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A uniquely smart college in an adventurous setting prepares students to excel

  • Heart of the Rockies

    Central & western Colorado: 11 campus locations + administrative offices and Morgridge Commons meeting space

    District & service area: 12,000 square miles including 18 ski resorts, 24 14,000-ft peaks and 15 wilderness areas

    Counties served: 9 including Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Lake, Garfield, Pitkin, Summit, Chaffee, Routt.

    Highest elevated college campus in the US (Leadville, elevation 10,152 ft.).

    Economic Impact: 1,178 FTE jobs in the nine-county region, $46.2 million in earnings; and $65.4 million in regional economic output annually.

  • Students & Faculty

    Number of students attending annually: 15,000.

    4,904 full-time credit students.

    Average full-time student: 22 years of age.

    Average age of all students (full- and part-time): 25 years of age.

    81% of students are from Colorado.

    CMC’s Latinx enrollment has doubled in six years to 27%, qualifying CMC to apply for federal Hispanic Serving Institution status.

    Full-time faculty: 113.

    College-wide student/teacher ratio: 12 to 1.

    A few notable CMC alumni include:

    • NASA researcher and professor Dr. Aileen O’Donoghue
    • Colorado Veterinary Technician of the Year Leslie Rockey
    • Fulbright scholars Noelle Brigden and Denise Dimon
    • U.S. Dept. of Interior Conservationist of the Year Sherri Griffith
    • DNA-sequencing research physicist Ian Derrington
    • Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Pat Davison
    • Four-time Olympian: Katie Uhlaender

  • Institution of Higher Education

    Founded 1965: Classes started 1967.

    College type: Public dual mission local college district

    Degrees offered: 5 Bachelor’s, 54 Associate emphasis areas and 77 Certificates.

    Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission.

    Governance: locally-controlled, property tax-supported college, governed by seven elected trustees.

    Colorado Mountain College Foundation: Endowment is $16 million, largest gift $4 million, total raised since incorporation nearly $60 million, governed by an independent Board of Directors.

    Designated in 2021 as an Hispanic Serving Institution

  • Programs

    Top degree programs by enrollment:

    1. Associate of Arts (AA)
    2. Associate of Science (AS)
    3. Associate of Arts in Business (AA)
    4. Associate of General Studies (AGS)
    5. Emergency Medical Tech Basic (COP)
    6. Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BS)

    English as a Second Language programs served 1,808 students.

Uniquely CMC

CMC ranked top 20 in United States for student success by CNN/Money and the Aspen Institute.

One of nine institutions in the nation to receive the 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Postsecondary Sustainability Award.

CMC generates 220 kilowatts of solar-powered electricity with five on-campus photovoltaic installations.

The Isaacson School for Communication, Arts & Media is named for digital communications pioneer and author Walter Isaacson.

First Ski and Snowboard Business degree and first national snowsports certification in partnership with SnowSports Industries America (SIA).

America’s only certification in ski lift & ropeway maintenance.

Veterinary Technology graduates had a 100% pass rate on the Veterinary Technician National Examination for three of the past five years.

Culinary students have been Colorado State Champions seven times.

Professional Photography students won prestigious College Photographer of the Year Awards four years in a row.

Resort Management Professor Terry Hunter was honored with the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s national award for hospitality training and education.

info-graphic: most affordable bachelor's degree in Colorado

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

Hispanic Serving Institution, 2021: The federal government designated Colorado Mountain College as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2021 after years of deliberate efforts to grow CMC’s student body to be 25% or more Latino. The HSI designation means the college is now eligible for additional grant funding that benefits all students.

Summer 2020: To help alleviate the recession, the college created CMC Responds, with free certificates in hospitality, consulting support, and business seminars in English and Spanish. CMC directly and indirectly passed along federal funds to students, and offered $1.9 million in free tuition to 2,500 students.

Fund Sueños: An innovative, no-interest income-share agreement, funded by private donors, was launched in 2018-19 to provide financing for DACA students and others ineligible for federal financial aid. More about Fund Sueños

Fall 2019: Salida and Poncha Springs joined the CMC district. Measures passed by a vote of  60% to 40% within Salida School District R32J, and 78% to 22% in the existing CMC district.

$5M in Grants: The U.S. Department of Education awarded CMC a $2.125 million Strengthening Institutions Program grant to bolster nursing labs, law enforcement training and skilled trades. A $2.9 million Colorado RISE grant to CMC - in partnership with Colorado Northwestern Community College, 17 school districts, and 54 high schools - will create the largest network of interconnected classrooms in Colorado, giving thousands of students in rural mountain and resort communities access to college courses.

New Programs: Added a second law enforcement academy in Breckenridge, expanded nursing to Steamboat Springs, and launched the nation’s only avalanche science certificate; new programs planned in crisis counseling (cert), human services (BA) and ecosystems science (BS).