10 Best Colleges and Universities Near Lakewood, CO

If you live in the western part of the metro Denver area, you may be interested in learning about universities and colleges near Lakewood, CO.

Located in Jefferson County, CO, Lakewood is a significant suburb of Denver that runs along West Colfax Avenue just east of the Front Range.

Top employers are the Denver Federal Center, the Jefferson County Public School system, Terumo Corporation, and St. Anthony Hospital.

For a suburb with a population of 150,000, Lakewood is home to many sites of higher education, including Colorado Christian University, Red Rocks Community College, and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.

It's near many more, which we feature below.

Keep reading as we share information about the universities and colleges near Lakewood, CO.

You should be able to find a program and campus lifestyle that fits you best.

Featured Universities and Colleges Near Lakewood, CO

The schools in this list are colleges near Lakewood, CO, where you can earn a bachelor's degree.

1. Colorado Christian University

In Lakewood, Colorado Christian Academy is a private, nonprofit, residential university that is Christian but nondenominational.

CCU provides degree programs at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and professional doctorate levels, serving 7,600 undergrads with a 16:1 student-faculty ratio.

Based on 2021 graduation data, leading degree programs are in the fields of psychology, the health professions, business, and education.

CCU has an outstanding 83% first-year retention rate and an admirable 61% six-year graduation rate.

Three of every four students have out-of-state residency, and students are split between traditional and nontraditional ages. More than half enroll exclusively in online courses.

2. Colorado School of Mines

Golden, Colorado, is home to the Colorado School of Mines, which began in 1874 as a mining engineering school but today has become the state's foremost public engineering and technical university.

The student-to-faculty ratio is 17 to 1.

Offering degrees from a B.S. through a doctorate, this residential university serves an undergraduate student population of 5,714 students.

The most awarded bachelor's degrees in recent years have been in mechanical engineering, computer science, and chemical engineering.

The state sets tuition at $20,040 for Colorado residents and $42,120 for non-residents.

However, 98% of students receive financial aid to offset the steep tuition.

Student satisfaction seems very high, with a remarkable 94% first-year retention rate and 82% graduation rate.

3. Denver College of Nursing

Denver College of Nursing is a private, for-profit nursing school with degree programs at the associate, bachelor's, and master's levels.

The campus is not residential, so the undergraduate student population of 1034 must either commute or enroll in online learning (which 22% do).

A few facts: the student-to-faculty ratio is 16 to 1. More than two-thirds of students are over the age of 25, and 87% receive financial aid to offset the annual tuition of $10,759.

4. Metropolitan State University of Denver

One of Denver's public but non-residential universities, Metro State University of Denver is the academic home to nearly 16,000 undergrad students working toward bachelor's degrees, with a 16 to 1 student-faculty ratio.

One in four students takes classes exclusively online.

The academic degree programs favored by most students who graduated in 2021 included research and experimental psychology, biology, business, and criminal justice.

Annual tuition is $10,260 for Colorado residents and $28,092 for non-residents; however, 100% of students receive financial aid in the form of grants and/or scholarships.

5. Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

One of Lakewood's distinctive schools is the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, a private, for-profit, non-residential college that awards bachelor's and master's degrees.

The undergraduate student population is 2,050, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 14 to 1.

With a tuition of $22,607 per year (before financial aid), six out of ten students claim out-of-state residency, and 69% are enrolled online only in programs such as:

• Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects
• Computer Graphics
• Game and Interactive Media Design
• Illustration
• Interior Design

6. University of Colorado Boulder

The flagship campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, 20 miles from Lakewood, boasts 31,000 undergraduate students and offers bachelor's through doctoral degrees, with a student-faculty ratio of 18:1.

At this residential campus, nearly half of the undergraduates come from out of state.

Student satisfaction is evidenced by the extremely high retention rate of 88% and graduation rate of 75%.

The most popular degrees awarded in 2021 were in the fields of business & management, biology, engineering, social sciences, and communication/journalism (including public relations and advertising).

Tuition is $13,106 in-state and $40,356 for out-of-state before scholarships.

7. University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus

UC Denver is a sprawling urban campus in downtown Aurora (just east of Denver) that offers bachelor's, master's, and both scholarly and professional doctorate degrees.

Campus housing is available. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 17 to 1, it serves 14,000 undergraduates.

Based on recent graduate statistics, the most popular majors are business, biology, nursing, psychology, and econometrics & quantitative economics.

13% of students take courses online. Tuition before scholarships (which 94% receive) is $9,562 ($26,818 for non-residents).

8. University of Denver

This private, not-for-profit university is known for its excellence, with an elite tuition of $56,439, a student body that is two-thirds from out-of-state, and an extremely high retention (88%) and graduation (77%) rate.

To help offset the high tuition, 100% of students receive financial aid.

While the residential university awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, the undergraduate population is 6,151, with a phenomenal student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1.

Degree programs represent a broad spectrum of the liberal arts and sciences.

9. Arapahoe Community College

In Littleton, Arapahoe Community College serves an undergraduate population of 12,636, with a 23 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio.

17% of its students, mostly of traditional age (24 and under) and in-state, are engaged exclusively in distance learning.

Arapahoe CC awards bachelor's degrees only in nursing and in crisis/emergency/disaster management. The school has a low graduation rate of 27%.

10. Front Range Community College

Almost 20,000 students attend Front Range Community College, and the student-faculty ratio is 21 to 1.

In 2021, FRCC only awarded a handful of diplomas for the bachelor of nursing, it offered hundreds of associate degrees, overwhelmingly in the liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities.

One in five students is enrolled only in online courses.

What Is the Biggest School Near Lakewood, CO?

The largest school in Lakewood itself is Colorado Christian University, but the largest university in the Lakewood vicinity (within 20 miles) is UC Boulder, with 31,000 undergraduates.

How To Choose the Right College Near Lakewood, CO?

Given the wide variety of schools, consider the size of the school, whether it is located on an urban or a traditional green campus, whether it is residential, the racial/ethnic demographics, the faculty-student ratio, and whether it has the academic program you seek.

Paying for Your Degree Near Lakewood, CO

As you can see from the wide range of 'sticker-price' tuition among the above schools, the posted tuitions at colleges near Lakewood, CO, can be very misleading in terms of the price most students pay since the vast majority of students qualify for financial aid.

Financial aid, in the form of federal grants, scholarships, Pell Grants, or student loans, can be substantial.

Be sure to apply for financial aid, using the FAFSA form, and work closely with each school's financial aid officer to maximize the financial aid offer you may receive.

Start Your Degree Near Lakewood, CO, Today

The metropolitan Denver area is one of Colorado's educational hubs, so you are sure to find something to fit your needs at a college near Lakewood, CO.