Adams State University
Public College in Alamosa, CO. Six-year graduation rate 40%. Median 10-year earnings $44,372.
Students who entered Adams State University land at a median of $44,372 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. The six-year graduation rate is 40% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Graduates carry a median of $19,500 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 40% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Just 51% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. 37% of students transfer out, which reframes what the graduation rate above is measuring. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 8% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. A 14:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,248 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $13,340 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $9,947 at the $0–30k band to $20,274 at $110k+. About 81% get grants averaging $11,501, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 42% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 317 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,947 |
| $30–48k | $10,392 |
| $48–75k | $11,921 |
| $75–110k | $15,787 |
| $110k+ | $20,274 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 525 of these 1,248 students, totalling $3,343,134 — an average of $6,368 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Alamosa County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)