| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college in the Colorado Community College System; campus-based, with an online RN-to-BSN |
| Campuses | 3 in Colorado: Trinidad (main), the Valley Campus in Alamosa, and Pinello Ranch in Colorado Springs (line technician training only) |
| Credentials | Certificates, associate degrees (AAS, AA, AS) and two bachelor’s degrees: the RN-to-BSN and a BAS in Business Administration |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission since 1962, reaffirmed June 2026; ACEN (ADN), CCNE (RN-to-BSN), Colorado POST (police academy) |
| Federal aid | Yes (OPEID 001368) |
| 2026-27 tuition | $183.75 per credit for Colorado residents after the state stipend, $275.60 WUE, $306.40 non-resident; nursing and online courses cost more |
| Students | 1,613 in fall 2024, 38% full-time; 16 students per faculty member |
| Founded | Authorized by the Colorado legislature in 1925; first students enrolled in 1926 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Trinidad State: Colorado’s first two-year college, with three campuses
Trinidad State College is a public two-year college in the Colorado Community College System. The legislature authorized a junior college at Trinidad in April 1925 and the first 37 students enrolled in 1926; the college catalog calls it the first two-year college in Colorado. It was Trinidad State Junior College until a 2021 state law dropped “Junior” from college names. The Valley Campus in Alamosa joined in 1994, and in May 2025 the Higher Learning Commission approved moving the Colorado Springs location to Pinello Ranch for line technician training. A new president took office on 15 June 2026.
Beyond gunsmithing, taught since 1947, it teaches nursing and health, skilled trades, cosmetology, business, police training and transfer programs. It now awards two bachelor’s degrees. Fall 2024 enrollment was 1,613, and 62% studied part-time.
Programs, campuses and 2026-27 tuition
The table shows the main career programs and the per-credit tuition a Colorado resident pays in 2026-27 after the state stipend, from the college’s 2026-27 tuition schedule. Fees and gunsmithing tools are extra.
| Program | Credential | Length / schedule | Where | Prepares for | 2026-27 resident tuition per credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunsmithing | AAS, 73 credits; certificate, 53; NRA summer school certificate, 16; 1911 pistolsmithing; NRA instructor | 4 semesters (AAS) | Trinidad | – | $183.75 |
| Nursing (ADN) | AAS, 64.5 credits with prerequisites | 4 semesters; traditional or evening/weekend | Trinidad, Alamosa | NCLEX-RN | $276.40 |
| Practical Nurse | Certificate, 39 credits with prerequisites | 1 year | Trinidad, Alamosa | NCLEX-PN | $276.40 |
| RN-to-BSN | BSN, 120 credits (at least 30.5 at the college) | 4 semesters; fall, spring or summer start | Online | – | $419.50 |
| Nurse Aide | Certificate, 5 credits | Two courses | Trinidad, Alamosa | Colorado nurse aide exam | $183.75 |
| EMT / Advanced EMT | Certificates, 12 and 13 credits; EMT AAS, 60 | 1 semester (EMT) | Trinidad, Alamosa | NREMT | $183.75 |
| Paramedic | Certificate, 49 credits; AAS, 62 | 3 semesters (certificate); August start only | Trinidad, Alamosa (lectures by telepresence) | NREMT | $183.75 |
| Medical Assistant | Certificate, 37 credits; AAS, 60 | 3 semesters (certificate) | Trinidad, Alamosa | NHA certification | $183.75 |
| Dental Assistant | Certificate, 18 credits | 2 semesters as listed | Alamosa | – | $183.75 |
| Law Enforcement Training Academy | Certificate, 35 credits; optional AAS, 62 | 9.5 months, mid-August to May; evenings and weekends | Alamosa | Colorado POST exam | $183.75 |
| Rocky Mountain Line Technician | Certificate, 26 credits | 1 semester | Colorado Springs (Pinello Ranch) | – | $183.75 |
| Welding Technology | AAS, 62 credits; certificate, 38 | 4 semesters (AAS), 2 (certificate) | Trinidad, Alamosa | – | $183.75 |
| Automotive Service Technology | AAS, 69 credits; certificate; eight 1-semester certificates | – | Trinidad, Alamosa | – | $183.75 |
| Cosmetology | Certificate, 54 credits | 3 semesters | Trinidad, Alamosa | Colorado cosmetology license | $183.75 |
| Barbering | Certificate, 50 credits | 3 semesters | Alamosa | Colorado barber license | $183.75 |
| Esthetician | Certificate, 20 credits | 3 semesters | Trinidad, Alamosa | Colorado esthetician license | $183.75 |
Programmatic approvals, as the college lists them: ACEN for the ADN, CCNE for the RN-to-BSN, the Colorado State Board of Nursing for nursing and nurse aide, Colorado DORA for barbering and cosmetology licensing, and the Colorado POST Board for the police academy. The college’s paramedic page names the national paramedic accreditors (CAAHEP and CoAEMSP) but does not state the program’s status, so ask the college before enrolling.
