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“Although Colorado enjoys one of the highest education attainment rates nationally, the share of the white majority population that has earned a credential is more than twice that of our fastest-growing group—Latinx and Hispanic Coloradans—and more than 1.5 times the share of African American, Black and American Indian Coloradans. We can and must do better. As higher education leaders, it’s on us to foster welcoming, thriving learning environments for all—especially in our classrooms and on our campuses.”

-Dr. Angie Paccione, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Higher Education

Higher Education in Colorado

Today, Colorado serves a more diverse population than ever. For example, see the demographic breakdown of those without college degrees and those enrolled in Colorado's institutions in the more detailed information on from the CDHE Return on Investment Data.

Coloradans with no degree or credential consists of:

71% of Colorado minority populations
86% of Colorado Medicaid beneficiaries
67% of Colorado veterans

Today’s college students in Colorado:

38% are older than 25
43% attend part-time
26% are parents

Colorado Demographics

From CDHE’s Search Data Tool.

2017 statewide enrollment data indicates approximately 261,138 total student enrollments in all public institutions (inclusive of 4-year, 2-year and technical)
Colorado’s largest- and fastest-growing ethnic group, Hispanic/ Latino, has the lowest average educational attainment and the lowest college enrollment rate of any ethnic group in the state. From Colorado Rises: Advancing Education and Talent Development.
Across the state, we see not only racial/ ethnic attainment gaps, but also attainment gaps for students from low-income families and those who are the first in their families to attend postsecondary education.
Department of Higher Education have made erasing these equity gaps—including for our fast-growing Hispanic population—a top priority, and institutions have myriad student support programs in place to enroll and retain students from underserved backgrounds. Open Educational Resources (OER) can play a part as well. OER allow students access to course materials on the first, lower financial barriers, and have even been demonstrate to positively effect traditional student success metrics, specifically for low-income students. From Education Resources Information Center: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184998.pdf

Colorado Department of Higher Education Plan

As outlined in the CDHE Master Plan:

Higher education is a public good that strongly benefits Colorado’s communities and the state;
the higher education system should be accessible to all, not just those with adequate personal financial means;
and Institutions of higher education have a responsibility to demonstrate their stewardship of public resources.

For these reasons, and to meet the growing demand for a qualified workforce, Colorado institutions much consider how we can continue to expand access and affordability to education. This is one of the themes of the recently released "Roadmap to Containing College Costs and Making College Affordable".

Image: Colorado Department of Higher Education Logo

Image of CCA students: https://highered.colorado.gov/academics/admissions

Colorado demographics data: https://highered.colorado.gov/Data/Search.aspx

Colorado Department of Higher Education Return on Investment: https://highered.colorado.gov/Data/Workforce/ROI.html

Colorado Department of Higher Education Return on Investment: : https://highered.colorado.gov/Publications/Reports/Roadmap-to-Containing-College-Costs-and-Making-College-Affordable.pdf

Colorado Rises: Advancing Education and Talent Development: https://highered.colorado.gov/Publications/CDHE-Master-Plan-2017.pdf

Education Resources Information Center: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184998.pdf

Colorado Department of Higher Education Master Plan: https://highered.colorado.gov/Publications/CDHE-Master-Plan-2017.pdf