Grand Junction, Colorado. 7,604 undergraduate students. 129 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
UNITID 127556 · OPEID 001358 · IPEDS HDVINTAGE · COLLEGE SCORECARD · 2025-05 · HISTORY 1996–2024
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Colorado Mesa University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+13%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Colorado Mesa University rose 13% between 2021 and 2024 ($22.3k → $25.1k).
LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Colorado Mesa University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (3.4% → 0.0%).
LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+10%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Colorado Mesa University rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 ($9.0k → $9.9k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Colorado
Each tile compares this institution to the Colorado median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$45,823+17% · 6→10y
Colorado median $43,242
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$39,223
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
41.5%+113% · '98→'24
Colorado median 55.5%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$11,000+406% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
7,604+73% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
75.2%+36% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
81.4%-2% · '01→'24
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$9,712+354% · '00→'24
out-of-state $24,312
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.2%
0%8% · GE20%+
Median federal debt $11,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $45,823 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
UNDERGRAD · 1996–20248,143
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1998–202440.6%
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 1997–2020$22,000
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
COMPLETION · 150% · 1998→2024+113%
Colorado Mesa University · completion · 150% rose
19.0% → 40.6%
COMPLETION · 100% · 1998→2024+477%
Colorado Mesa University · completion · 100% rose
4.9% → 28.5%
RETENTION · 2004→2024+36%
Colorado Mesa University · retention rose
58.0% → 78.8%
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 1996→2024+73%
Colorado Mesa University · undergrad enrollment rose
4,718 → 8,143
IN-STATE TUITION · 2000→2024+354%
Colorado Mesa University · in-state tuition rose
$2,185 → $9,927
OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 2000→2024+271%
Colorado Mesa University · out-of-state tuition rose
$6,767 → $25,124
MEDIAN DEBT · 1997→2020+406%
Colorado Mesa University · median debt rose
$4,351 → $22,000
COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 2011→2024-100%
Colorado Mesa University · cohort default rate fell
15.6% → 0.0%
EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 2005→2020+21%
Colorado Mesa University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$35,100 → $42,409
EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 2003→2020+29%
Colorado Mesa University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$30,500 → $39,223
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Estimate the financial outcome at Colorado Mesa University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$727,763
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 6
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
Cost per year
$15,061
HS-only baseline · CO
$40,100
Years to complete
4
CIP family
51
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Colorado
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
“Colorado Mesa University graduates earn $X” — not “Colorado Mesa University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Colorado Mesa University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.