Colorado Mountain College

Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is a public “open access” institution with 11 campuses and learning centers sprinkled across a nine-county service area – a geographic region spanning 12,000 square miles.  The college enrolls nearly 20,000 students and has 1,500 employees, making it one of the largest employers in the central mountains. It specializes in programs needed in rural resort economies, such as police and firefighter training, emergency medicine (EMT), culinary/hospitality, teacher education, outdoor studies, ski area operations, nursing and others.  CMC is home to the Isaacson School for Media, Arts, and Communications and enjoys a close relationship with the Aspen Institute.

The majority of CMC’s students are local and from other parts of Colorado; 15% come from out-of-state. CMC offers two and four-year degrees as well as a range of specialized certificate programs, on-line learning, cooperative statewide GT Pathways General Education curriculum, non-credit courses, extensive dual enrollment programs through close partnerships with dozens of school districts, General Educational Equivalent (GED) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. CMC makes life-long learning opportunities available to all.

CMC prepares Colorado’s workforce through apprenticeships, internships, experiential, and outdoor learning in beautiful mountain settings. The college is uniquely positioned to be entrepreneurial, nimble, responsive to community and workforce needs, and to fulfill its vision to be “…the most inclusive and innovative student-centered college in the nation, elevating the economic, social, cultural, and environmental vitality of our beautiful Rocky Mountain communities.”

As a local district college by statute, the college’s funding primarily comes from property taxes. With an annual operating budget of nearly $70 million, the college is governed by an independent 7-member elected Board of Trustees and is not part of the Colorado Community College System or the state’s comprehensive regional college/university system.

Colorado Mountain College is located in Steamboat Springs, Rifle, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs (downtown), Glenwood Springs (Spring Valley), Aspen, the Vail Valley, Dillon, Breckenridge, Leadville and Buena Vista. Of these locations, our three campuses in Spring Valley, Leadville and Steamboat Springs are residential. The college’s central administrative offices, which serve all other locations, are located in downtown Glenwood Springs.

Founded in 1965 with a mission to provide a dynamic student-centered learning experience, Colorado Mountain College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. CMC students have gone on to become world renowned chefs, Pulitzer Prize winners, influential entrepreneurs, and award winning experts in their fields. For general information about CMC, its programs, locations, students, faculty, and offerings, go to: www.coloradomtn.edu.