Colorado licenses legal paraprofessionals to handle family law cases on their own, and a bachelor's degree plus a paralegal certificate with 30 law credits is one route to the license. As of the regulator's 2025 annual report, 126 had been admitted.
Front Range Community College leads Colorado's ABA-approved certificate programs, ahead of Arapahoe Community College.
As a Colorado resident you'd pay $4,030 to $4,740 in tuition and fees for a full-time year at Colorado's ranked programs.
2 approved programs in Colorado can be finished at least partly online, by each school's own page or, where a page says nothing, the federal record or the ABA's online flag.
ABA-approved programs conferred 63% of the 168 paralegal credentials Colorado schools awarded in 2023-24.
Paralegals in Colorado earn a median $78,190, above the national $62,890.
Colorado has 4 paralegal programs on the ABA's list of approved programs. The rankings below cover 2 certificate programs and 4 associate degrees. Another 3 schools in the state conferred paralegal credentials in 2023-24 without ABA approval. They are listed at the foot of the page with their federal figures. Community College of Aurora's certificate is not admitting new students; its associate degree is ranked.
Approved programs are ranked within each award level on tuition and fees (what a full-time year costs a Colorado resident), graduation rate and paralegal graduates. Positions below are within Colorado,
but each score compares a program with every approved program at its level in the country.
How the scores work.
Colorado's Licensed Legal Paraprofessional
Colorado is one of a handful of states that license people other than lawyers to give limited legal help. The Colorado Supreme Court published rules for licensed legal paraprofessionals (LLPs) in March 2023, administered the first oath in June 2024, and had admitted 126 after four exam cycles, according to the regulator's 2025 annual report. An LLP works in domestic relations: separation, invalidity and dissolution of a marriage or civil union, child support, related contempt, name changes and protective orders among them.
The license is open to paralegals with the right education and experience. One route is a bachelor's degree in any subject plus a paralegal certificate that includes at least 30 credit hours in law, including legal research and writing. An associate's or bachelor's in legal or paralegal studies with the same 30 law credits also qualifies. Applicants on that path need 1,500 hours of substantive law-related experience in the past three years, 500 of them in Colorado family law. A route without a degree needs 4,500 hours. Applicants then take a legal ethics class and an exam in family law and professional conduct, offered only in November in 2026. The exam application costs $710.
In addition to entering an appearance and filing pleadings and other documents in a court proceeding, LLPs are allowed to represent their clients in court hearings just like an attorney.
For most people in Colorado a paralegal certificate leads to paralegal work under a lawyer, as it does everywhere. If you're aiming at the LLP license, the certificate's law credits matter: the eligibility rules count only certificates that include at least 30 credit hours in law.
ABA-Approved Paralegal Certificate Programs In Colorado
2 approved programs in Colorado conferred undergraduate paralegal certificates in 2023-24. Paralegal certificate programs in Colorado are ranked here only when a new student can start them. Tuition is a full-time year of in-state tuition and fees. The out-of-state or in-district figure is beside it where it differs.
Front Range Community College runs its paralegal AAS and certificate at the Larimer campus in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the Westminster, Colorado campus, and both programs finish with a capstone or an internship.
Key Program Details
AAS: 60 credits (4 semesters)
Certificate: 30 credits (2 semesters)
Program locations: Larimer (Fort Collins, Colorado) and Westminster, Colorado campuses
Capstone or internship in both programs
Certificate requires an associate degree with 18 general education credits or a bachelor's degree
$184 per semester credit
Read more
The AAS in Paralegal/Legal Assistant is 60 credits over four semesters of full-time study, pairing general education with paralegal courses in introduction to law, legal ethics, contracts, torts, civil litigation, legal research, legal writing, e-discovery and litigation technology, business organizations and evidence, plus a capstone or internship. The 30-credit Paralegal/Legal Assistant Certificate takes two semesters full time and covers legal ethics, civil litigation, legal research and writing, and e-discovery and litigation technology, also ending with a capstone or internship. Students must complete at least nine credit hours of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction (face-to-face or real-time remote courses).
The certificate is open only to students who already hold an associate degree with 18 general education credits or a bachelor's degree or higher; students without an approved degree enroll in the AAS. The catalog also lays out part-time plans of eight semesters for the AAS and four semesters for the certificate. No more than 15 credits can transfer in as legal specialty courses, and the Paralegal Studies Program Director reviews every transfer and Credit for Prior Learning request.
Arapahoe Community College says its paralegal program has been ABA-approved since 1977, and both the AAS and the certificate include a required cooperative education course.
Key Program Details
Paralegal, AAS: 60 credit hours
Paralegal Certificate: 36 credit hours
The college dates its ABA approval to 1977
Certificate requires a bachelor's degree or an associate of arts or science degree
Cooperative education course (PAR 2087) is part of the required paralegal courses
$184 per semester credit
Read more
The Paralegal AAS totals 60 credit hours: 24 credit hours of general education, 27 credit hours of required paralegal courses (legal analysis, computers and the law, introduction to law, torts, contracts, civil litigation, legal research, e-discovery and litigation technology, and cooperative education) and 9 credit hours of paralegal electives such as family law, evidence, bankruptcy law and immigration law. The Paralegal Certificate totals 36 credit hours, made up of the same 27 required paralegal credits plus 9 elective credits. Students must take at least 9 semester credits of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.
The certificate is for students who already hold a bachelor's degree or an associate of arts or associate of science degree; an associate of applied science degree does not qualify. AAS students must finish all general education courses before they can register for paralegal (PAR) classes, and every student must meet with the program for advising before enrolling in a PAR course. At least 27 hours of paralegal courses must be taken at Arapahoe Community College, and no more than nine semester credit hours of paralegal courses can transfer in, only from an ABA-approved program.
