Colorado has 1 program titled software engineering at 1 school, and 15 computer science programs. This guide covers each one, what it costs, and what software developers earn in the state.
Kevin ToFounder & Editor·B.S. in Computer Science, Temple University·Updated
Software engineering programs
1
titled software engineering
ABET-accredited
0
ABET’s list, 2026-09-30
Computer science programs
15
IPEDS 2024
Median pay, software developers
$138,390
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Key takeaways
01Colorado has 1 degree titled software engineering, a bachelor’s, at 1 school, plus 15 computer science programs. University of Northern Colorado ranks first among the state’s bachelor’s programs, with a score of 44.3 out of 100, #42 nationally. Each program below is checked against the school’s own page. It is University of Northern Colorado’s bachelor’s.
02At Colorado’s public schools, the median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $9,135 in state and $28,695 out of state, so residency saves about $19,560 a year at the median. Private schools had a median of $23,700. These IPEDS figures are one per school and leave out fees, housing and financial aid.
03Software developers in Colorado earned a median of $138,390 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and half earned between $122,470 and $173,000. The state employed 43,320 of them. Nationally, BLS projects the occupation to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
04Prices in Colorado were 3.1% above the national average in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s measure, and housing stood at 127.4 against a national 100. At national prices, the state’s developer median goes as far as about $134,230. BEA’s 2024 figures are its latest, a year behind the pay data.
05Neighboring states with programs titled software engineering: Utah (6), Nebraska (1) and Oklahoma (1). Each has its own guide with the same comparisons of programs, cost and pay, so a program across the state line can be weighed against one at home, keeping in mind that a public school charges nonresidents more.
This guide
Studying software engineering in Colorado
A degree titled software engineering puts design, testing and the management of large software projects at the center, where computer science centers on computation itself. Colorado offers both, and many software engineers hold either one.
What this page covers
Software engineering programs: the 1 bachelor’s or master’s degree in Colorado titled software engineering, each checked against the school’s own page.
Computer science programs: the state’s 15 bachelor’s and master’s programs in computer science, from federal data.
Online programs: software engineering degrees from our rankings that can be completed online.
Not included: associate degrees, certificates, bootcamps, doctoral programs and degrees in related fields such as information technology.
Methodology
How we ranked these programs
Programs in Colorado are ranked against each other at the same degree level, highest score first. The score is out of 100 and comes from our national rankings, so a program carries the same score on every page of this site. It isn’t curved for Colorado: each factor is measured against fixed national standards, which is why even the strongest program here can sit well below 100.
The bachelor’s score
University of Northern Colorado: #42 of 75 nationally
University of Northern Colorado leads in Colorado with 44.3 out of 100
Across the country the median bachelor’s score is 56.7 and the highest is 87.0. Its biggest gap is ABET accreditation, where it earns 0 of 25 points. Every scored program is in Best Bachelor’s in Software Engineering.
Scored factors
100 pts total
Cost25 pts
The school’s average net price after grants (IPEDS), in fixed dollar tiers.
Under $12,00025 pts
$12,000 to $15,99920 pts
$16,000 to $19,99915 pts
$20,000 to $24,99910 pts
$25,000 to $31,9995 pts
$32,000 or more0 pts
Completion35 pts
The school’s eight-year completion rate for all entering students (IPEDS Outcome Measures), as a share of the points.
ABET accreditation25 pts
Full points if the program is on ABET’s own accredited list, none if not.
Program size15 pts
Graduates a year, on a log scale that reaches full points at 100.
Each program is ranked against the others in Colorado at the same degree level, by the score our national rankings use. Tuition is IPEDS 2023–24; grad rate is the school’s. Full details for a ranked program are on its ranking page.
Bachelor’s
Master’s
Top 3 in Colorado
Not ranked
Bachelor’s in software engineering
1 program
#1 in Colorado
44.3of 100
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO
BSCampus
In-state
$8,784
Out-of-state
$23,196
Completion
58%
The Software Engineering BS at the University of Northern Colorado is an in-person major in Greeley with an estimated completion time of four years and 120 credits. Two units share it: the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Monfort College of Business, so the degree pairs technical work with business knowledge. The credits split four ways. The Liberal Arts Curriculum is 31 credits, the required major courses are 85 to 86 credits in software engineering, computer science, mathematics and natural sciences, and major electives are 6 credits at the 300 or 400 level in computer science or software engineering.
A 3-credit senior project closes the degree, and you complete it through either BACS 488 Senior CIS Project or CS 497 Senior Project. Another 3 to 4 university-wide credits bring you to 120, and you can use them for electives or a minor. You work with an assigned advisor each semester, and the school publishes a recommended four-year plan. Hands-on work happens in the Applied Networking Lab, supported by partners such as Adobe, Microsoft, Oracle and IBM. UNC says alumni work at companies including IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Deloitte.
