Fort Lewis College offers the opportunities of a larger university—with the personal attention of a close-knit campus in a mountain town setting that most students only experience on vacation. Here’s what students value most:
- Professors who teach, not TAs: small classes led by faculty who know your name—98% hold the highest degree in their field
- Real experience before graduation: research, field courses, internships, and community-based learning
- Affordability that opens doors: One of the lowest in-state tuitions for Colorado students and students from participating Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program, and tuition-free education for Native American students from federally recognized tribes—plus strong financial aid support
- A campus community that reflects the world: a minority-majority student body, where 52% of students are students of color
- Room to belong and lead: you won’t get lost in the crowd—students are supported, encouraged, and recognized from day one
- Outdoor access built into everyday life: hiking, skiing, river sports, and wide-open space just minutes away
At Fort Lewis College, you get more than a degree—you get a community that helps you build your future. You're not one of 40,000 students competing for attention. You matter from day one.
Fort Lewis College is located in Durango, Colorado—where a close-knit campus meets a town rich in culture, creativity, and outdoor energy.
Students describe FLC as welcoming and collaborative, adventurous and active, supportive and personal, and deeply connected to the region. Here, connection looks like joining 100+ student clubs, spending afternoons at local coffee shops or festivals downtown, borrowing gear for weekend adventures, and learning in small classes where professors know your name.
But connection goes beyond campus life—it's built into how students learn. Through hands-on projects and community partnerships, students engage with meaningful challenges in the region and beyond, applying their skills in ways that lead directly to careers.
What truly sets Fort Lewis College apart is our community of care, a campus culture where students are supported as whole people, not just as learners. That includes:
- Free counseling services through the Counseling Center, including individual and group therapy, walk-in hours, and an Advocate to help students navigate resources
- The Grub Hub, a student-led center providing food access, emergency housing support, and help with unexpected costs—so no student has to choose between groceries and textbooks
- A campus where you're known by name, not just by student ID
At FLC, you'll find the support, experience, and community to grow—inside and outside the classroom.
Fort Lewis College takes a holistic approach. We look at the whole student, not just test scores. We consider:
- High school coursework and GPA
- SAT/ACT scores (test-optional)
- Activities, leadership, and community involvement
Rolling admission means you find out about your admission with a quick turnaround, so you can begin to plan, rather than waiting around for an arbitrary date.
Fort Lewis College is one of the most affordable four-year schools in Colorado. And when students graduate, they leave with about 40% of the national average student debt—less than half of what many college graduates carry.
- Colorado residents: pay the lowest in-state tuition for a four-year institution in Colorado. Families earning less than $70,000 annually may be eligible for the FLC Tuition Promise, a merit-based program that helps cover the cost of tuition.
- New Mexico and WUE state students: have merit scholarships that can reduce the cost of tuition.
- Native American students: members of any federally recognized tribe are eligible for the Native American Tuition Waiver.
- All students: can access scholarships, grants, and financial aid. Once you apply, our team will help you understand your financial aid package, identify available resources, and discuss options based on your family’s circumstances.
We want you to launch your career, not be buried in debt.
Fort Lewis College offers 60+ majors built around real experience and close faculty mentorship. Popular areas include:
- Adventure Education
- Anthropology
- Business Administration
- Communication
- Criminology and Justice Studies
- Engineering
- Environmental Conservation and Management
- Exercise Physiology
- Geology
- Nursing
Every major includes opportunities for undergraduate research, internships, or fieldwork—preparing you for meaningful work from day one.
Still exploring? Many students apply undecided and discover their path here.
Durango sits in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, where high desert and dramatic peaks meet, meaning you get red rock, mesas, forests, rivers, alpine lakes, and snowy summits all within a short drive of campus.
Outdoor access is exceptional:
- There are thousands of miles of trails ranging from riverside strolls to back-country alpine hikes right around town.
- The nearby San Juan National Forest spans about 1.8 million acres of protected lands from high-desert mesas to alpine peaks.
- World-class backpacking, trail running, and scenic hikes such as Hermosa Creek, Falls Creek, and Purgatory Flats are all within reach.
Iconic regional destinations:
- Mesa Verde National Park, about 35 miles west of Durango, preserves over 4,500 archaeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Pueblo peoples more than 700 years ago.
- Nearby national monuments such as Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep offer other rich archaeological and cultural landscapes.
- Historic towns like Silverton, accessible via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, showcase mining-era heritage and scenic mountain corridors.
- Purgatory Resort ski area is within about an hour of campus, offering downhill skiing, snowboarding, and mountain activities in the winter and alpine biking and hiking in the summer.
Culture and community:
Durango blends a small-town feel with vibrant local culture, think historic downtown streets, craft breweries, live music, riverfront trails, and connections to Indigenous history and Four Corners heritage that enrich daily life beyond the classroom.
In short: You’re not just near a mountain or a desert, you’re in a place shaped by both, with easy access to iconic parks, rugged wilderness, rich history, and year-round outdoor adventure.