Metropolitan State University of Denver

If you’re planning on going to MSU Denver, here’s what to expect (and what not to). What not to expect: cheap parking, great food, or an “awesome” campus atmosphere. The vibe isn’t tight-knit it’s basically like a community college branded as a university. Also, brace yourself for some freezing days because it’s Colorado, after all. And if you’re hoping for exciting city life right outside campus, the clubs and bars nearby are honestly pretty mid. What to expect: A nice, clean campus that feels safe overall. It’s one of the most affordable universities in the area, and the professors here genuinely want you to succeed. You’ll find great resources, friendly staff, and if you put yourself out there, some really good friends. MSU Denver might not have the “traditional college” feel, but it’s a solid, down-to-earth place to learn and grow especially if you’re motivated and make the most of what’s here. MSU Denver shares its campus with CU Denver and CCD, which honestly kind of sucks sometimes. It makes the place feel a bit disconnected — like three separate schools just coexisting instead of one strong community. Still, I genuinely think MSU has the potential to become Colorado’s coolest school if they invested more in building a better campus atmosphere and stronger student life (i.e dorms, events, greek life, food, etc) The programs and professors are already great (IMO), it just needs that extra spark to make people want to hang around and be part of it. PS: Red White and Blue is not it please change the colors😭

TL:DR If you’re considering MSU Denver for Computer Science or IT, don’t. Go somewhere else. Save your time, your money, and your sanity. ----------------------- This school is an absolute joke. I transferred from Community College of Denver with an associate degree in IT and Computer Science, and somehow my credits still didn’t transfer correctly. Their “prior learning credit” system is a complete scam. They don’t even recognize basic, industry-standard certifications like CompTIA. These are foundational in the tech field, and the fact that MSU Denver ignores them shows how disconnected the program is from reality. I’ve had to challenge multiple classes I’ve already taken elsewhere, and I’m still being forced to take 101-level courses despite already holding an IT and Computer Science degree. The entire transfer and advising process feels deliberately confusing and obstructive. Honestly, I’m starting to suspect MSU Denver is intentionally forcing students to retake classes and stack unnecessary credits just to milk more tuition money. Nothing else explains how broken and inconsistent their transfer system is. The curriculum looks fine on paper, but once you’re in the classes, it’s all outdated material, redundant topics, and a complete lack of connection to modern technology. SW Dev Methods and Tools (CS 3250) with Jody Paul was utterly worthless. We did absolutely nothing all semester. The class was nothing but circular talk and confusing “management theory” with zero practical work. No one knew what was going on. When I asked him directly, he said he was “being a bad manager on purpose” to show us what that’s like. That’s not teaching, that’s laziness pretending to be pedagogy. He just seems burned out and coasting for a paycheck. Networking & Distributed Computing (CS 3700) with Thien Ngo Le is less bad. It’s painfully obvious he’s a lifetime academic with no industry experience. We’ve spent half the semester talking about TCP and UDP, over 30 hours on something that should take one lecture. At the 3000 level, we should be hands-on with AWS, distributed systems, or something modern. Instead, it’s like being trapped in a 2005 intro course. Assembly Lang Prog & HPC Intro (CS 2400) with Diane Rhodes has been another absolute slog. I took the same class at CCD, one of the ones that failed to transfer and that I’m currently fighting to get fixed, yet I’m being forced to take it again here. The class is disorganized, and she constantly goes off on tangents, rambling half on-topic but never getting to the real, difficult parts that actually need explanation. And the midterm? On paper. She literally had us write assembly code by hand. What is this, 1970? Completely absurd for a modern computer science program. Academic advising is a joke. Every time I’ve gone, it’s been pointless. They don’t care, they can’t do anything, and they don’t help with planning or problem-solving. They seem powerless and uninterested, which pretty much sums up the entire administrative side of this school. The one bright spot has been CS 1030 (Computer Science Principles) with Klaus Streicher. He’s the only one actually teaching something useful and current. He tried using Cengage, realized it was a dumpster fire, and dropped it almost immediately. Since then, he’s been teaching relevant, hands-on material that’s actually better than what’s being taught in 2000 and 3000-level classes. He’s proof that it’s not the students, it’s the system. Honestly, he should be running the department. I can’t overstate how disappointed and frustrated I am with MSU Denver. The curriculum is outdated, the professors (with a few exceptions) are unmotivated, and the advising process is a bureaucratic nightmare. Even though it’s relatively cheap, it’s still not worth it. Between the broken transfer system, useless advising, irrelevant coursework, and professors who seem stuck decades behind, there’s a 0% chance of getting any real return on investment here.

It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve graduated from my grad program at MSU. Very affordable, convenient class schedule tailored to the needs of those who work full-time and building their careers. I’ve gained a lot from the program, and even had a chance to participate in a paid graduate research project during the last semester. This is truly a place where diversity and hard work are celebrated.

Honestly I’ve had a great experience compared to CU Denver. Much cheaper and still accredited. Parking is kind of annoying. I was mostly an online student and things were very nice. My advisor actually cared unlike at CU Denver. I hear there’s problems with administration but I’ve never seen it. There’s also career fairs every year they spam your email with and professors bring recruiters into classrooms to talk about internships. Success is in your hands just like any other college.

