Best Online Human Services Programs in Denver, CO (2026)

Denver, Colorado has 4 accredited schools offering human services programs, with tuition ranging from $10,149 to $24,595 per year for indexed programs. Denver has a population of about 713,734. Median household income is $91,681 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $101,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Human Services Schools to Denver

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer human services programs near Denver, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Denver city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Denver. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Colorado State University Global

Denver, CO 5.4 miles from Denver BOC Score 57.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,813
Avg net price $16,510/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO 7.1 miles from Denver BOC Score 43.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,093
Avg net price $15,327/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Colorado schools on the Colorado human services page.


Human Services Wages Near Denver

Denver is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (BLS area code 19740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Human Service Assistant$49,700Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$46,975
Social and Community Service Manager$101,310Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$95,756
Child, Family and School Social Worker$67,560Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$63,856
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor$62,810Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$59,367

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Denver at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population713,734Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$91,681Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+55.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)105.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Denver-Area Cities With Human Services Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited human services schools are near Denver, CO?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering human services programs near Denver. The closest is Colorado State University Global in Denver, CO (5.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Colorado Colorado Springs (60.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying human services roles near Denver?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Denver are: Social and Community Service Manager ($101,310), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($67,560), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($62,810). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Commerce City instead of Denver?

Commerce City, CO is 7.2 miles from Denver and has its own set of local human services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Denver an affordable place to study human services?

Denver’s median household income of $91,681 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Denver while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Human Services Programs

Other Programs Available in Denver

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Denver:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.