| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college in the Colorado Community College System; campus-based, with online courses |
| Campuses | 2, both in the Denver area: Lakewood (main) and Arvada |
| Credentials | Certificates; AA, AS, AGS, AAS, Associate of Engineering Science and Associate of Fine Arts degrees; 10 Bachelor of Applied Science degrees; a Master of Physician Assistant Studies |
| Programs | 69 programs and areas of study in the 2026-27 catalog |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission (Open Pathway); next comprehensive evaluation 2028-29 |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| 2026-27 tuition | $183.75 per credit for Colorado residents on campus after the COF stipend; $754.25 for non-residents; separate nursing, PA and bachelor’s rates |
| Students | More than 13,000 a year, according to the catalog |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Red Rocks: a public Colorado college with two Denver-area campuses
Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) is a public two-year college founded in 1969 and part of the Colorado Community College System. Its catalog says it serves more than 13,000 students a year. The main campus in Lakewood teaches the trades, public safety and design, and the Arvada campus teaches the health-science programs, from phlebotomy to a physician assistant master’s degree. Credentials run from short certificates to associate degrees, ten Bachelor of Applied Science degrees and the MPAS.
Three changes matter to new students: the RN associate degree started in August 2025, the sonography associate degrees became bachelor’s degrees in fall 2025, and RRCC is not enrolling new adult students in the programs it hosts at Warren Tech, a Jeffco Public Schools career and technical high school, while those programs are restructured.
Career programs at RRCC, and where they meet
The 2026-27 catalog lists 69 programs and areas of study, including transfer degrees. The table shows the main career programs with the 2026-27 per-credit rate a Colorado resident pays on campus after the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend, before fees.
| Program | Credential | Length | Campus | Prepares for / approval | 2026-27 resident rate per credit after COF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (RN) | AAS | Full-time, no summers; 750 clinical hours | Arvada | NCLEX-RN; interim State Board of Nursing approval | $263.25 |
| Physician Assistant Studies | MPAS, 120 credits | 27 months, year-round | Arvada | PANCE; ARC-PA | $571.30 (2026 cohort; no COF stipend listed) |
| Radiologic Technology | AAS; CT and MRI certificates | – | Arvada | ARRT; JRCERT | $183.75 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Echocardiography | BAS, 120 credits | 21 months after an associate degree | Arvada | ARDMS exams | $301.85 |
| Medical Assisting | Certificate, 28 credits; AAS, 61 | Includes a 225-hour internship | Arvada | CMA (AAMA); CAAHEP (certificate) | $183.75 |
| Phlebotomy | Certificate, 10 credits | One semester plus a 135-hour internship | Arvada | AMT RPT | $183.75 |
| Law Enforcement Academy | Certificate, 39 credits; AAS, 60 | 18 weeks full-time or two semesters part-time | Lakewood | Colorado POST certification | $183.75 |
| Fire Science Technology | Fire Fighter I certificate, 12 credits; AAS, 60; Fire Academy | – | Lakewood; classroom, online or hybrid | Firefighter I and II | $183.75 |
| EMT and Paramedic | EMT and AEMT certificates, 12 credits each; Paramedic certificate, 49; AAS, 62-63 | EMT in one semester | Lakewood | National Registry | $183.75 |
| Welding | AAS, 64 credits; certificates, 8-9 credits | – | Lakewood (confirm 2026-27 enrollment) | AWS entry-level certification may be earned | $183.75 |
| Cosmetology | AAS, 75 credits; Hairstylist, 40; Esthetician, 20; Nail Technician, 20 | – | Lakewood (confirm 2026-27 enrollment) | – | $183.75 |
| Fine Woodworking | AAS, 60 credits; 12 certificates, 6-32 credits | – | Lakewood | – | $183.75 |
| Carpentry (remodeling) | Certificates, 18 and 30 credits | – | Lakewood | – | $183.75 |
| Electricity | AAS; 14 certificates, including 288 Hour Journeyman License | – | Check the catalog | – | $183.75 |
| Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration | AAS; 8 certificates | – | Check the catalog | – | $183.75 |
| Software Developer | Certificate, 19 credits; BAS in Secure Software Development | – | – | – | $183.75 (certificate, on campus) |
Programmatic accreditation and approvals, as the college lists them: ARC-PA (Accreditation-Continued) for Physician Assistant Studies, JRCERT for Radiologic Technology, CAAHEP for the Medical Assisting certificate, the Colorado POST Board for the Law Enforcement Academy, the Colorado Division of Fire Safety for the Fire Academy, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for EMS, the Colorado State Board of Nursing for Nurse Aide, and NAEYC for Early Childhood Education. The college’s list does not include sonography or paramedic.