I love my University ❤️💙

its an Ok school if you can't get into/afford CU or CSU or DU. I just remeber when I was in the theater program and we did A Chours Line and we had to change Connie Wong to Connie Mckenzie-Wong because they only girl in the deparment who could carry the part and could beliveablely sing the song 4' 10" was a little Irish girl not a great look for a school that's built on the ashes of Denver's old China town

Being a transgender student, I didn't have a great experience with this university. I went through the process of changing my preferred name with the Registrar's office, and it would be completely random if the name change actually took effect. In class rosters, my preferred name was used without issue. However, when it came to getting emails congratulating me on honor roll and getting food from the university food bank, staff would refer to me using the name that I didn't want to be called. It's difficult to be enthusiastic about education when the university doesn't care enough about you to get your name correct. It also feels scummy to disrespect somebody's identity while they are reaching out for assistance. I didn't even attend graduation, since I had no idea if the name I put for the diploma would be respected during the ceremony. It seemed like no matter what I did, this was something I had to deal with while attending MSU Denver. For an institution that talks about how important diversity is, it was disappointing to be proven otherwise during my time here.

It’s been a few years since I’ve graduated and been able to truly sit on this decision. My experience was ruined, I was one of the students that went through a pandemic & was still in school. I worked hard, cried many many nights. I was the first in my family to graduate let alone attend a university. When it came time for me to accept my diploma and walk the stage they didn’t even bother saying my name. He wouldn’t say my name as I graduated. This memory sticks with me & haunts me. I wish I could get my money back.. this was not worth it. And then this whole economy? No one cares that I got a degree. I should have done a trade school instead of wasting my time here.. especially for a staff that couldn’t bother to pronounce my name.. my Hispanic name but gloat and gloat that they have such a high Latino rate.. funny huh?

This Unversity keeps getting better in all areas from business degrees to nursing to training pilots to air traffic controllers and everything in between and they are now building dorms for students too. Plus, better value for your dollars. Most employers care for your degree not where it comes from. Only if you are going into a degree for a Doctor or Lawyer for your undergraduate maybe. Do your research too.As long as you have a four year degree you better off than just high school too,

The Spring 2025 AM Graduation ceremony was so disappointing. In fact, it was rather embarrassing. The Keynote speakers address appeared to be off the cuff and was so jumbled it didn't make any sense! The bulk of the nursing department was left off of the graduation program and the majority of the nursing students were not categorized correctly under "Nursing" when their names were called. The most irritating item was the omission of recognition for those that graduated with honors. During the ceremony only a handful of students were identified a Summa or Maga Cum Laude when according to the program there were hundreds that earned that honor, (Including our son) There is no "do over" for a life event like this and this ceremony was sub-par, especially for the nursing students. Come on MSU! This is not a new event...... You can and should do better. The students and families expect the culmination of their hard work to at least be celebrated correctly.

20 dollars to park, then another 20 to watch my sisters basketball game with my partner. Ridiculously expensive for empty lots

After a year and a half at Metropolitan State University of Denver, I must say that I have overall had a great experience as a student here. Why you ask? Let's break it down: Star 1: As a transfer student they reach out to you for a Transfer Student Orientation. While I was apprehensive about this initially I actually took a lot away from this! They have an adviser within your department review your transcripts prior to the orientation and make notations on how you previous coursework transferred over. They also suggest what courses you will want to take immediately due to being prerequisites for other courses for your degree program. Star 2: The campus! The Auraria Campus is the BEST! Located in the heart of downtown Denver; it is within a short commute to virtually anything that isn't already on the campus its self. Star 3: Each semester I will say I get at least one truly passionate and involved professor. The school of business here is staffed with professors that not only have an abundance of knowledge, but have worked in the fields that they are teaching. I love getting to learn from someone with practical, real-world experience in the field. Star 4: Compared to some of the other colleges in the area the cost of attendance is significantly lower. I'll gladly take a solid education from a nationally recognized academic institution, that is going to cost less than it would from their competitors. Overall, I have really enjoyed my education experience at Metropolitan State University of Denver and I look forward to completing my degree program here. Go Roadrunners!

(AS A 4TH YEAR STUDENT) Advisors are unreachable and extremely useless, teachers don't even teach, and I just got off hold with Financial Aid after waiting an hour, and got hung up on as soon as they answered the phone. They messed up my Pell Grant aid and now I might have to drop a class. The first semester here, I had a teacher teaching for the first time in a upper division Business 3000 course, who admitted on the first day that "she uses xanax". Terrible first impression from my first semester transferring. I also never received an Orientation. Absolutely abysmal customer service and school. There's nothing to do here and most students just want to get the hell out, get the degree and move on. Pretty much all the students are anti-social and there are no events or party life. What a sad university. On the edge of transferring and finishing elsewhere. This school does not prepare you. THERE'S A REASON THIS IS "THE CHEAPEST UNIVERSITY IN COLORADO!" I learned more at Community College than here. I highly advise folks to just go to community college, get your certs there, and skip this school entirely. Save up and go to a nice school and don't waste your college experience with this school that DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU.

If I could leave no stars I would. This university has been terrible from the start I had 10 credits if not more and they would not accept any of them. I then was told how to enroll in class and only two classes were for my degree the rest were random classes they needed me to take. For being downtown with sketchy people they have one officer you see on the campus and you're lucky if you come across him. So there is no sense in security, I've came across many sketchy people walking the campus and nothing is done to make the students at least feel safe. I then had a payment that needed to be paid and when trying to access it they wouldn't take the payments. They then froze my school numbers and sent my tuition I owe to collections and never informed me. When I called they then told me that there's nothing they no longer can do and that I enrolled for the classes the wrong way even though one of their advisors did it for me. When calling the collections place the amount they told me I owed and my last statement I saw is completely different and each person I talked to argued with me about what I owed. They stated they"called and sent mail" to me yet my family and I haven't seen any of it. They also have not told me what I owe. I've had issues with them adding random charges to my account after sending information for them to take it off. My taxes and fasfa has paid some of it yet it's still showing the full amount that I owe. This university has been horrible since day one. This is one school I would absolutely stay away from. They scam you and you are on your own when it comes to anything that involves your tuition, classes and everything else. It's getting to the point where the news should be involved with there being multiple students this has happened to.

