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

# Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO · Public · Bachelor-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 | $52,093 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $30,445 – $75,678 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,005 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 32% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $24,622 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 69% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.24× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $24,093 | derived |

**32% 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 $12,500 (≈ 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 $18,734 to $68,483 across 50 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,483 | $19,500 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,686 | $22,195 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,003 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $60,241 | $30,750 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,154 | $28,247 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,535 | $27,307 |
| Management Information Systems and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,437 | $23,075 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,409 | $22,087 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,504 | $20,437 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,567 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,469 | $21,975 |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $43,767 | $38,640 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $43,481 | $28,000 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,189 | $24,270 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,678 | $18,630 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,372 | $18,399 |
| Air Transportation. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,969 | $23,556 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,954 | $20,500 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,282 | $16,989 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,189 | $20,000 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,609 | $16,858 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,565 | $22,449 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,606 | $19,406 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,549 | $21,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,230 | $17,813 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,116 | $23,528 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,024 | not reported |
| Human Services, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,960 | $21,084 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,833 | not reported |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,119 | $28,500 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,904 | $26,270 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,499 | $21,889 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,408 | $18,625 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,317 | $24,854 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,748 | $23,096 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,646 | $21,917 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,512 | $23,805 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,388 | $20,511 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,350 | $22,285 |
| Behavioral Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,393 | not reported |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,791 | $24,867 |
| Nutrition Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,738 | $19,800 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,124 | $20,356 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,765 | $20,638 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,208 | $25,600 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,976 | $15,876 |
| Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,289 | $20,698 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,269 | not reported |
| Anthropology. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,161 | $25,783 |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $18,734 | $24,948 |

## 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 Metropolitan State University of Denver by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?127565

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