Programs paused for new adult students. RRCC is not enrolling new adult students in the programs hosted at Warren Tech while they are restructured: automotive service technology, auto collision repair and customization, cosmetology, culinary arts, dental assisting, precision machining and welding. Students already enrolled may finish. The cosmetology and welding program pages, however, say both programs are open to all students in the 2026-27 school year, so confirm with the college before you apply to either.
What the main programs cover
Nursing (AAS, RN)
The AAS in Nursing is full-time and in person at Arvada, with no summer terms and 750 clinical hours at partner hospitals: St. Anthony, AdventHealth Avista, Porter and Parker, Good Samaritan and Lutheran. Clinicals may include nights and weekends. Applicants need four prerequisite courses and a TEAS or HESI A2 score of at least 65%, and apply from 1 January to 1 February for a fall start or 13 August to 21 September for spring. An Integrated Pathway in Nursing degree and an RN Refresher course are also offered. There is no practical nursing program.
Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)
The MPAS runs 27 months, full-time and year-round, for 120 credits. Roughly the first 13 months are classroom (didactic) study at Arvada; the rest is clinical rotations, mainly in Colorado and Wyoming, ending with a capstone. Applicants apply through CASPA and need a bachelor’s degree and 2,000 hours of paid health care experience. ARC-PA accepted reports from the program on exceeding its class size in March 2023, March 2025 and September 2025 and has taken no adverse action; the next comprehensive ARC-PA review is due in 2027.
Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Echocardiography (BAS)
Students enter the bachelor’s program after an associate degree and prerequisites, apply between 5 January and 28 February, and start in mid-August for 21 months over five semesters at Arvada. Seats are limited to about 9-10 in sonography and 6 in echocardiography, and the college says about 40-50% of interviewees get an offer. Graduates prepare for ARDMS exams, including abdomen, OB/GYN, vascular technology and the SPI physics exam, or RDCS for echo. A 10-credit Echocardiography certificate is for people who already work in ultrasound.
Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy
Medical assisting runs as a sequential cohort at Arvada, so students take the courses in a set order and finish with MAP 1083, a 225-hour internship at least four days a week. The certificate prepares students for the AAMA’s CMA exam, whose fee is extra. Phlebotomy is a 10-week accelerated in-person course followed by a 135-hour internship and prepares students for the AMT’s RPT exam; medical assisting students can add it with the extra internship. Health programs require a background check and a drug screen.
Law Enforcement Academy
The academy prepares cadets for Colorado POST certification. Full-time cadets train for 18 weeks, Monday to Friday from 8 to 5, with some nights and 6 am physical training; the part-time academy runs Tuesday to Thursday 6-10 pm and Saturdays 8-5 over two semesters, starting each fall. There are two cohorts a year. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED, must be 21 by the POST exam, and go through a placement test, an oral board, and background and driving checks. Cadets supply a 9mm duty weapon and possibly a belt, holster and vest.
EMT and Paramedic
EMS training at Lakewood is stackable: students can finish the 12-credit EMT certificate after the first semester and the 12-credit AEMT certificate after the second, then continue to the 49-credit Paramedic certificate, the 62-credit AAS in Paramedicine or the 63-credit AAS in Emergency Medical Technology. The programs are approved by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and students test with the National Registry. RRCC does not publish pass rates for its EMS programs, and its accreditation page does not list national paramedic accreditation.
Tuition and how students pay
Colorado community colleges have no in-district rate; all Colorado residents pay the same rate, and residents who authorize the College Opportunity Fund have $116 per credit paid by the state. For 2026-27 the resident on-campus total is $299.75 per credit, up 3.0% from $291.00 in 2025-26.
| 2026-27, per credit (before fees) | Total | Student pays |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado resident, on campus | $299.75 | $183.75 after the $116 COF stipend |
| Colorado resident, online | $417.85 | $301.85 after COF |
| Non-resident, on campus | $754.25 | $754.25 |
| Non-resident, online | $460.30 | $460.30 |
| Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), on campus; not for PA or bachelor’s programs | $275.60 | $275.60 |
| Active-duty military | $366.00 | $250.00 after COF |
| Nursing, on campus: resident / non-resident | $379.25 / $734.85 | $263.25 after COF / $734.85 |
| Physician Assistant (MPAS), 2026 cohort: resident / non-resident | $571.30 / $826.43 | – |
| Bachelor of Applied Science (most programs): resident / non-resident | $417.85 / $460.30 | $301.85 after COF / $460.30 |
Mandatory fees are $245.76 a term in fall and spring (registration, student activity, health center and two recreation center fees) and $129.56 in summer, plus a $1.49 per-credit parking fee. Some courses add an instructional program fee of $9.25 a credit or a Cisco fee of $26.45 a credit. By our calculation from these published rates, 30 on-campus credits over fall and spring cost about $6,049 for a Colorado resident with COF and about $23,164 for a non-resident, before course fees, books and program supplies. Non-residents pay less for online courses ($460.30) than for on-campus ones.
RRCC takes federal student aid and VA education benefits, works with third-party sponsors and offers a payment plan. Students from WICHE states can apply for the WUE rate for most programs. Program extras include a 9mm duty weapon for law-enforcement cadets, background checks and drug screens for health programs, the CMA exam fee and about $145 for National Registry EMS testing.
Open admission, with selective health programs
The college has open admission, but several programs set their own entry steps. Nursing needs four prerequisites, a TEAS or HESI A2 score of 65% or higher and an application in a fixed window. Sonography admits about 9-10 and 6 students a year after interviews. Physician Assistant applicants apply through CASPA with a bachelor’s degree and 2,000 hours of paid health care experience. The Law Enforcement Academy requires cadets to be 21 by the POST exam and to pass an oral board and background checks.
Some programs run in the evening or at weekends, such as the part-time law enforcement academy, and fire courses can be taken online or hybrid. Adults interested in the paused Warren Tech programs can submit the college’s Warren Tech Adult Interest form.
Accreditation and results
RRCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college says its last reaffirmation was in 2018-19, that it joined HLC’s Open Pathway in 2018, and that its next comprehensive evaluation is in 2028-29.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Physician Assistant, first-time PANCE pass rate | 96.2% (153 of 159); 97% in 2025 | 2021-2025, RRCC PANCE report, July 2026 |
| Radiologic Technology, first-attempt ARRT pass rate | 99% (87 of 88) | 2019-2023, program effectiveness data, December 2024 |
| Radiologic Technology, job placement within 12 months | 100% (60 of 60) | 2019-2023, same report |
| Medical Assisting, CMA pass rate | 74% (37 of 50); job placement 91.38% | 2019-2024 totals, program page |
| Graduation rate, first-time full-time students within three years | 30.5% | 2022 cohort, RRCC Student Right to Know report, April 2026 |
| Fall-to-fall retention | 68.1% full-time, 46.1% part-time | 2023, same report |
The new nursing program has no NCLEX-RN results yet; the first class graduates in May 2027. The sonography program publishes targets (85% graduation, 80% employment and 80% first-attempt pass) rather than measured rates, and the program pages for EMS, the Law Enforcement Academy, fire, phlebotomy and welding publish no pass, completion or placement rates.
Before you enroll
- The RN program is new. It has interim approval from the Colorado State Board of Nursing, is not ACEN-accredited, and will have no NCLEX-RN pass rate until its first class graduates in May 2027. RRCC has no LPN program.