The advisors here really suck. You basically have to figure everything out yourself. They can't even turn in a form for you on time. Crazy.

I went for one semester mind you I did a student loan with Sallie Mae I never went o second semester yet they are charging me still. I called them asking me why they thought I went and there answer was that my counselor enrolled me to the classes and that I have to Pay for the classes. Ya no here is the problem no where in heck are you about to enroll for me then tell me to pay. It's not just me that is dealing with this. Watch out metro we are coming for you.

Metro has been charging me for a class I never went too and eventually sent me to collections because they had the wrong address on file. The bursars office is completely unhelpful especially Natalie who has has hung up on me three times in the last two hours. Thanks for nothing!

I went out of my way, mid semester to create this account and make this review because I feel so strong about my opinion on this school. No wonder this school has such a TERRIBLE rating. They are by far the most money hungry, estranged universities I've ever seen. I signed up for a class on the 28th of May. they made the FULL REFUND drop date June 5th. That is 7 days. 7 days for a student to login in and start the class, decide if it's a good fit, or if its manageable. I realized before ever even signing into canvas to start looking at the class, that the class was not going to work for my schedule. I dropped the class on the 6th, UNAWARE the drop date was the 5th since I had just signed up for the class and never even looked into it. They told me I can't get a refund for the $2000 class I enrolled in, and dropped within one week. I can't stress it enough, DO NOT ENROLL HERE.

During the time I was at Metro State, I have found my professors and advisors to sub par at best. I am not sure if they are being squeezed by the school system or lack of care on their part. Here are two examples: I had a professor that had given me a D in class at the end of the semester but my actual Grade was a B. I found out my grade after the semester was over so I contacted her so many times. In the end, it took me until the start of the next semester to resolve issue. Pros: Close to work and life in the city. Cons: They will suck the money out of your pocket

The only reason this school gets a star is because they have a fabulous art department. I was meant to graduate this semester but the department of business (CIS) has done nothing but screw me over. When applying for the minor, they switched my major and gave me a psych. Minor instead. Which was not wanted. Once fixed and in the minor I had MORE problems. Instead of my advisor, who was less than helpful, I had to reach out to the head of the department. He was the one to help me. Then I got falsely accused of cheating on an exam and that went on my permanent record (I did NOT cheat!). Now, I've been having computer problems causing me to FAIL classes. And this is preventing me from graduating but the school had been stating how they couldn't help me until now. I won't be graduating this semester and it feels like the school held me back in purpose because they are money hungry. Do not attend this college.

I have been going to MSU for a year now and I absolutely love it. Their psychology department is outstanding, full of knowledgeable, educated, and compassionate teachers. Not only that but you can tell a lot of their resources go back to serving the students, which cannot be said about most universities. The diversity is unmatched by any school in Colorado and possibly the country. Every say that I go on campus I can find someone giving out something for free. Whether it be an entire meal, food from the free student food pantry, or a resource such as a job fair. It is truly an underrated university that deserves so much more recognition and funding.

You must have to be brain dead to attend or work for this "university" Over the last few years, I have contacted them multiple times to have them remove my email address from their mailing list since I have never had anything to do with their instruction. No response, no unsubscribe link, no brain... Stay as far away from this scam organization as possible.

Metro's teachers are all checked out: they don't respond to emails or feedback, and most of them even admit to not planning their classes ahead of time at all. Need any administrative help and you're completely out of luck -- finance office, bursars office, and academic advising all fail to reach out or respond. They're extremely quick to charge you for things they shouldn't (if a class is moved expect a charge, if a book is changed expect a charge, if WiFi doesn't work and never does expect to figure it out on your own, be told there's student advocates but never be able to reach them, and most of the staff is out of office for at LEAST one week every semester not including scheduled breaks). You pay a lot and don't learn anything, receive any help, or are set up to succeed in any way.

I can't wait to go back for my Bachelors of Science! Great 4 year State University in the area, if I could I'd give them 10 stars from my experience while pursuing my BSN. Nothing but great experience here, great teachers, lots of online class options, nights and weekend classes, and the tuition is by far more reasonable compare to other 4 year universities in our area. They have a great Business Program and other good ones as well. School enrollment process is quick, especially for the returning students. Also, the public transport in the city and throughout Denver Metro is awesome, the stops are literally in front of the campus via light rail or bus.

My co-worker is a very gracious, intelligent and hardworking young Mexican-American man from a good family. His father also works with us and is a very fine man. For two semesters in a row, the thoughtless, untrained and uncaring staff at Metro State financial aid have caused this young man to not receive the scholarship that he was entitled to receive. I think that their negligence is actionable in a court of law. I would also advise parents against sending their children to such a wall of uncaring incompetents, if those children need financial aid.

