christian University Lakewood, CO · Private nonprofit 9,951 26% of the leader · rank #11 0.60
12 Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO · Public 9,785 25% of the leader · rank #12 0.72
13 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO · Public 8,869 23% of the leader · rank #13 8.23
14 Community College of Aurora Aurora, CO · Public 8,833 23% of the leader · rank #14 0.34
15 Aims Community College Greeley, CO · Public 8,542 22% of the leader · rank #15 0.12
16 Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder Boulder, CO · Private for-profit 8,504 22% of the leader · rank #16 0.00
17 Red Rocks Community College Lakewood, CO · Public 8,419 22% of the leader · rank #17 0.00
18 Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO · Public 8,044 21% of the leader · rank #18 1.99
19 Community College of Denver Denver, CO · Public 7,965 21% of the leader · rank #19 1.00
20 Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO · Public 7,284 19% of the leader · rank #20 0.14
21 Colorado State University Pueblo Pueblo, CO · Public 6,851 18% of the leader · rank #21 1.46
22 Emily Griffith Technical College Denver, CO · Public 6,123 16% of the leader · rank #22 0.00
23 Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO · Public 5,494 14% of the leader · rank #23 1.09
24 Regis University Denver, CO · Private nonprofit 4,605 12% of the leader · rank #24 7.60
25 Western Colorado University Gunnison, CO · Public 3,568 9% of the leader · rank #25 2.52
26 Fort Lewis College Durango, CO · Public 3,544 9% of the leader · rank #26 4.80
27 Adams State University Alamosa, CO · Public 2,901 7% of the leader · rank #27 8.96
28 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Lakewood, CO · Private for-profit 2,061 5% of the leader · rank #28 0.00
29 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO · Private nonprofit 2,056 5% of the leader · rank #29 9.24
30 Rocky Vista University Parker, CO · Private for-profit 1,903 5% of the leader · rank #30 1.05
31 Northeastern Junior College Sterling, CO · Public 1,684 4% of the leader · rank #31 1.78
32 Morgan Community College Fort Morgan, CO · Public 1,626 4% of the leader · rank #32 0.00
33 Trinidad State College Trinidad, CO · Public 1,613 4% of the leader · rank #33 7.44
34 Colorado Northwestern Community College Rangely, CO · Public 1,271 4% of the leader · rank #34 0.00
35 Lincoln College of Technology-Denver Denver, CO · Private for-profit 1,212 4% of the leader · rank #35 4.13
36 Naropa University Boulder, CO · Private nonprofit 1,094 4% of the leader · rank #36 3.66
37 Intellitec College-Grand Junction Grand Junction, CO · Private for-profit 1,077 4% of the leader · rank #37 1.86
38 Pickens Technical College Aurora, CO · Public 1,060 4% of the leader · rank #38 0.94
39 Otero College La Junta, CO · Public 959 4% of the leader · rank #39 1.04
40 Denver Seminary Littleton, CO · Private nonprofit 847 4% of the leader · rank #40 0.00
41 Denver College of Nursing Denver, CO · Private for-profit 811 4% of the leader · rank #41 0.00
42 Lamar Community College Lamar, CO · Public 690 4% of the leader · rank #42 5.80
43 Intellitec College-Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO · Private for-profit 679 4% of the leader · rank #43 2.95
44 Pima Medical Institute-Denver Denver, CO · Private for-profit 664 4% of the leader · rank #44 0.00
45 Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology Broomfield, CO · Private for-profit 397 4% of the leader · rank #45 0.00
46 Arizona College of Nursing-Aurora Aurora, CO · Private for-profit 336 4% of the leader · rank #46 0.00
47 Taft University System Denver, CO · Private for-profit 324 4% of the leader · rank #47 0.00
48 Pima Medical Institute-Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO · Private for-profit 305 4% of the leader · rank #48 0.00
49 Technical College of the Rockies Delta, CO · Public 304 4% of the leader · rank #49 0.00
50 IBMC College Fort Collins, CO · Private for-profit 297 4% of the leader · rank #50 6.73

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for Colorado, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.