by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the college options in the Rocky Mountains Region, it can be hard to know where to start. We have ranked **88** schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you make your decision, College Factual analyzed 88 colleges on more than 20 objective measures such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every student is looking for the same thing. Refine the list by location and field of study, or explore other rankings below. Start by picking a degree level:
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? We built a tool called College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Our analysis found Colorado School Of Mines to be the best college in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Golden, CO, Colorado School Of Mines is a public institution. Colorado School Of Mines graduates 82% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $21,914, while out-of-state students pay about $45,824. Colorado School Of Mines graduates report median early-career earnings of $76,298. Graduates carry a median of $24,521 in student loans.
Out of the 88 colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region in this year's ranking, University Of Denver landed the #2 spot. This private not-for-profit school is set in Denver, CO. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. In-state tuition and fees run about $61,398. University Of Denver graduates report median early-career earnings of $56,999. University Of Denver students take on a median of $22,534 in debt.
The strong outcomes at University Of Colorado Boulder earned it the #3 place in the Rocky Mountains Region. This public school is set in Boulder, CO. University Of Colorado Boulder posts a six-year graduation rate of 74%. Students from in state pay about $15,214 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $42,970. Graduates go on to earn a median of $55,861 early in their careers. University Of Colorado Boulder students take on a median of $20,373 in debt.
A rank of #4 makes University Of Utah one of the top colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region. This public school is set in Salt Lake City, UT. University Of Utah posts a six-year graduation rate of 65%. Students from in state pay about $9,620 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $30,860. Median early-career earnings reach $60,527. Graduates carry a median of $20,798 in student loans.
Colorado State University Fort Collins came in at #5 on this year's Best Colleges ranking in the Rocky Mountains Region. Colorado State University Fort Collins is a public school based in Fort Collins, CO. The six-year graduation rate is 66%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,373, while out-of-state students pay about $35,061. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $51,693. Graduates carry a median of $22,843 in student loans.
Brigham Young University Provo ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Provo, UT, Brigham Young University Provo is a private not-for-profit institution. About 81% of students finish within six years. Students from in state pay about $6,688 in tuition and fees. Early-career graduates earn a median of $54,507. Brigham Young University Provo students take on a median of $12,184 in debt.
Colorado College placed #7 among the best colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, Colorado College is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 88%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $70,734. Early-career graduates earn a median of $37,342. Graduates carry a median of $17,921 in student loans.
Neumont University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private for-profit school is set in Salt Lake City, UT. About 57% of students finish within six years. Students from in state pay about $27,360 in tuition and fees.
Western Governors University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Set in Salt Lake City, UT, Western Governors University is a private not-for-profit institution. About 46% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $8,658. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $74,771. Typical student debt is $23,277.
University Of Wyoming placed #10 among the best colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region. This public school is set in Laramie, WY. The six-year graduation rate is 59%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,768, compared with $24,178 for out-of-state students. Early-career graduates earn a median of $49,890. The median student debt is $20,283.
University Of Colorado Denver ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Denver, CO, University Of Colorado Denver is a public institution. About 46% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $10,383, compared with $29,391 for out-of-state students. Early-career graduates earn a median of $66,022. The median student debt is $26,582.
Regis University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Denver, CO, Regis University is a private not-for-profit institution. About 62% of students finish within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $28,140. Median early-career earnings reach $72,028. Students borrow a median of $31,773 to complete a degree here.
Westminster College Utah ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Set in Salt Lake City, UT, Westminster College Utah is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 64%. In-state tuition and fees run about $43,528. Early-career graduates earn a median of $55,433. The median student debt is $23,090.
Denver School Of Nursing came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This private for-profit school is set in Denver, CO. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $19,458. Denver School Of Nursing graduates report median early-career earnings of $80,304. Denver School Of Nursing students take on a median of $32,832 in debt.
Weber State University placed #15 among the best colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Ogden, UT, Weber State University is a public institution. Roughly 47% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,557, with out-of-state students paying around $17,545. Graduates go on to earn a median of $53,920 early in their careers. Weber State University students take on a median of $19,176 in debt.
Utah State University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Set in Logan, UT, Utah State University is a public institution. Roughly 57% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,560, while out-of-state students pay about $24,993. Graduates go on to earn a median of $50,348 early in their careers. The median student debt is $16,191.
Boise State University landed the #17 spot in the Rocky Mountains Region this year. Based in Boise, ID, Boise State University is a public institution. Roughly 59% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,048, with out-of-state students paying around $27,788. Graduates go on to earn a median of $49,059 early in their careers. The median student debt is $24,311.
Carroll College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Carroll College is a private not-for-profit school based in Helena, MT. The six-year graduation rate is 69%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $41,484. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $40,797. Typical student debt is $24,912.
Rocky Vista University placed #19 among the best colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Parker, CO, Rocky Vista University is a private for-profit institution. Rocky Vista University graduates report median early-career earnings of $63,332.
Montana State University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Bozeman, MT, Montana State University is a public institution. Roughly 57% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $8,460, compared with $33,287 for out-of-state students. Median early-career earnings reach $47,703. Typical student debt is $23,635.
University Of Northern Colorado ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Greeley, CO, University Of Northern Colorado is a public institution. University Of Northern Colorado posts a six-year graduation rate of 51%. In-state tuition and fees run about $11,901, compared with $26,979 for out-of-state students. Early-career graduates earn a median of $45,705. Graduates carry a median of $23,974 in student loans.
Utah Valley University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Orem, UT, Utah Valley University is a public institution. Utah Valley University graduates 40% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $6,507, with out-of-state students paying around $18,489. Early-career graduates earn a median of $51,242. Students borrow a median of $16,478 to complete a degree here.
Colorado State University Global Campus ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Set in Denver, CO, Colorado State University Global Campus is a public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,000 in tuition and fees. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $68,936. Typical student debt is $31,361.
Nightingale College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Set in Salt Lake City, UT, Nightingale College is a private for-profit institution. Nightingale College graduates 26% of students within six years. Nightingale College graduates report median early-career earnings of $73,271. Graduates carry a median of $27,875 in student loans.
Salt Lake Community College landed the #25 spot in the Rocky Mountains Region this year. Set in Salt Lake City, UT, Salt Lake Community College is a public institution. In-state tuition and fees run about $4,426, with out-of-state students paying around $14,244. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $42,031. Graduates carry a median of $10,855 in student loans.
Not far behind, these colleges also landed in the top of this year’s ranking:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
These rankings are produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Colleges are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
