NurseSavvy ranking · Colorado · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Colorado (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 36 RN programs in Colorado that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Colorado, and what graduates earn a year out.
Colorado Northwestern Community College comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Colorado’s 36 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Colorado
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 187score
Colorado Northwestern Community College
CraigADN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- 95% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,131/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,087 1 yr out
Start to license: 95 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 282score
Front Range Community College
WestminsterADN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- 85% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,031/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,014 1 yr out
Start to license: 85 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 381score
Pikes Peak State College
Colorado SpringsADN· Public
A 96% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96%
- Students who finish
- 86% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $6,007/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $72,869 1 yr out
Start to license: 82 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 480score
Front Range Community College
Fort CollinsADN· Public
A 98% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98%
- Students who finish
- 85% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,031/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,014 1 yr out
Start to license: 83 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 575score
Adams State University
AlamosaBSN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,980/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,926 1 yr out
- 672score
Arizona College of Nursing
AuroraBSN
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 770score
University of Colorado College of Nursing (Anschutz)
AuroraBSN (Accelerated)
A 98.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98.5%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 869score
Metropolitan State University Denver
DenverBSN — Traditional Nursing Option (TNO)· Public
A 94% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,327/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $77,333 1 yr out
- 965score
Regis University
DenverBSN (Choice)· Private nonprofit
A 92% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 92%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,397/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,736 1 yr out
- 1065score
Concorde Career College
AuroraBSN
A 94% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Colorado leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Colorado Northwestern Community College (ADN), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Colorado Northwestern Community College (ADN), 95% on time.
- Lowest average net price: Pikes Peak State College, $6,007/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Metropolitan State University Denver, $77,333 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Colorado Northwestern Community College (#1 overall) and Adams State University (#5 overall).
How we ranked Colorado’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Colorado board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Colorado’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Colorado?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Colorado Northwestern Community College (ADN, Craig) ranks #1 of 36 RN programs in Colorado with a score of 87 out of 100 and a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Colorado nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Colorado board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in ColoradoColorado in one page: 44 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 100,260), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in ColoradoNurse practitioners in Colorado earn a median of 132,930 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in ColoradoRegistered nurses in Colorado earn a median of 100,260 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.