Colorado Christian University review: a six-year tuition lock, priced about $15,000 above Liberty for 120 credits

Our verdict

Colorado Christian University is our #4 pick in online degrees for October 2026, scoring 6.6 out of 10 against our weighted rubric. Entry pricing starts at $494/credit hour, Adult undergraduate rate for Summer 2026 to Spring 2027, plus $71 per credit in resource fees; tuition guaranteed for up to six years, and the highlights below are the specific findings that moved the score.

A six-year tuition lock, priced about $15,000 above Liberty for 120 credits.

The trade-off. The resource fee is nonrefundable after the drop deadline, open balances off an approved plan accrue 1.5 percent a month, and military pricing cannot be combined with other discounts or scholarships. That is the single factor most likely to change whether this is the right pick for you, so we surface it next to the price rather than at the bottom of the page.

Pros and cons

What you get

• Tuition is $494 per credit hour plus $51 technology and $20 course materials per credit, so $565 per credit all in.
• CCU says undergraduate tuition is guaranteed for up to six years with continued progress, though the same page says fees may change.
• Courses run in five-week blocks, one at a time, nearly all fully online, and the Bible is used in every class.

Pricing breakdown

Advertised rates verified on 14 September 2026. Always confirm on the vendor’s own pricing page before buying.

Source: Colorado Christian University published pricing.

Colorado Christian University in depth: setup, features, performance and price

A full breakdown of usability, core features, pros and cons, performance, pricing and payment, and how useful Colorado Christian University is in real use, written by the test desk that scored it.

Applying is free, and an interview may be part of it

Colorado Christian University's adult undergraduate admissions page says "Apply for Free." The checklist is short: the online application, a photo ID, and proof of high school completion, which can be a transcript, diploma, home school transcript or GED. Some applicants are picked for a video interview over Zoom. If you are selected, the page says it is required for admission and must be finished before you enroll. It is described as an identity check, and we would treat it as one, but it is a step other schools on this list do not mention.

Students can start at the beginning of any adult studies course, and CCU's adult studies page describes five-week blocks with one course at a time. The same page says nearly all courses are fully online and that the college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. You do not have to be a Christian to enroll, but the page is blunt that you should be comfortable engaging with Christian perspectives, and that the Bible is used in every class.

$565 a credit once the fees are counted

The undergraduate tuition page lists $494 per credit hour for major and general education courses for Summer 2026 through Spring 2027. Then comes a resource fee of $51 per credit for technology and $20 per credit for textbooks and course materials. The total is $565 per credit, or $1,695 for a three-credit course. Most books are digital; if one is not available, a physical rental copy is mailed. Prefer paper and you still pay for the digital edition.

The selling point is the lock: CCU says tuition is guaranteed for up to six years with continued progress. Active-duty, Reserve and National Guard students and dependents pay $250 per credit and no technology fee, and veteran dependents on Chapter 35 benefits pay $300.

What is not in the price. A $50 e-cashier enrollment fee per semester. A $50 per credit charge to extend a course. $105 per credit for prior learning assessment credits you petition for. For education majors, field courses carry $600 fees and student teaching carries $1,005. And discounts: the page says additional discounts and institutional scholarships cannot be combined with the discounted military pricing.

Across 120 credits, our arithmetic gives $67,800 before any transfer credit and before semester fees. That is our number, not CCU's.

Where it beats the named alternatives

Predictability. Liberty tells students its rates may change annually, and Arizona State University's fees are approved each year by the Arizona Board of Regents. The University of Arizona Global Campus's tuition page states no guarantee at all. CCU is the only one of the five where we found a six-year lock published on the page where the price lives. We would still read the fine print, since the same CCU page says tuition and fees may change without notice.

It also beats the University of Arizona Global Campus on retention. The College Scorecard entry for CCU shows 81 percent of students returning after their first year, against 33 percent at the University of Arizona Global Campus. Its 31 percent eight-year graduation rate is above that school's 19 percent and a few points above Purdue Global's 28 percent. These figures cover whole institutions, not online-only cohorts.

Where it loses, and who should buy the rival

Cost against Liberty. At $565 per credit all in, CCU runs about $15,000 more than Liberty's roughly $52,700 for the same 120 credits on our estimate. The faith setting is shared, so Liberty simply wins on price for a student who wants a Christian program.

Outcomes against Arizona State University. A 31 percent graduation rate against 68 percent is not close, even allowing for the fact that the Scorecard data covers whole institutions. Of the CCU students counted, 55 percent had withdrawn eight years later and 13 percent had transferred out. If your employer or licensing board cares about the school name, buy Arizona State.

The worldview is a third loss, depending on who you are. A student who wants a secular classroom should skip CCU entirely, and for that student the realistic alternatives are Arizona State, or Purdue Global if the quarter-credit pricing and the ExcelTrack option fit.

Finally, CCU has no accelerated flat-rate option like Purdue Global's ExcelTrack. A learner with a decade of work experience who can test through material quickly will pay for every credit here.

Refunds, interest on balances and the record

Payment is due in full at registration, or you set up arrangements, to hold your seat. Courses must be dropped before the drop deadline for a full reversal of tuition and fees. After that you are financially and academically responsible. The resource fee is non-refundable once you drop or withdraw after the deadline, which means the $71 per credit is gone even if the tuition is later adjusted. We could not find the drop deadline dates themselves on the pages we opened, so ask for them in writing.

Open accounts that are not on an approved installment plan carry a service charge of 1.5 percent a month, 18 percent annually, and a returned check costs $25. Maryland residents pay a $15 per credit compliance fee. If you are going to pay on a plan, confirm that it qualifies as approved.

Ownership: CCU is a private Christian university in Lakewood, Colorado, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, per its own pages. We did not find a profit-sharing contract with an outside company, a federal fine or a court judgment in the sources we opened. That is an absence in our research, not a certificate of clean conduct, and we did not search court dockets. Its Title IX page names a coordinator and an internal complaint process, which is what the law requires and tells you little else.

Verdict

CCU suits an adult who wants a Christian program, wants to take one course at a time for five weeks, and values a tuition lock over the lowest rate. It is the safest-priced option for a student who expects to be enrolled for more than four years.

It does not suit someone who wants the cheapest credential, the strongest brand or a secular classroom. Ask for three things before you sign: the drop deadline for your first block, written confirmation of the six-year guarantee and what counts as continued progress, and whether you will be on an approved installment plan. Without those, the $565 figure is a guess.

Frequently asked questions

How this review was produced

We assess every brand against the same weighted rubric and lock scores before any commercial review. See our rating methodology, or compare Colorado Christian University against the rest of the category in best online degrees.