Compare
Colorado software engineering programs side by side
Colorado software engineering programs compared, by level
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24, at the program’s level (a master’s figure is the school’s graduate average). Grad rate: the school’s six-year rate for bachelor’s students. Grads/yr: IPEDS, three-year average. ABET: ABET’s list, retrieved 2026-09-30. #: the program’s rank among Colorado’s ranked programs at its level; NR, not ranked. Score: out of 100, the same score as on the ranking pages.
Computer science
Computer science programs in Colorado
10 schools, 12 programs in the table below.
Computer science is the neighboring degree, and many software engineers hold it. These rows come from federal data, not from each school’s page.
Also offered: master’s at Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24, in-state, before fees and aid; undergraduate for a bachelor’s, and for a master’s the school-wide average across graduate students, which excludes program fees. School grad rate: the school’s six-year rate for bachelor’s students (IPEDS); N/A on master’s rows, because federal data has no graduation rate for master’s programs. – means no published figure. ABET: on ABET’s computing (CAC) or engineering (EAC) list, retrieved 2026-10-05; a blank cell means not accredited. A school is in the table when it has at least two of a tuition figure, a grad rate or ABET accreditation, and a program page we could link; the rest are listed under it. SE track: named on the school’s own page.
Cost
What it costs in Colorado
Public, in-state
$9,135
median of 5 schools
Public, out-of-state
$28,695
median of 5 schools
Private
$23,700
median of 3 schools
Living in Colorado is worth about $19,560 a year in tuition at the median public school, the gap between the two public medians. Over a four-year degree that is roughly $78,240, before any change in rates.
Prices in Colorado were 103.1 against a national 100 in 2024, and housing 127.4, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities. 2024 is BEA’s latest year, a year behind the May 2025 pay figures on this page.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24 undergraduate tuition, one figure per school, for the 9 schools with a bachelor’s program in this guide; a median needs at least 3 schools. Excludes fees, housing and aid. Prices: BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024, all items and housing services.
Job market
The software job market in Colorado
Colorado employed 43,320 software developers in May 2025. Its location quotient for the occupation is 1.39: the jobs are more concentrated in the state than nationally. Nationally, BLS projects software developer jobs to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Colorado. Location quotient: the state’s share of employment in the occupation divided by the national share (1.0 = the national rate). Growth: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35, national.
Metro areas
Among the 50 largest U.S. metros, 1 is in Colorado. Software developer employment and pay in each:
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025, software developers. Metro areas are federal CBSAs and can cross state lines; only the 50 largest are on file.
Pay
What software developers earn in Colorado
$96,48010th
$122,47025th
$138,390median
$173,00075th
$213,01090th
Software developers, Colorado, BLS OEWS May 2025. National median: $135,980.
The state median is $138,390, $2,410 above the national $135,980. Half of the state’s software developers earn between $122,470 and $173,000.
BEA puts prices in Colorado at 103.1 against a national 100 (2024), so the median goes as far as $134,230 would nationally, $1,750 less than the national median.
BEA price parities, 2024; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Online options
Online software engineering degrees for Colorado residents
If no program in Colorado fits, these are the highest-scoring online programs in our rankings. Confirm with each school that it enrolls students living in Colorado.
Tuition: IPEDS 2023–24 out-of-state, the rate an online student from another state usually pays (a master’s figure is the school’s graduate average); a published rate is the school’s own price. National rank and score: our national ranking at the program’s level.
How many software engineering programs are in Colorado?
1 degree titled software engineering, a bachelor’s, at 1 school. 0 of them are on ABET’s accredited list.
What is the best software engineering school in Colorado?
University of Northern Colorado ranks first of the 1 ranked bachelor’s programs in Colorado, with a score of 44.3 out of 100 (#42 nationally). The score combines completion, net price, ABET accreditation and program size.
How much does a software engineering degree cost in Colorado?
Across Colorado’s public schools in this guide, median undergraduate tuition for 2023–24 was $9,135 for residents and $28,695 for nonresidents; at private schools the median was $23,700. These IPEDS figures exclude fees and housing.
How much do software engineers make in Colorado?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that includes software engineers, earned a median of $138,390 in Colorado in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $96,480 and the 90th $213,010.
Is Colorado pay worth it after cost of living?
BEA puts Colorado’s prices at 103.1 against a national 100 in 2024. Divided by that, the developer median of $138,390 is worth about $134,230 at national prices.
Can Colorado residents take a software engineering degree online?
Yes. Kennesaw State, Minnesota-Crookston and University of Arizona are among the online software engineering programs in our rankings. Check with each school that it enrolls students living in Colorado.
2NCES IPEDS institutional charges, 2023–24Tuition at the program’s level, and undergraduate tuition per school for the cost medians. Excludes fees, housing and aid.
3NCES IPEDS graduation ratesThe school’s six-year graduation rate, for the whole school rather than the program; IPEDS DRVGR2023 where the main pull has no figure.
4Each school’s own program pageProgram name, delivery, credits, and every bullet on the program cards, quoted from the saved page. Read .
