Sawyer Earwood, CEP
Oct 18, 20217 min
Updated: Mar 22, 2023
Most seniors are looking to put some distance between their home and college. Why wouldn't they? We market college as a time to start anew, learn new subjects, meet new people, experience new cultures, discover new careers, and ultimately begin a lifelong journey of independence. Despite the prevalence of all of those ideas, there is one ever-present hurdle for the common college applicant: finances. After all, how can you leave your state if you can't afford the out-of-state cost of attendance? What if your car isn't reliable enough to drive more than a few hours (not to mention the cost of a flight)? What if the cost of room and board is so prohibitive that you have to stay at home? All of this and more limit students' ability to leave their home and state to experience this college idea that propagates our culture.
But what if there were a way for a student to get a great education, out-of-state, for the equivalent cost of, or even less than, their state flagship? Well, Colorado students, you are in luck.
Don't get me wrong, Colorado has a number of phenomenal in-state colleges and universities, with many boasting nationally competitive rankings. If a student wanted to stay in-state, they would certainly have many options at their disposal. But this blog post isn't for the student who wants to stay in-state, rather this post is for:
Students facing financial barriers and looking for an affordable or best-value education.
Students looking to travel outside of Colorado for their college experience.
Students with strong academics who want to be rewarded for their work through financial aid.
Students who might not have a perfect academic record, but are looking for an accessible education.
Now, before we can dive into the college list, we need to establish our baseline. For the state of Colorado, the University of Colorado, Boulder is recognized as the flagship institution. Here is the school's information:
Website: https://www.colorado.edu/
Location: Boulder, CO
Undergraduate Population: 30,300
Class Sizes: 57% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.58-4.0 GPA, 1230-1420 SAT, 28-33 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Engineering, Biological/Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, Communication/Journalism.
Honors College: https://www.colorado.edu/honors/
In-State Cost of Tuition: $12,494
In-State Cost of Room & Board: $15,676
In-State Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $28,170
Scholarships: https://www.colorado.edu/scholarships/
Now that we have our baseline, there are only a few more important pieces of information I want to note:
This blog post is specifically for out-of-state opportunities for Colorado students, so there will not be Colorado colleges or universities listed below.
This blog post focuses specifically on the cost of tuition, room, and board.
The goal was to find colleges and universities that are not ultra-competitive in admissions. This list is meant to provide students at all academic levels a variety of options.
This list did its best to try and make sure that all of these schools were relatively accessible from Colorado by either car or plane (Denver International Airport).
This list does not include student activity fees or the expected cost for books, supplies, and travel.
Lastly, and most importantly, many of the college tuition rates/discounts listed below are through programs that have specific requirements. Even for schools in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), students need to be sure to follow the "WUE Program Details" link or the "More Details" link for non-WUE schools. Some WUE institutions require students to study a specific major, or to meet certain admission criteria.
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education - Western Undergraduate Exchange
Institution for Education Science - National Center for Education Statistics - IPEDS
Institutional Websites & Common Data Sets
The Evergreen State College (-$4,302)
Western Washington University (-$3,867)
University of Nevada, Reno (-$6,604)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (-$5,757)
Oregon State University (+$923)
Portland State University (-$3,319)
University of New Mexico (-$7,664)
New Mexico State University (-$7,059)
University of Utah (-$1,876)
Weber State University (-$9,443)
Northern Arizona University (-$1,281)
California State University, Northridge (-$12,483)
California State University, Sacramento (-$3,613)
California State University, San Marcos (-$6,407)
University of Central Arkansas (-$11,086)
University of Memphis (-$1,624)
Hendrix College (-$2,476)
Oglethorpe University (-$1,476)
University of Maine (-$4,102)
Website: https://www.evergreen.edu/
Location: Olympia, WA
Undergraduate Population: 1.,868
Class Sizes: 52% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.2 GPA, 973-1183 SAT, 20-21 ACT
Notable Programs: Environmental/Sustainability Studies, Native American/Indigenous Studies, Visual/Media Arts, Biology, Chemistry
Honors College: N/A
WUE Cost of Tuition: $10,719 (-$1,775)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $13,149 (-$2,527)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $23,868 (-$4,302)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Sr81yQAB
Scholarships: https://www.evergreen.edu/scholarships/how-apply
Website: https://www.wwu.edu/
Location: Bellingham, WA
Undergraduate Population: 12,622
Class Sizes: 51% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.26-3.86 GPA, 1080-1270 SAT, 22-28 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Social Sciences, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Natural Resources/Conservation, Visual/Performing Arts.
Honors College: https://honors.wwu.edu/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $11,223 (-$1,271)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $13,080 (-$2,596)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $24, 303 (-$3,867)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eLEQAZ
Scholarships: https://admissions.wwu.edu/scholarships
Website: https://www.unr.edu/
Location: Reno, NV
Undergraduate Population: 14,323
Class Sizes: 52% of class have between 10-39 students.
