---
title: Colorado Mesa University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Grand Junction, CO
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, CO · Public · Certificate-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $45,823 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $26,727 – $67,577 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $11,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 41% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $24,046 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 65% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.24× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $17,823 | derived |

**41% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $11,000 (≈ 24% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $24,214 to $59,879 across 26 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,879 | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,101 | $22,250 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Associate's Degree | $57,281 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,974 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,946 | $22,080 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,709 | $5,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,215 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $42,913 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $41,598 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,470 | $24,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,343 | not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,157 | $21,302 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,940 | $20,000 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,846 | $25,000 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,455 | $25,000 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $31,882 | $20,170 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,410 | $23,093 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,442 | not reported |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,904 | not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,620 | $19,846 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,325 | $21,061 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,489 | $24,500 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,695 | $25,000 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services. | Associate's Degree | $25,656 | not reported |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,357 | not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,214 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Colorado Mesa University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?127556

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/colorado-mesa-university-co.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`