Colorado School of Trades
Lakewood, CO 80215-2996
About Colorado School of Trades
Colorado School of Trades is a private for-profit two-year college in Lakewood, Colorado, enrolling about 85 students. The college offers associate degrees, career certificates, and transfer pathways to four-year universities. The published completion rate is about 80.85% at 150% of normal time. Student demographics in federal data include White (74.1%) and Hispanic or Latino (11.8%) among the largest enrollment groups.
Key findings
- Median earnings 10 years after entry are $51,591.
Research findings
Finding
Modeled return on investment at Colorado School of Trades is strong.
Estimated ROI reaches about 394% using Scorecard cost and 10-year earnings fields in this extract.
Interpretation: On this institution-wide model, typical graduate earnings over a decade substantially exceed estimated net education cost.
Limitation: ROI is institution-wide and not program-specific; individual outcomes vary by major, aid package, and labor market.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado School of Trades | — | $26,083 | 1 |
| Private For-profit (national median) | $16,637 | — | 477 |
| Colorado (state median) | $9,958 | $12,045 | 43 |
| Rural (locale median) | $14,160 | $18,700 | 1,649 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Colorado School of Trades really?
Evidence: average net price at Colorado School of Trades versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Colorado School of Trades is $26,083.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $26,083 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $14,038 above the Colorado median net price. Versus rural campuses, net price runs $7,383 above the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Colorado School of Trades: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Colorado School of Trades—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.
Financial profile
Avg. net price
$26,083
Net price by family income
| Income bracket | Avg. annual net price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $26,083 |
Student outcomes
Share of first-year students returning the following fall.
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Colorado School of Trades is known for
Top program completions
- Gunsmithing/Gunsmith71
See earnings & programs for more.
Admissions landscape
- Broad access — most applicants are admitted.
- Yield: 70% of admitted students enrolled.
See Admissions for the full funnel.
Is Colorado School of Trades a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Colorado School of Trades is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Colorado School of Trades.
Campus
Location
Lakewood, CO
City / state
- ZIP
- 80215-2996
- NCES locale
- Rural fringe
Compared with Rural campuses nationally, net price is 39% above the median for Rural campuses ($18,700 median).
Control
Institution type
Private For-profit
Control
- Region
- Rocky Mountains
- Carnegie
- Special Focus Two-Year: Technical Professions
Size
Enrollment
85
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 122
- Full-time share
- 100%
Student aid
Debt & aid
$20,000
Median federal loan debt
- Pell grant share
- 27.78%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Colorado School of Trades.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Colorado School of Trades was 0.00%.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Colorado School of Trades in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | — | — | $14,802 |
| 2014 | — | — | $16,410 |
| 2015 | — | — | $16,975 |
| 2016 | — | — | $17,477 |
| 2017 | — | — | $17,757 |
| 2018 | — | — | $16,909 |
| 2019 | — | — | $17,647 |
| 2020 | — | — | $18,117 |
| 2021 | — | — | $23,142 |
| 2022 | — | — | $22,519 |
| 2023 | — | — | $22,635 |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
This institution has a moderate acceptance rate, accepting most qualified applicants.
Applicants → admits → first-time enrollment from College Scorecard / IPEDS. Bar widths are scaled for readability at highly selective schools.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Colorado School of Trades reported total enrollment of about 85 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 92% male and 8% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (74.1%), Hispanic or Latino (11.8%), and Race/ethnicity unknown (7.1%). About 27.78% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 31.6% of students are first-generation college students.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
100.0% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Colorado School of Trades in 2024 is 85 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 122 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
92.9%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
80.85% 100% Completion Time
80.85% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 80.85% of students graduating from Colorado School of Trades completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Gunsmithing/Gunsmith: 97% male / 3% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
Colorado School of Trades graduates earn a median of $51,591 ten years after entry
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Colorado School of Trades.
Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $51,591. Median federal loan debt: $20,000. Average net price used in cost models: $26,083.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Key takeaway Colorado School of Trades graduates report median earnings of $51,591 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Colorado School of Trades.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 1 programs by IPEDS completions (2 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Colorado School of Trades.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Colorado School of Trades graduates.
Institutional resources
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Colorado School of Trades—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Instructional Resources
- Average faculty salary (monthly): $4,065
- Colorado median 0.56× the median ($7,318)
- Rocky Mountains median 0.55× the median ($7,458)
- U.S. median 0.53× the median ($7,615)
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $6,172
- Colorado median 0.92× the median ($6,731)
- Rocky Mountains median 0.90× the median ($6,852)
- U.S. median 0.85× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.
Colorado School of Trades at a glance
Colorado School of Trades
Colorado School of Trades is a private for-profit institution in Lakewood, CO, classified as Special Focus Two-Year: Technical Professions.
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Gunsmithing/Gunsmith
- Largest enrollment groups
- White or Caucasian74.1%Hispanic or Latino11.8%Race/ethnicity unknown7.1%
Schools near Colorado School of Trades
Other campuses in Lakewood, CO when available, plus nearby institutions in Colorado.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade B) within Colorado, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Colorado School of Trades located?
Colorado School of Trades is located in Lakewood, CO.
What is Colorado School of Trades's acceptance rate?
The acceptance rate at Colorado School of Trades is 90.9% among first-time degree-seeking students reporting admissions data. IPEDS reports 26 applicants and 20 admits in the latest admissions cycle in our extract.
How much does Colorado School of Trades cost?
Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $26,083 in the latest College Scorecard data.
What explains Colorado School of Trades's return on investment in EDsmart Data?
EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($26,083), completion (80.8% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($51,591). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.
What is the student body demographics at Colorado School of Trades?
Colorado School of Trades reports undergraduate enrollment of about 122 students, White (74.1%), Hispanic or Latino (11.8%) in federal College Scorecard data.
How many first-generation students attend Colorado School of Trades?
About 31.6% of students at Colorado School of Trades are first-generation college students.
What do graduates of Colorado School of Trades earn?
Median earnings are $44,718 six years after entry and $51,591 ten years after entry.
What is the graduation rate at Colorado School of Trades?
The 150%-time completion rate is 80.8% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
How much debt do Colorado School of Trades students have?
Median federal loan debt among completers is $20,000.
Is Colorado School of Trades public or private?
Colorado School of Trades is a private for-profit institution located in Lakewood, CO.
Is Colorado School of Trades an HBCU?
No. Colorado School of Trades is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Colorado School of Trades a tribal college?
No. Colorado School of Trades is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.