Academic Profile: 3.4 GPA, 1060-1260 GPA, 20-26 ACT
Notable Programs: Health/Wellness, Psychology, Biology/Biological Sciences, Marketing, Business/Commerce
Honors College: https://www.unr.edu/honors
WUE Cost of Tuition: $11,206 (-$1,288)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $10,360 (-$5,316)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $21,566 (-$6,604)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eKHQAZ
Scholarships: https://www.unr.edu/costs/first-year-out-of-state#scholarship
Website: https://www.unlv.edu/
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Undergraduate Population: 19,843
Class Sizes: 54% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: GPA, 1030-1250 SAT, 19-25 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Psychology, Social Sciences, Health Professions, Homeland Security/Law Enforcement/Firefighting.
Honors College: https://www.unlv.edu/honors
WUE Cost of Tuition: $10,901 (-$1,593)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $11,512 (-$4,164)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $22,413 (-$5,757)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eKGQAZ
Scholarships: https://www.unlv.edu/finaid/scholarships-grants
Website: https://oregonstate.edu/
Location: Corvallis, OR
Undergraduate Population: 18,084
Class Sizes: 54% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: GPA, 1080-1310 SAT, 21-29 ACT
Notable Programs: Computer Science, Human Development/Family Sciences, Public Health, Psychology, Business, Forestry/Agricultural Science, Engineering.
Honors College: https://honors.oregonstate.edu/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $15,233 (+$2,739)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $13,860 (-$1,816)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $29,093 (+$923)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eKlQAJ
Scholarships: https://scholarships.oregonstate.edu/
Website: https://www.pdx.edu/
Location: Portland, OR
Undergraduate Population: 18,959
Class Sizes: 47% of classes have between 20-39 students.
Academic Profile: 3.47 GPA, 1000-1190 SAT, 17-24 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Social Science, Psychology, Health Professions, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies.
Honors College: https://www.pdx.edu/honors/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $12,707 (+$213)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $12,144 (-$3,532)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $24,851 (-$3,319)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eKmQAJ
Scholarships: https://www.pdx.edu/student-finance/out-of-state-opportunity-scholarship
Website: https://www.unm.edu/
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Undergraduate Population: 12,040
Class Sizes: 59% of classes have between 2-19 students.
Academic Profile: 3.44 GPA, 1030-1250 SAT, 17-25 ACT
Notable Programs: Latin American Studies, Native American Studies, Photography, Business, Anthropology, Education, Health Professions, Navajo Language.
Honors College: http://honors.unm.edu/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $10,110 (-$2,384)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $10,396 (-$5,280)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $20,506 (-$7,664)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eKTQAZ
Scholarships: https://scholarship.unm.edu/
Website: https://www.nmsu.edu/
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Undergraduate Population: 9,466
Class Sizes: 52% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.49 GPA, 950-1150 SAT, 17-23 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Commerce, Engineering, Chiropractic, Liberal Arts, Criminal Justice.
Honors College: https://honors.nmsu.edu/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $9,704 (-$2,790)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $11,407 (-$4,269)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $21,111 (-$7,059)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eKPQAZ
Scholarships: https://fa.nmsu.edu/scholarships/
Website: https://www.utah.edu/
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Undergraduate Population: 18,749
Class Sizes: 49% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.45-3.93 GPA, 1140-1350 SAT, 22-29 ACT
Notable Programs: Communications, Psychology, Economics, Nursing, Engineering, Business, Film/Media Arts, Ballet/Modern Dance
Honors College: https://honors.utah.edu/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $12,380 (-$114)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $13,914 (-$1,762)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $26,294 (-$1,876)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eL0QAJ
Scholarships: https://financialaid.utah.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/freshman/index.php
Website: https://www.weber.edu/
Location: Ogden, UT
Undergraduate Population: 12,042
Class Sizes: 56% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: N/A GPA, N/A SAT, 18-24 ACT
Notable Programs: Nursing, Computer Science, Clinical/Medical Lab Tech, Criminal Justice, Sales Operations.
Honors College: https://www.weber.edu/honors/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $7,635 (-$4,859)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $11,092 (-$4,584)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $18,727 (-$9,443)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eL4QAJ
Scholarships: https://www.weber.edu/FinancialAid/nonresident.html
Website: https://nau.edu/
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Undergraduate Population: 25,228
Class Sizes: 53% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.64 GPA, 1040-1230 SAT, 19-25 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Health Professions, Education, Liberal Arts, Social Sciences.
Honors College: https://nau.edu/honors/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $15,975 (+$3,481)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $10,914 (-$4,762)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $26,889 (-$1,281)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eIsQAJ
Scholarships: https://nau.edu/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/scholarships/
Website: https://www.csun.edu/
Location: Northridge, CA
Undergraduate Population: 34,916
Class Sizes: 61% of classes have between 20-39 students.
Academic Profile: 3.35 GPA, 900-1100 SAT, 16-22 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Education, Social Sciences, Communication/Journalism, English Language/Literature.