I'm am currently in my last year at MSU and I am going to be graduating with nothing but resentment and hatred towards this university. You are constantly belittled with the political opinions of the administration's, sending you useless emails and phone calls on their political views. The fees within the university are confusing and almost impossible to understand/find information about. If you have classes on campus you pay for parking every day (currently around 5-7$ depending on where you park) which means you are gonna be paying around 500$ a semester just in parking. MSU has no regard for the safety of their students refusing to close campus even when other school districts/ universities in the area do for bad weather or threats (Sol Pais threat). The overall academics of the school are average with most of the class sizes, professor ratings and knowledge, and degrees being pretty good. Then there is the Student Success Center that holds the admission and financial aid for the university. I have not had one single semester since entering this university were some problem has not arisen with financial aid (forms that they have lost, slow processing speed, inaccurate dispersement dates) so if you are paying for college with any type of loans be prepared for your loans to be delayed and mismanaged for about a month or sometimes two. The campus itself is quite pretty being in the heart of Denver however it does bring a lot of traffic from Denver as well so there is a police reporting an incident almost ever other week so I'd be cautious at taking night classes. Along with all this, in the middle of the COVID pandemic MSU has raised their tuition meaning that you will be paying more for no in person classes, never seeing/ using the campus or amenities (which by the way you pay for also in fees) , and some professors who barely know how to use a computer. In the end this is what I'd say about MSU Pro: Still cheaper then CSU and CU Pretty but somewhat dangerous campus Close to Denver Average academics Con: Terrible administration Terrible management Bad parking and parking cost Hidden/ confusing fees If I could start over I would have spent the more money for a well run university CSU, CU, UCCS, UNC or save a bunch of money and going to ACC Hope this helps everyone understand what you are walking into.

If I could give this school no stars I would. My entire experience at Metro has been one shit show after another. No one does their job here. No one cares about the students here EVER. No one can even communicate properly or even get back to students in a timely fashion but the staff expects students to get back to them in a timely fashion and to pay tuition on time...? I have an extream hate for this school and a major resentment, after all, I've been through. Because no one knows how to do their job here, I once got sent to 4 different buildings and departments to get a form signed and when I went to the 5th building/department and told them why I was there and what I needed I had 4 people looking at me and laughing. Yes...laughing. And they said while laughing- I don't know who sent you here but we can't help you and handed the form back to me-. I started bawling in front of all 4 staff members in that budilding and not one person asked if I was ok, if I needed anything, and didn't say if they could see if they help me in any way or see what they could do. All 4 of them stood there and watched and listened to me cry my eyes out because no one would help me and it was already the 5th place I went to and they let me leave the room and building crying without saying a word, without helping, without comforting. I've never been treated so badly in front of people who worked at Metro and never been treated this badly at a school before in my life. When Metro wants to start giving a shit about students and stick to what they preach in all their commercials which are TOTAL LIES then maybe you'll be ranked better and won't have such saddened mistreated students attending your awful school. I'm beyond disgusted with what I have to put up with on top of never being able to reach my advisor whose supposed to be there for me, helping me, advocating for me in certain aspects and more and my advisor is NEVER there and I can NEVER reach her and she really doesn't care about me or what I need from her and it's a serious let down on top of a major frustration that I've been having to deal with on a constant daily basis. At this point, Metro will be lucky if I don't grab the microphone from someone's hand at Graduation and tell everyone how terrible they are, how badly I was treated and never helped at this school and how excited I am to tell people how bad this school is and to never go here and how excited I am to NEVER return to this selfish, narcissistic, depressing, helpless school.

***READ BEFORE APPLYING - IMPORTANT*** This is wonderful school with excellent educators. That being said, the school disables access to your student account completely without notice and with no recourse after 1 year following the end of your registered period, unless you pay a third party vendor to order your records, which MSU profits from. Want to view your unofficial transcript online if you are looking at further education programs or job requirements but are not yet ready to apply? Want to have basic online access to your information without paying extra to MSU? Are you a previous student who payed to complete your education with MSU and think you can at least view a record that you were there and what you accomplished? Think its reasonable, as most every other institution in the US feels, that you should be able to access your own payed for records online without being extorted to pay an access fee (which only covers your unofficial or official transcripts, and doesn't help if there is other university student logged in information that you want or need to review) through the for profit Parchment company, as prescribed as a right by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERMA)? If you need certified records, you pay for them, if you want to view your history as a student which you payed to create, no such luck. The Parchment fee for official transcripts is affordable and understood for certified versions of your transcripts for applications. This is not the same as just wanting basic access to your own records for any reason and being locked out of all access by the university because a year has passed and they want commission from a 3rd party company.. Shame on you MSU administration. This is not how most all Universities operate, this was your choice. Keep up the wonderful work MSU educators!!

The department of my degree is great and there is so much potential on campus with the other colleges and universities being all in that one area. The school has the degree in the industry area that I want. ---Other departments, bookstore and set up for contacting teachers, counselors and be able to access your class are just words or a picture and cost you a lot of money and heartache. Vampires, greedy and only interested in their needs not furthering their areas of study to students. Be prepared to take your art courses somewhere else if the instructor doesn't have the time to notice or contact you. Don't buy the books, unless you know there are assignments that required them. And never take the bookstores low ball buy back price. Three of the art instructors assigned for courses could care less. They didn't even try to ensure we had access or could even find our assignments or exams. Tried to contact one the first 2 weeks of the semester (emails, notes through the office (after many attempts and long waits when campus was closed) to find out how to access the course, assignments and her because the class was on my roster. NOTHING--until after the drop date. Yeah--no contact the first week of classes, just waited 9 weeks into the semester. So couldn't make anything up (limited access). When told the course material nor her email was accessible (at that time we had online access only), she said it was my fault and offered not further assistance, just my current grade. So the course remained open because she had many of us on her roster, she got paid and so did the school and there wasn't a person to contact or anything we could do. BUT-- one Art Teacher that was great and just built us up and he was good! Someone to really strive to meet. I wish you all of those people. Look for them. The book buy back just rips you off, probably so they can resell to another company at a much higher price. You will pay a lot for your books but they buy back pennies on the dollar. Example: bought a used book for art courses. One was $136. Other buy back programs offering $65 to $100 for just one book and the MSU bookstore personnel tell me two fifty. I asked to clarify, said the same thing--two fifty. After I sign the agreement to sell it back, she gives me $2.50 and she and her trainer/supervisor(partner in lies and theft) tell me they are only paying wholesale (if you work there you may know what that means) until the school opens. Then they offer me to donate the books that have no value. So they got their money with a huge gain. Even if they never use the books for another class, the bookstore can sell them to and make a huge margin from the same people you can.