Other programs include Robotics & Automation Systems Technology (61-credit AAS), Early Childhood Education, Business Management and Computer Information Systems. Construction is two 4-week certificates of 8 credits in all, starting with NCCER Core, and some students receive a job-site stipend. Criminal justice, psychology, art and exercise science are transfer degrees only.
What the main programs cover
Gunsmithing
The first gunsmithing courses were taught at Trinidad in 1947. The 73-credit AAS runs four semesters, through Firearms Bench Metal, three levels of Firearms Machine Shop, TIG Welding for Gunsmiths, Firearms Conversion, Metal Finishing, Stock Duplication, Stockmaking I and II and Firearms Repair I and II, ending in a final skills evaluation. The certificate is the same coursework without general education. The college describes the program as affiliated with the NRA, and its 16-credit technician certificate is taught in the nine-week NRA Summer School. All certificate credits count toward the AAS.
Nursing: ADN and Practical Nurse
Students first complete 11 prerequisite credits in English, biology, psychology and health before applying. The ADN then takes four semesters, on a traditional schedule or an evening/weekend track, at Trinidad or Alamosa. The Practical Nurse certificate is the first-year exit: students can sit the NCLEX-PN and work as LPNs, then return to finish the ADN. Working LPNs can enter a 27.5-credit LPN-to-ADN track, and paramedics have their own bridge. The college also offers dual enrollment toward a BSN with a university partner, and its own online RN-to-BSN.
Law Enforcement Training Academy
The academy is a Valley Campus (Alamosa) program, held at the San Luis Valley Law Enforcement Regional Training Center. The Basic Law Enforcement certificate is 35 credits and 614 contact hours over 9.5 months, starting in mid-August and graduating in May. Classes meet on weekday evenings from 6 to 10 pm and on many weekends. Each class takes at most 25 cadets, and graduates sit the Colorado POST exam. An optional AAS in Basic Law Enforcement totals 62 credits.
Line Technician at Pinello Ranch
The Rocky Mountain Line Technician certificate is 26 credits in one semester, taught in person only at Pinello Ranch in Colorado Springs, and applicants must pass a background check. A 17-credit Electrical Technology Fundamentals certificate is taught at the same site. The 60-credit Power Construction Supervision AAS is built differently: it includes a 7,500-hour Department of Labor apprenticeship, and 45 of its credits come through prior-learning assessment.
Paramedic and EMT
The EMT certificate is one semester and 12 credits, and an Advanced EMT certificate adds a 13-credit level. Paramedic is a 49-credit, three-semester certificate or a 62-credit AAS. Lectures are delivered by telepresence to both campuses, and the program admits once a year, in August. The summer internship is 14 credits and at least 500 hours. Nurse aide and AEMT students must arrange and pay for their own CPR certification, background check, drug screen and immunizations.