Honors College: N/A
WUE Cost of Tuition: $8,613 (-$3,881)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $7,074 (-$8,602)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $15,687 (-$12,483)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eJCQAZ
Scholarships: https://www.csun.edu/financialaid/campus-scholarships
Website: https://www.csus.edu/
Location: Sacramento, CA
Undergraduate Population: 29,296
Class Sizes: 50% of classes have between 20-39 students.
Academic Profile: 3.42 GPA, 930-1130 SAT, 17-23 ACT
Notable Programs: Business/Management/Marketing, Social Sciences, Family/Consumer Sciences, Communication/Journalism, Engineering.
Honors College: https://www.csus.edu/undergraduate-studies/honors-program/
WUE Cost of Tuition: $8,613 (-$3,881)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $15,944 (+$268)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $24,557 (-$3,613)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eJDQAZ
Scholarships: https://www.csus.edu/apply/financial-aid-scholarships/scholarships/
Website: https://www.csusm.edu/
Location: San Marcos, CA
Undergraduate Population: 15,040
Class Sizes: 54% of classes have between 20-39 students.
Academic Profile: 3.38 GPA, 950-1130 SAT, 17-22 ACT
Notable Programs: Social Sciences, Business/Marketing/Management, Health Professions, Psychology, Family/Consumer Sciences.
Honors College: N/A
WUE Cost of Tuition: $8,613 (-$3,881)
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $13,150 (-$2,526)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $21,763 (-$6,407)
WUE Program Details: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/school-details/?schoolID=0011H00001Q1eJFQAZ
Scholarships: https://www.csusm.edu/finaid/scholarships/index.html
Website: https://uca.edu/
Location: Conway, AR
Undergraduate Population: 8,615
Class Sizes: 62% of classes of between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: GPA, 950-1150 SAT, 20-27 ACT
Notable Programs: Health Professions, Business/Management/Marketing, Education, Psychology, Visual/Performing Arts.
Honors College: https://uca.edu/honors/
UCA Out-of-State Tuition Fee Waiver: $9,188 (-$3,306)
More Details: https://uca.edu/studentaccounts/fee-waivers/
Cost of Room & Board: $7,896 (-$7,780)
Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $17, 084 (-$11,086)
Scholarships: https://uca.edu/scholarships/
Website: https://www.memphis.edu/
Location: Memphis, TN
Undergraduate Population: 17,383
Class Sizes: 54% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.46 GPA, 990-1200 SAT, 19-26 ACT
Notable Programs: Business Administration/Management, Exercise Science/Kinesiology, Public Health, Interdisciplinary Studies, Psychology.
Honors College: https://www.memphis.edu/honors/
Out-of-State Cost of Tuition: $16,512 (+$4,018)
Out-of-State Cost of Room & Board: $10,034 (-$5,642)
Out-of-State Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $26,546 (-$1,624)
Scholarships: https://www.memphis.edu/scholarships/
Website: https://www.hendrix.edu/
Location: Conway, AR
Undergraduate Population: 1,067
Class Sizes: 73% of classes have between 2-19 students.
Academic Profile: 3.8 GPA, 1252 SAT, 28 ACT
Notable Programs: Psychology, Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Economics & Business, Health Science.
Honors College: N/A
Tuition Advantage Tuition: $12,494 (+$0)
More Details: https://www.hendrix.edu/tuitionadvantage/
Cost of Room & Board: $13,200 (-$2,476)
Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $25,694 (-$2,476)
Scholarships: https://www.hendrix.edu/financialaid/scholarships/
Website: https://oglethorpe.edu/
Location: Atlanta, GA
Undergraduate Population: 1,452
Class Sizes: 86% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.69 GPA, 1100-1270 SAT, 22-28 ACT
Notable Programs: Business Administration, Psychology, Biology, Communication Studies, English.
Honors College: https://oglethorpe.edu/academics/honors-program/
Flagship 50 Cost of Tuition: $12,494 (+$0)
More Details: https://oglethorpe.edu/flagship50/
WUE Cost of Room & Board: $14,200 (-$1,476)
WUE Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $26,694 (-$1,476)
Scholarships: https://oglethorpe.edu/admission/undergraduate-admission/scholarships-and-aid/
Website: https://umaine.edu/
Location: Orono, ME
Undergraduate Population: 9,465
Class Sizes: 54% of classes have between 10-29 students.
Academic Profile: 3.36 GPA, 1030-1250 SAT, 21-27 ACT
Notable Programs: Business Management, Mechanical Engineering, Psychology, Kinesiology, Marine Science, Forestry, Earth/Climate Sciences, Nursing.
Honors College: https://honors.umaine.edu/
Flagship Scholars Tuition: $12,494 (+$0)
More Details: https://go.umaine.edu/22-23-first-year-out-of-state-merit-scholarships/
Cost of Room & Board: $11,574 (-$4,102)
Total Cost Before Financial Aid: $24,068 (-$4,102)
Scholarships: https://umaine.edu/stuaid/types-of-aid/scholarships/
With all my support,
Sawyer Earwood
Independent College Counselor
Co-Founder of Virtual College Counselors