Community College
of Denver
Public Community College in Denver, CO. Six-year graduation rate 20%. Median 10-year earnings $39,095.
Ten-year median earnings of $39,095 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 20% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Graduates leave owing a median of $12,495 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.32 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 20% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 20% graduate within six years. The student-faculty ratio is 22:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. With 7,715 undergraduates, the school sits in the middle of the size distribution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,156 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $9,991 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $8,356 at $0–30k against $16,275 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 57% get grants averaging $9,004, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 26% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 475 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 | $8,356 |
| $30–48k | $9,533 |
| $48–75k | $10,662 |
| $75–110k | $13,041 |
| $110k+ | $16,275 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,342 of these 5,156 students, totalling $6,514,607 — an average of $4,854 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Denver 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)