- Seven programs hosted at Warren Tech are not taking new adult students during restructuring. For cosmetology and welding the college’s own pages disagree, so get a written answer before you plan a start.
- RRCC’s accreditation list does not include its sonography bachelor’s degrees or its paramedic program. Ask about programmatic accreditation before applying.
- The Criminal Justice and Victim Assistance AAs are transfer degrees. The job-focused routes are the Law Enforcement AAS, the Law Enforcement Academy and the Emergency Dispatch certificate.
- Fewer than a third of first-time, full-time students who started in 2022 graduated within three years (30.5%).
Two campuses: what each teaches
| Campus | Address | Main programs |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood (main) | 13300 W. 6th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80228 | Carpentry, fine woodworking, welding, cosmetology, EMT and paramedic, fire, Law Enforcement Academy, criminal justice, multimedia graphic design |
| Arvada | 10280 W 55th Ave., Arvada, CO 80002 | Health-science programs: nursing, nurse aide, physician assistant, radiologic technology, sonography, medical assisting, phlebotomy, medical office |
Warren Tech, next to the Lakewood campus, is a Jeffco Public Schools high school where RRCC teaches some program courses on a space-available basis; it is not an RRCC campus. The Rocky Mountain Education Center, the college’s OSHA Training Institute Education Center, offers continuing education and workforce training at the Lakewood campus or at employer sites and does not grant degrees. Health students do clinicals at hospitals, and PA rotations are mainly in Colorado and Wyoming.
Child care, health services and internships
The Lakewood campus has a Children’s Center with full-day care for children from 18 months to kindergarten age, a student health and counseling center with licensed providers, a recreation center, accessibility services, tutoring and a student employment center. The Arvada campus has advising, an assessment center, a library, a fitness center and financial aid help. Work experience is built into several programs: 750 clinical hours in nursing, PA rotations, the 225-hour medical assisting internship and the 135-hour phlebotomy internship.
Sources
Checked October 2026: RRCC 2026-27 catalog · Tuition rates 2026-27 · Student fees · Accreditation · Warren Tech programs · ARC-PA accreditation history · Radiologic Technology program effectiveness data · 2026 Student Right to Know report
Programs & Courses
Health Sciences (Arvada campus)
- Nursing (AAS, RN)
- Integrated Pathway in Nursing
- RN Refresher
- Nurse Aide
- Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)
- Radiologic Technology (AAS)
- Computed Tomography (CT) and MRI certificates
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (BAS)
- Echocardiography (BAS and certificate)
- Medical Assisting
- Phlebotomy
- Medical Office Administration
- Medical Billing and Reimbursement
- Integrated Health Professions
Public Safety and Law
- Law Enforcement Academy (POST certification)
- Law Enforcement (AAS)
- Fire Science Technology and Fire Academy
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Advanced EMT
- Paramedic (certificate and AAS)
- Emergency Dispatch
- Criminal Justice (AA, transfer)
- Victim Assistance (AA, transfer)
Construction and Building Trades
- Carpentry (remodeling certificates)
- Fine Woodworking
- Electricity: Commercial, Industrial, Residential
- Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration
- Plumbing Service (certificate)
Welding and Cosmetology (confirm 2026-27 enrollment)
- Welding
- Cosmetology
- Hairstylist
- Esthetician
- Nail Technician
Computers and Design
- Software Developer (certificate)
- Secure Software Development (BAS)
- Cybersecurity (certificate and BAS)
- Network and Systems (Cisco Network Associate, Networking Technology)
- Multimedia Graphic Design
- Engineering Graphics Technology (CAD)
Paused for new adult students (Warren Tech)
- Automotive Service Technology
- Auto Collision Repair and Customization
- Culinary Arts
- Dental Assisting
- Precision Machining Technology
Other career programs
- Early Childhood Education
- Behavioral Health
- Water Quality Management Technology
- Business Administration (BAS)
- Healthcare Administration (BAS)
Campus Locations
Denver (Lakewood), CO 13300 W. 6th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80228
Denver (Arvada), CO 10280 W 55th Ave., Arvada, CO 80002