Colorado has a wide selection of public and private baccalaureate institutions as well as a large system of community and technical colleges.
The University of Colorado is the largest public university system in the state with four campus locations. The largest campus (UC Boulder) is located in Boulder and has an enrollment of approximately 30,000 students.
Colorado State University in Fort Collins is almost as big as UC Boulder with around 28,000 students enrolled. Metropolitan State University in Denver is next in line with an enrollment of just over 20,000.
Colorado has a community college system that serves approximately 72,000 students through 14 different school locations. The community colleges are managed by a board that is appointed by the governor.
Some of the famous people that went to school in the state include Steve Ells (founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill), 20 NASA astronauts, Matt Stone and Trey Parker (creators of South Park), Tom Ashworth (NFL offensive lineman) and Robert Redford (actor).
Colorado's Department of Higher Education manages state funding for its public institutions and sets policies for private institutions of higher learning in the state. It manages two major student loan programs as well.