Metropolitan State University of Denver

Public · Moderately Selective · CO

Photo: Bassproman (Wikipedia uploader) (CC BY-SA 2.5)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationCO · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads15,002

Student:faculty14:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate12.3%

6-yr grad rate31.5%

Drop-out rate37.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$31k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity58.2%

Gender diversity54.8%

International0.7%

Identity—

Overview

MSU Denver is an access-oriented public university sharing the Auraria campus in downtown Denver with two other institutions, the Community College of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver, giving students a shared library, transit access, and a genuinely urban setting a few blocks from the state capitol. It exists to serve students other universities often overlook: transfers, working adults, veterans, and first-generation students building careers close to home, and it has built a reputation for taking that mission seriously rather than treating it as a marketing line.

Academics

Programs lean practical and career-facing, with recognized strengths in aviation and aerospace science, one of the region's few bachelor's-level flight and aviation-management programs, along with nursing, criminal justice, and business, plus hospitality, human services, and construction-management fields tied directly to Denver's economy. Many majors are built with adult learners and transfer credit in mind, including an Individualized Degree Program for students whose goals don't fit a standard major, and class sizes favor direct faculty contact over large lecture formats.

Campus & student life

Most students commute, and the Auraria campus functions more as a shared academic hub than a traditional self-contained quad, so campus culture is less about dorm life and traditions and more about clubs, commuter services, and proximity to downtown Denver's internships and employers. Roadrunner athletics compete at the Division II level, and the campus's location puts students within walking distance of Coors Field and the broader downtown district, giving even a commuter-heavy student body a lively backdrop.

Getting in

Admissions is access-focused rather than highly selective, with an emphasis on giving Colorado residents, transfers, and nontraditional students a genuine path to a four-year degree rather than screening for a narrow applicant profile. Straightforward admission cycles and generous transfer-articulation agreements with Colorado community colleges make it a common next step for students who started elsewhere.

After graduation

Many graduates stay in the Denver metro area, moving into aviation, healthcare, criminal justice, and business roles with regional employers, and the aviation and nursing programs in particular feed directly into well-known Colorado employers in those fields. As a school built around returning and working students, its alumni network skews toward local, career-practical connections rather than a national name-brand pipeline into elite graduate programs.

Worth knowing

The shared Auraria campus means students cross paths with two other institutions' students and can sometimes cross-register for courses, and the school's identity is built around social mobility and serving nontraditional students rather than a conventional residential experience. The average student here is often older or juggling work and family alongside classes, which shapes everything from course scheduling to campus support services.

msudenver.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate98.8%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 880–1130 · ACT 17–26

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying