| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit university; mostly online, with one campus |
| Where | Online Virtual Campus; campus in Colorado Springs, CO (students with a Colorado address only) |
| Credentials | Associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; graduate nursing certificate; Coding Dojo Software Development certificate |
| Credits | Quarter credits; for example, 182 for the BS in Criminal Justice and 184 for the BSIT |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission, continued 17 July 2023; next reaffirmation 2032-33 |
| Federal aid | Yes for degree programs; not for the Coding Dojo certificate |
| Owner | Perdoceo Education Corporation (as Career Education Corporation from 2003) |
| Founded | 1965, in Colorado Springs |
| Students | 32,110 on 30 June 2026, per Perdoceo |
| Facts checked | 14 October 2026 |
A mostly online university owned by Perdoceo
Colorado Technical University (CTU) is a private, for-profit university. It opened in Colorado Springs in 1965 as a technical training school for former military personnel and gained university status in 1995. Career Education Corporation took ownership in 2003 and renamed itself Perdoceo Education Corporation in 2020; CTU is one of Perdoceo’s three institutions. Most students study online through CTU’s Virtual Campus, and Perdoceo reported 32,110 CTU student enrollments on 30 June 2026. Perdoceo’s annual report says 38.3% of CTU enrollments at the end of 2025 came through employer-sponsored arrangements. The one campus open to new students is in Colorado Springs, for students with a Colorado address. CTU’s Denver South site in Aurora no longer enrolls new students.
Programs and where they are taught
The table lists CTU’s main current programs, taken from the location matrix in the 2026 CTU catalog. Credits are quarter credits; a dash means the catalog pages we read gave no figure. Tuition is covered in the next section.
| Program | Credential | Quarter credits | Where | Accreditation or note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | AS; BS; MBA concentration | — | Online; AS and BS also Colorado Springs | ACBSP |
| Business Administration | AS; BSBA; MBA | — | Online and Colorado Springs | ACBSP |
| Management | AS; BS; MS | — | Online and Colorado Springs | Not ACBSP-accredited |
| Marketing; Digital Marketing | BSBA concentrations; MBA Marketing | — | Online only | ACBSP |
| Finance | BSBA concentration; MBA concentration | — | BSBA online and Colorado Springs; MBA online | ACBSP |
| Human Resource Management | BSBA and MBA concentrations | — | BSBA online and Colorado Springs; MBA online | ACBSP; SHRM-aligned |
| Project Management | BS; BSBA and MBA concentrations | — | Online; MBA concentration also Colorado Springs | PMI GAC |
| Healthcare Management | AS (Health Administration Services); BS; MS | — | Online; BS also Colorado Springs | — |
| Criminal Justice | BS; MS | BS 182 | Online and Colorado Springs; Forensic Investigation at Colorado Springs only | No licensure or certification |
| Information Technology | BS; MS | BS 184 | Online and Colorado Springs | — |
| Computer Science, Software Engineering | BS and MS concentrations | BS 183 | Online only | Not ABET-accredited |
| Computer Science, Cybersecurity Engineering | BS and MS concentrations | — | BS online and Colorado Springs; MS online | Mapped to NSA/DHS CAE-CD |
| Computer Engineering | BS | — | Online and Colorado Springs | ABET EAC |
| Electrical Engineering | BS | — | Colorado Springs only | ABET EAC |
| Software Development (Coding Dojo) | Certificate | 18, 24 or 30 | Online | No federal aid |
| Nursing, RN to BSN | BSN | 180, including a 28.5-credit RN license award | Online only | CCNE; for licensed RNs only |
| Nursing, graduate | MSN; Post Graduate FNP Certificate; DNP | — | Online only | CCNE |
ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission accredits CTU’s computer and electrical engineering degrees, and the cybersecurity engineering concentration maps to the knowledge units of CTU’s NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation. Project management programs hold PMI Global Accreditation Center accreditation. CTU has no prelicensure nursing program: its BSN admits only nurses who already hold an RN license. Several programs have closed to new students, including the BSBA International Business concentration, the BSIT Network Management and Web Development specializations, the MSIT Network Management specialization and the AS degrees in Information Technology and Electronics Technology.
What the main programs cover
BS in Criminal Justice
The 182-credit degree has 66 general-education credits, a 56-credit core and 60 credits of concentration courses and electives. Core courses include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Operations, Homeland Security, Corrections, Victimology, Juvenile Delinquency, Criminal Law, Report Writing, Criminology, Criminal Procedure and Evidence. Students choose the General, Human Services or Forensic Investigation concentration, and Forensic Investigation is taught only at Colorado Springs. The Cybercrime and Homeland Security concentrations no longer take new students. The catalog says the degree does not lead to additional licensure or certification, so it is not police academy training.
BS in Information Technology
The BSIT is 184 credits: 66 in general education, a 94-credit core and 24 credits of IT electives, with no named concentrations. Networking is taught through three core courses, IT204 Fundamentals of Networking, IT304 Computer Networks and Communications and IT326 Network Infrastructure Administration, and web work through one, EM200 Introduction to Website Development. The catalog names no CompTIA or Cisco exam alignment. The former Network Management, Web Development, Security and software specializations no longer enroll. The degree is taught online and at Colorado Springs, and an MS in Information Technology follows it.
BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering concentration
This online-only concentration is 183 credits: 51 in general education, 88 in the computer science core and 44 in the concentration and electives. Its required courses are CS227 Linux Programming, CS361 UI Design, CS368 Software Requirements, CS374 Software Design, CS468 Software Service Construction and CS469 Software Quality Assurance, plus 20 elective credits. CTU says its outcomes align with ABET standards, but this program is not ABET-accredited. The Cybersecurity Engineering concentration of the same degree is taught online and at Colorado Springs, and both concentrations continue into an online MS in Computer Science.
Coding Dojo Software Development certificate
Coding Dojo, which is part of CTU, teaches this non-degree certificate online in three sizes. One Stack (18 credits) is Programming Basics, Web Fundamentals, Intro to Python Full-stack Programming and Intro to Data Structures and Algorithms, with Python and Flask on the back end. Two Stack (24 credits) adds Programming in Java, using Spring, and Three Stack (30 credits) adds Fundamentals of MERN Stack Programming. Students supply their own laptop. The onsite and full-time online versions of the certificate no longer take new students; the current tuition schedule covers the online programs.
RN to BSN Completion
The RN to BSN is for nurses with an active, clear and unencumbered US RN license and an associate degree or diploma in nursing. New graduates awaiting the NCLEX can start provisionally but must pass within their first quarter. The degree totals 180 credits, including a 28.5-credit RN license transfer award, and up to 90 credits can transfer in with an ADN. Clinical requirements in population-based nursing and health assessment are met in the student’s own community. It is online only and closed to residents of AL, DE, LA, MA, NY, TN and WV.
Tuition and paying for it
CTU’s catalog publishes no tuition rates: its student handbook says a student’s rate is set out in the enrollment packet. Federal figures, from IPEDS data for 2024-25 (as republished by CollegeTuitionCompare), are below. CTU is private, so there is no in-state or out-of-state rate.
- Undergraduate: $335 per credit, with undergraduate tuition and fees of $12,750 for the year, the same for students in every state.
- Graduate: $582 per credit.
- Coding Dojo Software Development certificate (students starting after 1 January 2025): $9,995 for One Stack, $13,495 for Two Stack and $16,995 for Three Stack, with no other fees and $500 per retaken course, per the Coding Dojo tuition page. The full amount is charged at the start.
Degree students can use federal financial aid. Perdoceo’s annual report says CTU’s federal program participation agreement was recertified in February 2025, with full certification, through 30 June 2027. The Coding Dojo certificate is not eligible for federal aid.
Military students. The catalog describes a reduced military tuition rate for active-duty, reserve and National Guard members and their spouses, which also waives books and standard fees. The catalog does not list the amounts or name veterans as eligible, so ask CTU before enrolling.
Admissions and schedule
Campus programs at Colorado Springs are open only to students with a Colorado address, a rule in place since 24 October 2022; everyone else studies online. The RN to BSN requires a US RN license, or provisional entry while awaiting the NCLEX. The catalog’s Ground Campus calendar has terms of about 5 weeks and 10 to 11 weeks, with 2026 starts on 6 January, 10 February, 24 March, 5 May, 9 June, 21 July, 1 September, 6 October and 17 November, and dates published into 2027. Because credits are quarter credits, transfer students should check how credits from semester-based colleges convert.
The Colorado Springs campus
The 2026, 2025 and 2024 catalogs all give the campus address as 1575 Garden of the Gods Road, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80907. It teaches associate degrees in accounting, business administration and management; bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business administration, computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, criminal justice, healthcare management, information technology and management; and the MBA and master’s degrees in computer science, criminal justice, information technology and management. Electrical engineering and the forensic investigation concentration are taught only here. The catalog notes that students may have to complete some or all coursework online, so ask CTU which classes meet in person in your term.
