College Viability Inspection Report

Colorado College

Colorado · Private, not-for-profit

Colorado College is a private, nonprofit institution in Colorado, enrolling 2,390 students as of 2024. It graduates 83% of students in four years, returns 94% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $36,123 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 1 is flagged: Price vs. Outcomes. This report benchmarks Colorado College's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Colorado College Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Colorado College — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Colorado College. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate83.0%-1.2%96th
Six-Year Graduation Rate86.0%-3.4%93rd
Full-Time Retention Rate94.0%+9.3%91st
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate89.2%-2.1%95th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap-1.8pp+51.1%13th
Pell Share of Cohort12.0%-3.4%6th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.62×+26.0%96th
Total FTE Enrollment2,390+1.1%62nd
Endowment Value$989.8M+28.8%92nd
Net Assets (End of Year)$1.20B+23.9%92nd

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %42.7%+4.5%82nd
Student Support Spending %17.2%-5.0%68th
Administrative Spending %16.2%-1.4%41st
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio3.70×+3.0%72nd
Average Net Price$36,123+32.2%93rd
Net Price: $0-30K Income$9,217+4.2%24th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$15,477+79.9%56th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$12,568-13.9%28th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$24,129-10.1%69th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$44,141+3.9%91st

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Colorado College's retention rate stayed at or above 86% in all 5 reported years — above the 80% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Colorado College's 4-year graduation rate stayed at or above 80% in all 5 reported years — above the 50% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Colorado College's Pell graduation gap stayed at or below 10 percentage points in all 4 eligible years.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Colorado College's ratio fell below 1.0 in 1 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Colorado College's total enrollment grew from 2,363 to 2,390 students between 2020 and 2024 (+1.1%).
Financial HealthCleared
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Colorado College's endowment is $989.8M and grew +28.8% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
Colorado College costs more than the national median but also graduates students at above-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Colorado College's ratio fell below the national median of $2.75 in 1 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Both conditions were met: Colorado College's net price rose while the 6-year graduation rate declined between 2020 and 2024 — a prompt to ask whether tuition increases are translating into stronger student outcomes.
Value for MoneyTriggered