by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. You may be surprised that some normally high-priced schools offer very generous financial aid packages to those who qualify.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 88 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named University of Wyoming the best value (income $0-$30k) school in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in Laramie, Wyoming, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is University of Wyoming a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Wyoming for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $3,597.
Out of the 88 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #2 spot on the list. BYU - I is located in Rexburg, Idaho and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Brigham Young University - Idaho has the honor of being ranked #3 in Idaho for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,447.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list means Brigham Young University - Provo is a great place for students working on their degree. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Brigham Young University - Provo is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Utah. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $9,319.
The quality degree programs at Utah Valley University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region. Utah Valley University is a large public school located in Orem, Utah.
Not only is Utah Valley University a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Utah for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $7,403.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list means Colorado Mountain College is a great place for students working on their degree. This medium-sized public school is located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Colorado Mountain College is ranked #19 for quality in the state of Colorado. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,657.
Salt Lake Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #6. This large public school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Salt Lake Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Utah for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $5,635.
University of Utah came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Not only is University of Utah a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Utah for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,750.
Western Governors University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Western Governors University has the honor of being ranked #3 in Utah for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,714.
Colorado College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Colorado College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Colorado. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $10,023.
Community College of Aurora came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. CCA is located in Aurora, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Community College of Aurora a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Colorado for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,051.
Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Colorado State is a large public school situated in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Not only is Colorado State University - Fort Collins a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Colorado for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,713.
Utah State University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Utah State University is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Utah. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $8,962.
North Idaho College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. NIC is a small public school situated in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Not only is North Idaho College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Idaho for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,783.
Laramie County Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the school is a small public institution.
Laramie County Community College has the honor of being ranked #4 in Wyoming for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,098.
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is a large public school located in Denver, Colorado.
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus has the honor of being ranked #8 in Colorado for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,376.
Read full value report on University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Weber State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. WSU is a large public school situated in Ogden, Utah.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Weber State University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Utah. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,214.
Western Wyoming Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. WWCC is located in Rock Springs, Wyoming and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Western Wyoming Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Wyoming for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,843.
Front Range Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large public school is located in Westminster, Colorado.
Front Range Community College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Colorado for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $8,279.
University of Colorado Boulder landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in Boulder, Colorado, the school is a large public institution.
University of Colorado Boulder has the honor of being ranked #2 in Colorado for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,807.
With a ranking of #20, Colorado State University - Global Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Aurora, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Colorado State University - Global Campus has the honor of being ranked #6 in Colorado for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,445.
University of Idaho landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in Moscow, Idaho, the school is a fairly large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Idaho is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Idaho. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,185.
With a ranking of #22, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Escoffier - Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private for-profit school.
The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $10,333.
Read full value report on Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder
Morgan Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region list. This small public school is located in Fort Morgan, Colorado.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Morgan Community College is ranked #21 for quality in the state of Colorado. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,947.
College of Southern Idaho came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Twin Falls, Idaho is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
College of Southern Idaho has the honor of being ranked #10 in Idaho for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $5,225.
Pikes Peak Community College landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. PPCC is a fairly large public school situated in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Pikes Peak Community College has the honor of being ranked #17 in Colorado for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $8,166.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.