Resources | CCCS Facts & Figures

CCCS Statutory Mission

• Open Access – We admit anyone who wants to go to college and is college-ready. CCCS is the largest system of higher education in the state, serving approximately 137,000 students in academic year 2017.
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) – In 2017, approximately 13,932 CTE certificates and degrees were awarded to postsecondary students at our 13 colleges and 1,591 to secondary students. 23,625 postsecondary students were enrolled in CTE programs at our colleges. The total number of secondary students enrolled in high school CTE programs was approximately 103,800.
• Transfer – Over the course of a year concluding in Fall 2016, 11,744 of our students transferred to public and private four-year colleges and universities.
• Workforce Development – As of academic year 2016, nearly 169,000 Colorado workers have been trained through our programs. Community colleges train more than half of the state’s nurses and more than 90% of the first responders.
• Concurrent Enrollment – In 2016-17, CCCS colleges served 25,513 high school students in undergraduate courses, creating pathways from high school into higher education. This is an increase of 52% over the last five years. A total of 1,920 college credentials were awarded to concurrent enrollment students in high school in 2016-17. We have saved students and their families $110 million through this program.
• Developmental Education/Basic Skills – CCCS is a national leader in remedial reform, enhancing college success rates for students who need to improve their college readiness. CCCS offers developmental education in multiple formats, including co-requisite courses and supplemental instruction.  In 2016-17, CCCS served 20,645 students with one or more developmental education courses, 17% of the overall CCCS headcount.
• Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) Degree – CCCS colleges offer BAS degrees in a growing number of specific disciplines designed to enhance graduates’ employment opportunities.
• Master’s Degree – Red Rocks Community College is the only community college in the United States to offer a master’s degree in its Physician Assistant Program.

CCCS Student Information

• CCCS serves nearly 120,000 undergraduate students through 13 colleges. In addition, we train more than 17,000 Coloradans each year through various other programs, making us the largest higher education system in the state, with approximately 137,000 students.
• CCCS full-time-equivalent student enrollment was 49,862 in FY 2016-17. Community colleges educated 33.8% of the resident undergraduate FTE in public institutions in Colorado in 2016-17.
• We serve 48% of all undergraduate Students of Color in higher education in Colorado.
• Across the CCCS: 37% of our students are Students of Color; 55% of our students are female; and, 61% of our students are under 25 years old.
• Colorado residents are 94% of our student-FTE.

Value of Our Degrees/Increased Earnings

CCCS colleges provide individuals with the skills enhancement they need to gain higher wages. On average, our associate’s degree graduates at career midpoint earn 35%more than workers with just a high school diploma. By degree, the greatest increase, 55.5%, is experienced by students who earn an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree.

Health Science Degrees Propel Student Earnings Even Higher

Many of the degrees conferred by CCCS are in the Health Sciences cluster, where students had a 97% increase in earnings. Dental hygienists had the largest increase in wages – 230%. Health Sciences graduates receive 40% of the degrees and certificates awarded by CCCS.

Economic Impact

The economic impact of the CCCS is $5.8 billion annually, which is roughly equal to the creation of 98,100 jobs. Students receive an average annual rate of return of 14.8% per year, after adjusting for inflation, from their investments in their education at one of our 13 colleges. For every $1.00 a student invests at our colleges, they receive $4.30 more in lifetime earnings. State and local governments receive a 13.5% annual rate of return on their investment in CCCS after adjusting for inflation.

Tuition

Resident tuition at Community Colleges is $4,337 annually for a full-time student.

CCCS Funding

The past decade has challenged CCCS with unprecedented enrollment growth, cuts in state funding, and the loss of federal stimulus funds.

The historical peak funding level for CCCS was $3,463 per resident student FTE in FY 2000-01.  The FY 2016-17 $3,271 per resident FTE level for state funds represents a $192 (or 5.6%) reduction per resident FTE.

Amendment 50 Gaming Funds And Community College Student Funding:

The Colorado Community College System received $8.8 million from Amendment 50 gaming funds in FY 2017-18.

Financial Aid

• Community College Students received $276.5 million in state and federal financial aid in FY 2016-17.
• State financial aid totaled $46.6 million, while federal financial aid comprised $208.8 million in FY 2016-17.
• 49% of our students receive federal financial aid.
• The average aid award in FY 2016-17 was $6,094.
• The Community Colleges of Colorado have the highest share (37%) of the state’s higher education students eligible for “Pell Grant” federal financial aid.