AASCertificate
arapahoe.eduOctober 1, 2026
ABA-Approved Associate Degrees In Paralegal Studies In Colorado
An associate's degree adds general education to the paralegal courses and usually takes two years full time.
Community College of Aurora leads Colorado's 4 approved associate programs, conferring 10 paralegal degrees in 2023-24.
Community College of Aurora says its Paralegal AAS has been ABA-approved since 1998; the degree requires an internship or independent study, with faculty who work or have worked as paralegals and attorneys.
Key Program Details
60 credits
CCA reports ABA approval since 1998
Internship or independent study required
At least 15 paralegal credit hours must be completed at CCA
Paralegal Certificate not accepting new students in 2026-2027
Front Range Community College runs its paralegal AAS and certificate at the Larimer campus in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the Westminster, Colorado campus, and both programs finish with a capstone or an internship.
Key Program Details
AAS: 60 credits (4 semesters)
Certificate: 30 credits (2 semesters)
Program locations: Larimer (Fort Collins, Colorado) and Westminster, Colorado campuses
Capstone or internship in both programs
Certificate requires an associate degree with 18 general education credits or a bachelor's degree
$184 per semester credit
AASCertificate
frontrange.smartcatalogiq.comOctober 1, 2026
#3In Colorado
Score47.0/ 100
Paralegal/Legal Assistant AAS
Pikes Peak State College
Colorado Springs, Colorado · Public · ABA-approved
At Pikes Peak State College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the paralegal AAS lists every legal course as required, from family law and evidence to constitutional law, and both credentials include an internship or cooperative education course.
Key Program Details
Paralegal/Legal Assistant AAS: 64 credit hours
Legal Assistant Certificate: 36 credit hours
Certificate requires a bachelor's degree or higher
Internship or cooperative education course required
Grade of C or better required in every required course
Arapahoe Community College says its paralegal program has been ABA-approved since 1977, and both the AAS and the certificate include a required cooperative education course.
Key Program Details
Paralegal, AAS: 60 credit hours
Paralegal Certificate: 36 credit hours
The college dates its ABA approval to 1977
Certificate requires a bachelor's degree or an associate of arts or science degree
Cooperative education course (PAR 2087) is part of the required paralegal courses
$184 per semester credit
AASCertificate
arapahoe.eduOctober 1, 2026
What A Paralegal Program Costs In Colorado
Across Colorado's ranked approved programs, you'd pay between $4,030 and $4,740 for a full-time year of tuition and fees as a Colorado resident,
with a median of $4,305.
Tuition and fees are what each school reported to IPEDS for a full-time undergraduate year in 2023-24, tuition plus required fees, before books, supplies or aid. A certificate of about 30 semester credits is roughly a full-time year of coursework, but programs differ in length and many students take them part-time, so read the figure as a way to compare schools. Colleges set new rates every year. It is not the price of a post-baccalaureate or extension certificate, which schools price separately.
What Paralegals Earn In Colorado
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in Colorado at $78,190 a year,
$15,300 above the national median of $62,890, third highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports.
The 10th percentile is $56,930 and the 90th is $106,160. 5,620 people in Colorado hold the job. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. Pay for paralegals in every state sets them side by side.
Closed And Paused Schools In Colorado
Each school below says on its own page that a program has closed or is not admitting new students. That program is
left out of the rankings above, and the school's words and the date the page was read are here.
Community College of Aurora, Aurora, Colorado: Certificate not admitting new students
The program is not accepting new students this academic year.
Every school in Colorado that the ABA lists or that conferred a paralegal credential in 2023-24 is here, approved
programs first. Awards are the paralegal credentials each school reported to IPEDS for that year.
Common Questions About Paralegal Certificates In Colorado
Can a paralegal handle a family law case in Colorado?
Only as a licensed legal paraprofessional. Colorado licenses LLPs to represent clients in defined family law matters, including in court hearings, after meeting education and experience requirements and passing a family law and ethics exam. A paralegal without the license works under a lawyer's supervision.
Does a paralegal certificate qualify for the Colorado LLP?
With a bachelor's degree in any subject, yes, if the certificate includes at least 30 credit hours in law, including legal research and writing. Applicants also need 1,500 hours of law-related experience, 500 of them in Colorado family law, within three years.
How many ABA-approved paralegal programs are in Colorado?
The ABA's directory lists 4 approved programs in Colorado. Community College of Aurora's certificate is not admitting new students; its associate degree is ranked. IPEDS shows 7 schools in the state conferring paralegal credentials in 2023-24, and 3 of them run a program the ABA has not approved.
What are the best paralegal certificate programs in Colorado?
On this ranking, Front Range Community College, which charges $4,740 a year in in-state tuition and fees, graduates 30% of its first-time students and conferred 24 paralegal certificates in 2023-24. Arapahoe Community College is next. Every program ranked here is ABA-approved.
What is the cheapest ABA-approved paralegal program in Colorado?
Of the programs ranked here, you'd pay the least as a Colorado resident at Community College of Aurora, $4,030 for a full-time year of tuition and fees in 2023-24. That's the figure the school reports to IPEDS, and schools reset it every year.
What do paralegals make in Colorado?
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in Colorado at $78,190 a year, $15,300 above the national median of $62,890, with 5,620 people in the job. The 10th percentile is $56,930 and the 90th is $106,160. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.
Paralegal Programs In Other States
A campus program usually means the state you live in, but an online one does not. These are the
other states with enough ABA-approved programs for a page of their own.
