Denver County’s 15 universities admitted an estimated 80.6% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 14.3% enrolled.
Of the 15 institutions in the county, six provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Regis University, Metropolitan State University of Denver and University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus.
At least 51,076 people applied to Denver County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 74,557 students enrolled in the universities, including 53,784 in undergraduate and 20,773 in graduate programs. In total 6.4% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (47.1%) and Hispanic (29.3%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 23,744 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for three institutions in Denver County, including Iliff School of Theology, Colorado Chinese Medicine University and Relay Graduate School of Education – Denver.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln College of Technology-Denver | — | — | 1,155 |
| Iliff School of Theology | — | — | — |
| University of Denver | 19,342 | 15,087 | 13,734 |
| Colorado Chinese Medicine University | — | — | — |
| Aveda Institute-Denver | — | — | 341 |
| Montessori Education Center of the Rockies | 9 | 9 | 45 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | 15,631 | 11,723 | 23,744 |
| Community College of Denver | — | — | 7,292 |
| Relay Graduate School of Education – Denver | — | — | — |
| Emily Griffith Technical College | — | — | 5,313 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | 10,163 | 9,960 | 16,995 |
| Regis University | 5,549 | 4,217 | 4,668 |
| United Beauty College | — | — | 25 |
| Denver College of Nursing | — | — | 1,084 |
| National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) | 382 | 172 | 161 |