Accreditation and legal matters
CTU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. HLC continued its accreditation on 17 July 2023 and set the next reaffirmation for 2032-33, according to the HLC action letter, which lists no sanctions, monitoring or interim reports. The Colorado Commission on Higher Education authorizes CTU to grant degrees.
The 2026 catalog lists these programmatic accreditations: CCNE for the RN to BSN, MSN, Post Graduate FNP Certificate and DNP; ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission for the BS in Computer Engineering (online and Colorado Springs) and the BS in Electrical Engineering (Colorado Springs only); ACBSP for the accounting and business administration degrees, the BS in Project Management, the MBA and the Doctor of Management, but not for the AS, BS or MS in Management; the PMI Global Accreditation Center for project management programs; and the NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation.
Two False Claims Act whistleblower suits filed by former CTU employees in federal court in Colorado, in 2021 and 2023, are pending after the Justice Department declined to join them, according to Perdoceo’s 2025 annual report. The same report lists CTU among the schools in the Sweet v. Cardona borrower-defense settlement, to which Perdoceo was not a party.
Graduation and loan defaults
Federal IPEDS data, as republished by CollegeSimply, show a graduation rate of 28% within 150% of normal time. For first-time, full-time bachelor’s students the figures are 4% within four years and 9% within six. Perdoceo reports an official three-year cohort default rate of 0% for the 2022 cohort across its schools. CTU publishes no licensure pass rates: it has no prelicensure nursing program, and its other degree pages say they do not lead to licensure or certification. We found no published job placement rate.
Before you enroll
- The nursing degree is for nurses who are already RNs. CTU has no program that leads to an RN license; the RN to BSN requires one, and seven states’ residents cannot enroll.
- The campus is for Colorado residents, and it may still mean online classes. Only students with a Colorado address can enroll at Colorado Springs, and the catalog warns that some or all coursework may be online.
- Few students finish on time. Federal data show 28% graduating within 150% of normal time, and 9% of first-time, full-time bachelor’s students within six years.
- Current prices are in your enrollment packet, not the catalog. The public figures are federal ones for 2024-25; ask for CTU’s current rate and fees in writing.
- The Coding Dojo certificate is paid for without federal aid. The full tuition, up to $16,995, is charged at the start.
What students say
On Niche, CTU’s Colorado Springs profile, which carries its online students, is rated 4.34 out of 5 from 1,885 reviews, with an overall Niche grade of C+ (checked 14 October 2026).
- Praised: supportive advisors and financial-aid counselors; instructors who are easy to reach; an online Virtual Campus that is easy to use; flexibility for working adults.
- Criticized: slow or unclear communication about financial aid and scheduling; little hands-on learning and limited career or networking help; one review describes a GI Bill billing dispute after graduation.
New reviews arrive steadily, with the newest under a week old when we checked, and we could not tell whether CTU invites students to post them, so read the score with that in mind. CTU’s Trustpilot page had only 7 reviews, too few to summarize.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Business
- Accounting AS and BS (ACBSP); MBA Accounting concentration
- Business Administration AS; BSBA (general and about 13 concentrations); MBA (all ACBSP)
- Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Digital Marketing concentrations (BSBA); Finance, HRM and Marketing concentrations (MBA)
- Management AS, BS and MS (not ACBSP-accredited)
- Project Management BS; BSBA and MBA Project Management concentrations (PMI GAC)
- Doctor of Management
Computer and Information Technology
- Information Technology BS and MS
- Computer Science BS and MS, including Software Engineering and Cybersecurity Engineering concentrations
- Artificial Intelligence BS
- Software Development certificate (Coding Dojo; One, Two or Three Stack)
- Computer Engineering BS (ABET); Electrical Engineering BS (ABET, Colorado Springs only)
Criminal Justice and Law
- Criminal Justice BS (General, Human Services, Forensic Investigation)
- Criminal Justice MS (General, Homeland Security)
Healthcare Administration
- Health Administration Services AS
- Healthcare Management BS (including Health Informatics) and MS; BSBA and MBA Healthcare Management concentrations
Nursing (for licensed RNs)
- BSN, RN to BSN Completion (CCNE; post-licensure only)
- MSN (Family Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Administration, Nursing Education); Post Graduate FNP Certificate; DNP (CCNE)
Campus Locations
100% Online
Colorado Springs, CO 1575 Garden of the Gods Road, Ste 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80907