Welding Technology
The AAS is 62 credits over four semesters and the certificate 38 credits over two, at Trinidad and Alamosa. The course lists cover oxyacetylene, plasma cutting, structural welding, MIG (GMAW), TIG (GTAW), flux-cored (FCAW) and pipe welding. Instructors are NCCER-certified and students have the opportunity to earn NCCER credentials. The college says the coursework is aligned with American Welding Society standards, but it does not promise AWS certification.
Tuition and how students pay
Colorado community colleges have no in-district rate. Colorado residents receive the state’s College Opportunity Fund stipend of $116 per credit, which brings on-campus tuition from $299.75 to $183.75 per credit in 2026-27, according to the college’s tuition schedule (revised 6 July 2026). Students from WICHE states can pay the WUE rate of $275.60. Rates are the same at both main campuses.
| 2026-27, per credit hour | Colorado resident (after $116 stipend) | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| On campus, most programs | $183.75 | $306.40 ($275.60 under WUE) |
| Colorado Online courses | $301.85 | $460.30 |
| Nursing courses | $276.40 | – |
| RN-to-BSN | $419.50 | $532.15 |
| BAS Business Administration | $301.85 | $460.30 |
| Active-duty military (resident rate) | $250.00 | – |
The tuition schedule also lists fees: a $17.95 registration fee each term, small per-credit campus, technology and student-activity fees, and course fees such as a $9.25 per credit Med/High program fee and $26.45 per credit for Cisco courses. Gunsmithing costs more than tuition suggests: the program page, whose linked fee sheets are for 2025-26, estimates about $750 in course fees and about $6,300 in tools over four semesters. The college takes federal student aid. College Navigator lists 2024-25 tuition and fees of $4,608 for in-state students and $7,318 for out-of-state students, and Niche puts the net price at $12,198 a year.
Open admission, with selective programs
The college has open admission, but several programs add their own steps. Nursing needs 11 prerequisite credits before program admission. Gunsmithing applicants must be 18 or older and legally able to own firearms, pass a background check and an interview, and may wait for a seat; the waitlist rolls to the next semester and a drug test may be required. The police academy takes at most 25 cadets, paramedic admits once a year in August, and the line technician program requires a background check.
Schedules vary: nursing has an evening/weekend track, the police academy meets on evenings and weekends, the gunsmithing technician certificate is a nine-week summer school, the construction certificates run four weeks each, and the RN-to-BSN is online with three start dates a year.
Accreditation and results
The Higher Learning Commission has accredited the college continuously since 1962. Its Institutional Actions Council continued and reaffirmed that accreditation on 22-23 June 2026, and College Navigator lists the next review for 31 August 2036. The college’s own accreditation page still describes an evaluation from 2015 and has not been updated for the reaffirmation. Pass rates below are the college’s own figures.
| Measure | Result | Year and source |
|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate, Trinidad | 96% (84% in 2022, 89% in 2023, 90% in 2024) | 2025, college nursing page citing Colorado DORA |
| NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate, Alamosa | 100% in each year 2022 to 2025 | College nursing page citing Colorado DORA |
| Colorado nurse aide exam | 83% | 2025, college program page |
| NREMT, EMT | 72% | 2025, college program page |
| Colorado POST exam, police academy | 93.75% | 2024, college program page |
| NHA medical assistant exam | 71% | 2024, college program page |
| Barber license exams (Alamosa) | Practical 92.86%, written 33% | 2019 to 2024, college program page |
| Graduation rate | 55% within 150% of normal time | College Navigator, checked October 2026 |
| Retention | 64% of full-time and 59% of part-time students returned | Fall 2023 to fall 2024, College Navigator |
| Transfer-out rate | 15% | College Navigator, same cohort as the graduation rate |
We found no published NCLEX-PN pass rate for the college’s Practical Nurse graduates, and the college publishes no results for gunsmithing, welding, automotive or dental assisting.
Before you enroll
- The college reports that only 33% of its barbering students passed the written state exam from 2019 to 2024, against 92.86% on the practical exam.
- Gunsmithing needs about $6,300 in tools and about $750 in course fees on top of tuition, and seats are limited, so apply early.
- Dental Assistant is taught only in Alamosa, and the college states no CODA accreditation; ask how the program prepares you for any exams you need.
