welcomed its inaugural class of 39 students the same year. At the time of its founding, the college offered seven courses, with tuition at $8 per class.
=== Mesa College (1937–1988) ===
After a brief stint being known as Mesa County Junior College, the school was renamed to Mesa College in 1940. By this time, enrollment had increased to nearly 300 students. The school's selection of community college programs continued to increase as well, with enrollment surpassing 1,000 students in 1961, and a vocational school being added in 1967.
In 1972, Governor John Arthur Love signed Senate Bill 16 authorizing Mesa College to begin offering bachelor's degrees, effective fall 1974. Due to this expansion of programs, by 1979, enrollment had increased to 3,891 students, nearly tripling since 1963.
=== Mesa State College (1988–2011) ===
In 1988, the school was renamed Mesa State College, as it began transitioning from a junior college into a four-year state college. In 1994, the Colorado legislature authorized Mesa State …