Look, Metro is cheap and actually I liked the commuter college because I work and have kids and I could make my schedule what I wanted. But allow me to rant to make a few warning points. I am in my last semester and there are a lot of things in the last four years that pent up. 1. Parking is AWEFUL. Yes, it is expensive, now at $7.50 for main lots. But my hugest problem was that unless you get here at 8 am everyday, it is impossible to find parking. I always tried to get early classes for that reason. This last semester I could only get my earliest class at 11. Generally I will just get here early anyways to get parking and then study or do homework. But one day I arrived at 9:45 and drove around for AN HOUR just trying to find someone who would leave their spot. I ended up just going home after searching for an hour. 2. To be honest, nearly every class I took was an easy A. I am a double language major and despite speding about 20 hours a week, the last four years studying and doing homework or being in class in said other language, my language skills felt very lacking. Many of my teachers were the nicest people alive, but even outside of the language departments, it was entirely too easy to get A's. I guess I should just be happy about getting an easy degree. 3. The requirements and trying to find any information on requirements is so difficult. Waiving the healthcare, submitting vaccine records, getting rid of holds, etc. 4. The advisors. Alright, I thought I just had bad luck with this one, but after reading all the other reviews, it looks like many people had an issue with the advisors at this school. My last two semesters I had to double up on classes because my advisor literally did not know what classes I actually had to be taking for my major. I TOOK CLASSES I DIDNT NEED TO. I only figured out after she brought up, three years in!!!!, that I wasn't meeting requirements and had about 17 missing credits!!! I finally reached out to a department head/ professor for Spanish, only for her to say that the degree course I had been following for three years was wrong. SOOOOO after extra money, extra stress and about 6 extra classes in my last two semesters, it sucks to leave on such a rough note. I am only writing this because I read all the horrible reviews and felt the need to rant. My advice, if you want to save money and don't care about campus life and want to have a college life with work life balance, this school is great. BUT PLEASE take my warnings and just be on top of these things.

I'm proud to say I got my undergraduate degree at MSCD (class of 2006). I feel that I got a lot of positive attention from my professors and the department itself (I got my BA in Psychology). There are a lot of clubs and activities to be a part of, and being in the heart of downtown Denver makes it within walking distance of museums, restaurants, art galleries, and sporting events. The Good: ~Very affordable tuition ~Easy to find location in Downtown Denver ~Good gym facilities ~All encompassing bus pass on your student ID ~Excellent library and interlibrary loan program ~TIVOLI! ~The campus houses three schools, so you can take classes from Community College of Denver (do your electives there for less $$), Metro State College of Denver, and CU Denver. So you get a variety of choices there and it's easy to enroll in classes throughout the three schools. The Bad: ~Paying for parking. That's why I would take the lightrail or bus in. ~It's very crowded during midday when the morning students are trying to leave while the evening students are coming again. Then again, MSCD does have one of the largest undergraduate programs in the country. The Ugly: ~Since it is in downtown Denver, you need to keep an eye on your stuff. Mainly electronics and bikes. While this is a problem at many large campus schools, anyone can walk on to the campus at any time. Even people who aren't students there, so just keep a watchful eye on your stuff. Overall I was very satisfied. I was able to do research in my undergrad and I was a teacher's assistant. There was great opportunities to do internships in the community as well. Aside from the research, these were not required to graduate but they helped me build up a very strong resume to apply for graduate school (which I'm currently working on my Masters right now).

Their disability services leave a lot to be desired, and you can also get in trouble with the student conduct office for mentioning such flaws on social media. This university really does not help people think for themselves.

This place is a bunch of thieves. READ ALL THE BAD REVIEWS OF PEOPLE BEING SCAMMED OUT OF MONEY - THEY ARE A TRUE TESTAMENT TO THE GREED OF THIS "BUSINESS" (can't even call it a college). Enrolled back in college after 8 years being out of school. Never received any assistance because of my age in terms of planning or transferring or getting into classes friendly to a full time job. They refused to take financial aid after I dropped some classes one semester. They declined to refund those dropped classes and demanded I pay out of pocket. I set up a payment plan and was making payments when one day they sent my account to collections despite making consistent payments. The lady on the phone even said that responsibly making consistent payments doesn't mean they won't mark your account as delinquent....this is "higher education" and they don't know what the word delinquent means. Collections added an additional ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS just for being in collections. I tried to pay them the additional amount and lower the collections fee and they said tough luck. If you want a university that discriminates against you, cares not one bit of extenuating circumstances such as job loss or family deatha, and scams you out of thousands of dollars for an education subpar community college levels, this is your place.

Top notch university. Excellent faculty and staff. The amenities are first class. The president truly cares about the students' education and faculty and staffs' job security.

College Of Business just received accreditation from the AACSB! I have also received a full time job offer from a top 12 public accounting firm 8 months prior to graduation. Metro prepared me excellently for recruiting season and for my internship. Can't say enough good things.

I have been coming to MSU for over a year now and I completely love this campus. The classes are super cool and the diversity is incredible. It's definitely in one of the best spots in Colorado. You can't go wrong with going to school in Denver.

Their Office of Financial Aid workers are SUPER RUDE! Every time I call to speak with them they just talk and talk. They never allow any room for questions. If you say something they get super passive and nasty. Grow the f*** up!!

There are so many great places in Denver to earn a wonderful education. This is not one of them. There is no empathy for students. They are a bureaucratic organization that is looking for money, and do not care about the welfare of students. My son dropped classes when he was offered a Summer paid internship. I watched him drop the classes online - by the deadline. But the bursar office refused to accept that he dropped them and pursued him as if he had run up credit cards. I looked online - and was surprised to see how many individuals had been in the same situation. If I could redirect my taxes to schools that will listen, lead with solutions vs process and cares, I would. Find somewhere else and save yourself the experience so many have had. If you do enroll - document everything!! They will give no benefit of the doubt and will put 100% burden of proof on you.

I'm a nutrition student. Great program, knowledgeable educators with tons of experience. Highly recommend.

Honestly, this school is cheaper than most but there is a reason for it. None of the teachers seem to try. All of the classes I'm attending right now rely on slide-by-slide powerpoints and offer 0 in-depth teaching. One of my teachers doesn't even make study guides for the exams and I'm 100% convinced it is because he doesn't know how to use Word. Parking is atrocious, on average its $5.00/a day. I talked to someone in the school and their solution was "well just take the light-rail" and you know, that's a valid point; however, I bought a car for a reason. They shouldn't charge so much per lot. Another thing, the staff is abysmal. It is made up of work study students who consistently mis-inform and 100% of the time have no idea what is going on. Please train your people, I have had about 8 interactions with work study students that don't know how to do their job and it really makes it hard to do anything as far as financial aid, enrollment etc. It is the same for the admission guides who help you sign up for classes. I paid about 700.00 per recommendation from my guide for a class THAT DIDN'T COUNT ON MY DEGREE PLAN. Nice job, thanks for the waste of money. If I could start college over I would have never stepped foot on this campus. Seriously, don't expect to find good peers either, they're extremely cringy and resemble drones. Hmmmm... this has been a pretty negative review so far, so lets continue it... The campus is littered with people hawking clubs and/or trying to recruit you to their religion. Lots of homeless people just hangout on campus but to be honest they are much cooler than the people handing out Judaism pamphlets or the monks who guilt you into paying 5.00 for a bracelet on your way to math. Stay away... Go to community college until you have your associates and don't get sucked into the MSU bull, you'll thank me later.

Sadly this university is the only one that offers a BA in the career I wanted, otherwise I wouldn't be here. The quality of professors are unbelievable. Seems like they would hire anyone who calls themselves a professors. They couldn't care less about the student's complaints and feedback. It is amazing how poor they can treat their students.

If I had my choice, I wouldn't even give one star. I am a transfer student from California to MSU Denver and registered late in the game - my fault. I am just 21 and have no financial or any other support be it emotional or familial, I attempted to take a class at the last minute which, at the end of the day, I could not take as I had to work during the time the class was offered. I obviously signed something agreeing to drop any class that I do not intend to take and got charged $1,600. Yes - my fault. However, I came from a community college that relentlessly sends you emails that a class in your cart and if you do not pay the tuition it drops you from the class. While I understand that I own this as I agreed to this policy when I registered which I don't recall (my responsibility), I think for a first-time student provision could have been made or waived the fees like they do at community college. No such luck. I had to eat this one or get sent to collections. I will never, ever attend this college now or in the future. Nice way to make money off the backs of students.

Yes, yes I know, it's not Ivy League, or anything close, but there is something a bit like studying *Rocket Science* @ Metro State, and they call it the Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science! As for Miss Harmony, well, I learned a lot of things at the Auraria Campus, but rocket science was not among them. I like what reviewer Alexander P. has to say...pretty much covers the entire spectrum of what this bastion of higher learning has to offer. As a divorced parent with kids in school, with a few prior undergrad semesters under my belt, I found Metro perfect in many ways. After some consideration, they gave me credit for 3 quarters worth of credits for classes I completed before the Auraria Campus was built, at the ancient Community College "campus" on 12th and Broadway. They also have a program of Credit for Life Experience which is amazing. It is hard work to document it all and correlate it to their curriculum enough to justify the credits you are applying for, but well worth the effort. I loved the Student Union which is for all three colleges on the Auraria Campus. I loved that you can take classes at any of the 3 colleges while you are enrolled on this campus. I also liked the versatility offered in the program where students could create their own major. I did not do that, but often wish I had, for various reasons. I liked the little burrito stand that was between the two main classroom buildings I was always going to. They had a nice veggie breakfast burrito there. I never felt like a number, and was treated well as a person. I'm sorry to hear that people have that "feeling like a number" experience there. When I tried going to CU in Boulder, fresh out of high school in Denver, I felt so very much like a number, sitting in those giganto freshman classes in the Chem 140 classroom. That I found to be nightmarish. To each his own. So I graduated with honors, and did work hard to achieve that, and I have a magnificent resume, and for all practical purposes am virtually unemployed at the present moment. I stay busy in my home office and also have a part time consulting position. So I stay busy... Hey--maybe I should make use of the excellent job referral/advising services at my alma mater....what a concept!

Um, there are yelp reviews for a school? What will they think of next? I graduated from Metro three years ago. I had great professors who championed my cause, and genuinely cared about whether or not I learned. I also had professors who could care less, and I sat next to students who could barely spell their name. Wouldn't you be able to say the same at any school? But some schools have the reputation, and some don't. Metro struggles with reputation, but--like most schools--it is what you make it. It's relatively easy to navigate your way through higher ed with a modicum of common sense. Think of registering your car as good practice. If you can do that, you can do this. If you can't, you might consider starting by parking your car at a light rail station as practice. And if student aid or parking are still challenging--it's a friendly campus. Asking for help is an easy way to solve lots of problems. Metro gave me a stellar education, it went well with my work schedule, I paid for it mostly without loans, and got out of it a better person. I am lucky enough to have gotten into a top-ranked graduate program. I'm grateful to Metro for taking me in when I flubbed my first attempt through school. I had some phenomenal teachers and it really got me right on track. So, yes. I would say my time here was well-spent.

Terrible school. The instructors are not invested and are lazy. Go somewhere better even if it's more money. Yes the business school just got an AACSB but that's mostly because they are a university now not due to faculty or university excellence. This university is very subpar and majorly lacking resources for students to excel.

I am currently a Metro State student with a very strong opinion of this school. It truly is a grade A education for a person on a budget. Having gone to other colleges out of state I can honestly contest to the level of higher learning here at this school, when compared to other schools around the same price range. Great teachers, and wonderful resources all around, Metro has an enviorment based on the learning experience. Although I gave it 5 stars I will admit that there are two big flaws... 1. Paying for parking is damn expensive. However the Metro ID card grants you free access to RTD inside the metro area. 2. There really is no healthy choices for food on campus. You have your choice from a seriously over priced, soggy salad, or a Subway that has a seriously long lunch line. However there are hidden little jewels all over campus. Chick-fil-A sandwiches at the coffee stand in the library, breakfast burritos at the coffee stand in the south class room building, and much more if you are willing to hunt it down. I love the school, and I am sure that there isn't many people who wouldn't!

Faculty are CRIMINALS! I took a Spanish 101 class here, and the person hired to teach it wasn't a teacher. She was literally just some lady from Peru who was supposedly the SISTER of one of the professors. She spoke almost no English, and had no history of teaching any subject. Midway through the semester, she started acting creepy and began 'stalking' a classmate. When my ENTIRE CLASS submitted a formal complaint, the head of the Spanish department (Rodolfo) agreed to end the course, but WOULD NOT REFUND US. Instead, he offered to let us re-take a class we HAD ALREADY COMPLETED, but the only time we would be allowed to take it was the following semester at 6AM. This was why I stopped going to Metro and transferred. It is also why I will never trust a degree that comes out of Metro. Sorry former classmates, but I know first-hand how BS any degree from this school is. The state should revoke this places funding.

Likes: Great professors, small classes, great majors, variety of locations, well priced (for instate) Dislikes: PARKING ( really stupid), all the crime that's been going on lately, the financial aid department ( no one knows the answer and no one cares to help), not feeling safe walking to my car. Overall you just have to pick your poison i am still going there but i just don't expect alot from Metro in certain areas.

This is an amazing campus compared to CCD, and also similar to my other fave of UCD. Right next to the Auraria West Campus, and lots of visible and cheaper parking rates than the community college down the street. It's also closer to walk to Larimer Square and LoDo area. The staff is nicer, i appreciate Metro having more access to the parking garages, the police station on campus, the nearby Dazbog coffee shop and mainly overall better students. No drama for your mama because there exists none.

It's ok, what you would expect from a State University. Some teachers are god awful and others are just as good as my undergraduate at University of Oregon and graduate at University of Denver. The science building, where I take all my classes is updated and beautiful. Overall, I would recommend Metro.

THE WORST. School I have ever had to deal with. Please I BEG YOU if you're reading this DO NOT go here. Almost all of the positive reviews for the place have been bought, you can tell. All they want to do is take your money and f*** you over. I would give negative stars if I could. I went to this terrible establishment for one semester. By went I mean I signed up for classes, tried to access my financial aid over and over and over, even though I was AWARDED IT ALREADY with no help at all. So I ended up not even being able to go to my classes because I didn't have my financial aid to buy my required books, but I couldn't drop the classes because it was past the drop date. I tried calling every office to get help MULTIPLE times and got no where. Fast forward to now I'm trying to apply to a new school and guess what..? I can't get my transcripts because they sent me to collections for 3000 dollars. Again I was awarded my fafsa MSU just FAILED to access it. I have been to other universities in the past and have NEVER had any problems. After reading all the reviews of similar experiences I have come to the conclusion that they do this on purpose as a tactic to earn money, I even saw one review that said they used someone's GI bill incorrectly. I will be taking them to court because I do not want anyone else dealing with this. please contact me if you would like to be part of a class action lawsuit against this glorified profit agency.

I would call it a glorified community college - but that would be an insult to community colleges. I have been to three schools (two in the metro Denver area, and two which are community colleges - my current school is University of Colorado but we will get to that momentarily) and NONE of them are as impossible to navigate and retrieve information from as MSU DENVER. To start, I am 32 years old. I am fairly settled in my lifestyle. I own my car. I'm a homeowner. I have a career-oriented position at a nonprofit. I'm married with two adorable kids. I am deeply invested and involved in my community - volunteering my time anywhere I can. I've been in school off and on since 2004 when I still lived on the east coast. In other words I've seen a lot of BS and I'm tired, and I have high expectations when it comes to higher education and the people in charge of running these institutions. MSU DENVER does not live up to these expectations. Two years ago, I applied as a transfer student. I received correspondence stating I had paperwork missing that needed to be turned in to complete my application process. I called and the work study customer service rep who took my call was totally flabbergasted. Did not take a message, did not tell me who to contact, just asked me to call back "the next day" to talk to "the supervisor". I called and emailed multiple times and never received any response, so I gave up and hung on for another year at the community college. This past year I applied for CU Denver and as a back up I applied again for MSU DENVER. Due to some paperwork hiccup at CU-D I was actually able to enroll first at MSU DENVER so I did. However, MSU DENVER then said because I was one credit hour shy from their 60 hour requirement that they needed my GED in order to clear me for financial aid. If I did not supply it my classes would be dropped. They would not budge. I couldn't get the state department of education to return any of my correspondence concerning retrieval of my GED transcript. During this period CU-D lifted their hold on my account and allowed me to register for classes so I did. I forgot all about MSU DENVER. On August 31, after learning they did not remove me from my unpaid-for courses, I unenrolled. I put it out of my mind, not even realizing I was 1 day late dropping them. Until a month later, when the bursar of MSU DENVER called to say my account was past due. I was livid. I went straight to the Vice President, who told me to submit an appeal. I did. I jumped through all of their hoops. I told the truth: I never attended a class there. I am a student of CU-D. I was told in two weeks the committee would meet and decide. I never received any correspondence. A month goes by and I receive another call asking me to pay "my" bill. I immediately contacted the bursar who told me my appeal had been denied by the committee and it was out of his hands - yet he is ON THE COMMITTEE...and HE IS THE ONE WHO SIGNED MY APPEAL DENIAL! I truly feel as though this entire institution is run by buffoons. Chimpanzees could do a better job. I was given the runaround not once but three times. First it was impossible to get in two years ago. Then it was impossible to receive financial aid. Now it's impossible to get the hell away from them! They are rude, unprofessional, devoid of all sympathy and empathy, disorganized, and I believe corrupt. To have your BURSAR as the person who signs appeal denials and approvals (if such a thing ever actually occurs at MSU DENVER) is such a conflict of interest it boggles the mind. They are utterly unethical to the point that they may as well be immoral. How any student is admitted, let alone permitted to graduate, is completely beyond me. I have ZERO RESPECT for this institution and I honestly cannot comprehend how it ever made it 50 years or became accredited as an actual UNIVERSITY. Bottom line - those in charge at MSU DENVER do not honor higher education. They don't see people, they see dollar signs. I have been told by others who "defected" from MSU DENVER to CU-D that the former doesn't care if you've had major surgery or if your child (!!!!) died, they'll still flunk you and/or go after you for every last cent if you don't do everything THEY demand by the letter (despite being totally absent on their end of things - I believe they count on people to give up and forget all about them so they can slap people with bills and take on more students to maximize their profits). I firmly believe MSU DENVER is doing this to spite me. They know I can't afford to pay them - I'm on financial aid! They'll never see the money...not only because I refuse to pay, but also because I couldn't afford it even if I wanted to. Parents, students, beware. MSU DENVER IS A SUNK COST EFFECT. THEY WILL IGNORE YOU UNTIL YOU WALK AWAY IN FRUSTRATION AND COME BACK DEMANDING MONEY THEY DO NOT DESERVE. Go CU-D!!!!!!

This is a good school to attend for it's affordable price of tution (that may be changing) and its central location. The teachers are pretty much the same quality you would get at UCD from what I can tell and actually, some of them are pretty great. Good facilities, a respectable student union and well, the advising leaves a lot to be desired so best to do your own homework on what classes you need. The school offers decent healthcare insurance (which is required if you are full time) but is a little pricey. The name recognition outside of Colorado leaves a little something to be desired as no one, including potential employers and friends has ever remotely heard of this school... At least not those I have spoken to. Not really any sports to follow at this school aside from a basketball and baseball team. So I guess... Uh.. Go Buffs? Anyway. While they don't stamp and number you like cattle, there is definitely a "you're a big boy (or girl) now" attitude so get yourself together and do your homework on time and find the course track you want and get to it. Another thing to note would be that there are not a lot of classes for some upper division offered so don't do all your pre-reqs first and then decide to do them later or you will get bottlenecked and getting into some classes that you want will be tough.

Don't give their stupid RAVE announcement thing your phone number. That stupid thing will call you at 4am on a Saturday and there was nothing that said, "Hey do you want to be called?" If it only texted, it wouldn't be a problem, but it'll call you even if you tell it not to.

Affordable school with awesome programs for students. Great in-state tuition rates and amazing amenities on campus as far as yoga and Pilates classes and even a rock climbing wall.

I am a junior transferring to MSU next semester. This review is based solely on my experience with international student support; or lack thereof. There are barely any resources for internationals, only a single person who is so fully booked and beyond busy, you'd be the luckiest person in the world if they got back to you. I went from office to office looking for someone to point me in the right direction so I could get some help, but to no avail. This is not a good start to my experience at MSU.

My son attended MSU Denver. He reached the place where he felt completing an official degree would not help and he started his own business. MSU Denver charged him for tuition for the next semester because he didn't formally "withdraw". Wow now it is in collections. He never went to any class the next semester. Way to help your students launch their careers!