- Nursing courses cost $276.40 per credit for residents, half again the base rate, and online courses $301.85.
- Criminal justice is a transfer AA. The career credential for police work is the police academy in Alamosa.
Three campuses: what each teaches
| Campus | Address | Taught only here |
|---|---|---|
| Trinidad (main) | 600 Prospect Street, Trinidad, CO 81082 | Gunsmithing (all five credentials); transfer degrees in art and exercise science |
| Valley Campus | 1011 Main Street, Alamosa, CO 81101 | Barbering, Dental Assistant, Law Enforcement Training Academy, Agriculture Business, esports |
| Pinello Ranch | 4940 S Hwy 85/87, Colorado Springs, CO 80911 | Rocky Mountain Line Technician, Electrical Technology Fundamentals, Power Construction Supervision AAS |
Nursing, Practical Nurse, nurse aide, EMT, paramedic, medical assistant, welding, automotive, cosmetology, esthetician, nail technician, business, computer information systems and early childhood education are taught at both Trinidad and Alamosa. HLC has also approved the college’s prison-education programs at the Sterling Correctional Facility and the Youthful Offender System in Pueblo; these are not open to the public.
Housing and student life in Trinidad
The Trinidad campus has four residence halls and a cafeteria. The gunsmithing page gives one example: a single room in O’Connor Hall with a 19-meal plan costs $5,434.55 a semester. Gunsmithing students have a club that meets weekly and shoots on Mondays at the Prator Gun Range. The college’s athletic teams, the Trojans, compete in the NJCAA.
What students say
On Niche, Trinidad State College is rated 3.86 out of 5 from 164 reviews, with an overall grade of B (checked 10 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise low cost, the small-town campus feel and knowledgeable professors. The most common complaints are expensive room, board and meal plans, dated dorms and buildings (renovation is under way), few in-person courses outside the specialized programs, and mixed views of the nursing program’s exams and completion. The reviews cover the whole college, and we could not tell whether they were invited by the school or posted in bursts.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Trinidad State locations · 2026-27 tuition schedule · Gunsmithing · Nursing · Line Technician · HLC June 2026 actions · College Navigator · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Nursing (ADN, RN)
- Practical Nurse (LPN) Certificate
- RN-to-BSN (online)
- Nurse Aide
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT and AEMT)
- Paramedic
- Medical Assistant Professional
- Dental Assistant (Alamosa)
Gunsmithing
- Gunsmithing (AAS and certificate)
- Gunsmithing Technician (NRA summer school)
- Custom Pistolsmithing (1911)
- NRA Firearms Safety Instructor
Skilled Trades
- Welding Technology
- Automotive Service Technology
- Rocky Mountain Line Technician (Colorado Springs)
- Electrical Technology Fundamentals (Colorado Springs)
- Power Construction Supervision (AAS)
- Robotics & Automation Systems Technology
- Construction (NCCER Core certificate)
Cosmetology and Barbering
- Cosmetology
- Barbering (Alamosa)
- Esthetician
- Nail Technician
Law Enforcement
- Law Enforcement Training Academy (POST, Alamosa)
- Criminal Justice (AA transfer)
Business
- Business Administration (BAS)
- Business Management (AAS and certificate)
- Accounting Clerk
- Entrepreneurial Operations
- Office Professional
Computer Information Systems
- Computer Information Systems (AAS)
- Cybersecurity Certificate
- Cloud Administration
- Database Administration
- CompTIA Certification Prep
Education
- Early Childhood Education (AAS and certificates)
- Elementary Teacher Education (AA transfer)
Agriculture
- Agriculture Business (AAS, Alamosa)
- Agribusiness, Agriculture Science, Crop Science and Animal Science certificates
Campus Locations
Trinidad, CO 600 Prospect Street, Trinidad, CO 81082
Alamosa, CO 1011 Main Street, Alamosa, CO 81101
Colorado Springs, CO 4940 S Hwy 85/87, Colorado Springs, CO 80911