Top 12 Public Colleges in Colorado and Their Weak National Rankings

In recent years, we've noted that Colorado colleges haven't placed especially well in national rankings. In 2014, for example, Forbes listed only two Colorado colleges among the 100 best in the country: the Air Force Academy and Colorado College. Neither of these schools is included in a new report Buffalo Business First, a sister...

By Michael Roberts

March 2, 2016

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In recent years, we've noted that Colorado colleges haven't placed especially well in national rankings.

In 2014, for example, Forbes listed only two Colorado colleges among the 100 best in the country: the Air Force Academy and Colorado College.

Neither of these schools is included in a new report in Buffalo Business First, a sister publication of the Denver Business Journal, since the piece focuses exclusively on public colleges rather than private institutions — and the dozen schools from Colorado that make the cut don't exactly dominate.

A dozen Colorado colleges are among the 477 in the Buffalo Business First roster. But eight of them are in the bottom half of the list; they're listed alphabetically rather than ranked specifically.

That leaves just four from 1-251, and the top performer barely — barely — lands in the top fifty.

Here are the dozen Colorado schools that made the grade, featuring photos and — for the last four — BBF stats. To check out the original item, with much more information, click here.

Colorado schools ranked between 251-477, listed alphabetically:

Adams State University

Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction)

Colorado State University Pueblo

Fort Lewis College (Durango)

Metropolitan State University of Denver

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

University of Northern Colorado

Western State Colorado University

Continue to see the four public Colorado colleges that made the top half of the Buffalo Business First national rankings.

Number 4: University of Colorado Denver

Rating points: 40.054

Overall rank: 153

Rank a year ago: 205

Number 3: Colorado State University

Rating points: 47.349

Overall rank: 94

Rank a year ago: 81

Number 2: University of Colorado Boulder

Rating points: 56.906

Overall rank: 52

Rank a year ago: 55

Number 1: Colorado School of Mines

Rating points: 58.619

Overall rank: 50

Rank a year ago: 53

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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