RN programs in Colorado

17 RN programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

7 schools offer these RN programs, and Colorado has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care and teach patients and their families about health conditions. To work as one, you graduate from an approved nursing program (a bachelor's or associate degree in nursing, or a hospital diploma) and pass a licensing exam for your state nursing license.¹ In Colorado, 11 of the 17 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 10 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 17 programs

How much do RN programs cost in Colorado?

Two-year degrees (4 programs): $14,731 to $20,467all 4 with a price
Bachelor's degrees (10 programs): $11,050 to $41,575most of them
Other RN programs (3 programs): $2,251 to $2,500all 3 with a price

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it. "Most" is the middle half of the programs with a price.

In the typical program

Finished the program: 75%
Working 6 months later: 67%
Earned a year, estimated: about $83,700
Length: Not reported for most programs

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Colorado may also offer RN programs. How these figures are made

Are there free RN programs in Colorado?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴For a degree, the job center first looks at grants such as a federal Pell Grant; WIOA pays toward what they don't cover.⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Two-year degrees here cost $14,731 to $20,467.Bachelor's degrees here mostly cost $11,050 to $41,575.Other RN programs here cost $2,251 to $2,500.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

RN programs in Pueblo, Denver, Rifle and other Colorado cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

How to pay for RN programs in Colorado

WIOA funding can pay for RN programs in Colorado

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Financial aid and grants for RN programs

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁶⁷

GI Bill for RN programs

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁸

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: RN programs in Colorado

programs with a price cost under $10,000: 3 of 16
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 18th of 37
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less: 29 of 29
RN programs here, against the typical state's 13: 17 vs 13

State comparisons use the same figures as the RN programs by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Where the Colorado RN program numbers come from

Which Colorado RN programs are on this list?

These are the RN programs Colorado approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁹ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Colorado offers.

How Colorado RN program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some RN programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

How reliable are the Colorado figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Colorado among the states with "known data quality concerns".¹⁰ The figures here are shown as the state reported them; check them with the school before you enroll.

Sources for the facts about RN programs in Colorado

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources

RN programs in Colorado

How much do RN programs cost in Colorado?

Are there free RN programs in Colorado?

RN programs in Pueblo, Denver, Rifle and other Colorado cities

All 17 RN programs in Colorado approved for WIOA funding

Associate Degree Nursing 3

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing 1

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing 2

Associate Degree Nursing 1

R.N. Refresher Program

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN 4

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 1

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 2

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 3

RN Refresher

Basic BSN Nursing Program 1

Basic BSN Nursing Program 2

Paramedic to ADN Nursing

RN - BSN Refresher Program

Associate Degree Nursing 2

Accelerated BSN Program

Bachelor of Nursing - Accelerated