A public R1 research university in Boulder, CO, admitting 78.08% of applicants at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with strong aerospace, natural science, and technology programs.
Boulder, Colorado
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public R1 research university in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 1876 as the flagship institution of the University of Colorado system. It enrolls 31,939 undergraduates and 6,555 graduate students across twelve colleges and schools, including the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the Leeds School of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Media, Communication and Information, and the College of Music.
Engineering, business, natural sciences, social sciences, and environmental studies account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. CU Boulder is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). CU Boulder is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. CU Boulder is closely connected to Colorado's aerospace, defense, and technology industries; several major federal research agencies and corporations are located within the Boulder corridor.
Official website: colorado.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), CU Boulder scores 71.04 overall, rated Good. Outcomes (85.04) reflects a 74.19% six-year graduation rate and 89.67% first-year retention. Value scores 52.42, reflecting ten-year earnings of $69,738 against an average net price of $25,346. Affordability scores 17.43. All scores use verified federal data only.
CU Boulder admits 78.08% of applicants, making it among the more accessible public flagship universities nationally. CU Boulder is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. CU Boulder uses the Common App. The early action deadline is November 1 (non-binding); the regular decision deadline is January 15.
Admission is selective within some colleges; the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business have more competitive admissions for their direct-entry programs. CU Boulder attracts a nationally distributed applicant pool, with significant numbers of students from California, Texas, and other states drawn to Boulder's outdoor recreation access and research profile.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of Colorado Boulder is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
CU Boulder charges $15,666 in in-state tuition and $44,918 in out-of-state tuition, plus room and board, bringing the estimated in-state total cost of attendance to approximately $37,000 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $25,346. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $14,231. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $14,381. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $26,915.
For families earning above $110,000, it averages $34,818. Out-of-state tuition at $44,918 is among the highest for a public flagship; many students from other states consider CU Boulder's cost relative to in-state options and selective private universities. The federal loan rate of 24.80% and median debt of $19,500 are relatively low, reflecting a student body with more above-average income families.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
CU Boulder completes the majority of students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 74.19% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students, below the flagship average for this peer group. First-year retention stands at 89.67%. The federal loan rate of 24.80% and median debt of $19,500 are relatively low; the graduation rate gap relative to comparable flagships reflects the academic profile of the student body and some attrition in engineering programs.
CU Boulder graduates earn above the national median, particularly in engineering and technology fields. Median earnings are $54,939 six years after first enrolling and $69,738 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 84.64% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The ten-year earnings reflect CU Boulder's concentration in engineering, natural sciences, and business, with graduates placing in Colorado's aerospace and defense sector, the Denver-Boulder technology corridor, and national technology companies.
Boulder is home to major research institutions (National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and aerospace companies (Ball Aerospace, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Lockheed Martin Space) that employ CU Boulder graduates. The Leeds School of Business and College of Engineering are the primary drivers of the strongest earnings outcomes.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
CU Boulder enrolls 31,939 undergraduates on its campus at the foot of the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado, approximately 30 miles northwest of Denver. White students account for 67.31% of undergraduates; Hispanic 13.64%, Asian 6.38%, and Black 1.88%. Approximately 14.49% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 20.36% are first-generation college students.
Boulder is consistently ranked among the most desirable college cities in the United States; the outdoor access includes skiing, hiking, climbing, cycling, and whitewater rafting within an hour of campus. The Pearl Street pedestrian mall, local food scene, and Boulder's outdoor culture are defining features of the student experience. CU Boulder athletics compete in the Big 12 Conference; Colorado Buffaloes football and the rivalry with Colorado State are major annual events.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of Colorado Boulder. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of Colorado Boulder offers an extensive catalog of programs: 180 distinct programs across 24 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
CU Boulder operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large public research universities. 75.83% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty, below the peer group average for a flagship, reflecting a significant role for adjunct and part-time instructors in introductory courses. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $18,515 per year.
CU Boulder is a major research university with 13 Nobel Prize laureates among its faculty and alumni. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, JILA (a joint institute with NIST), and the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research are among the strongest research units in their fields. The Aerospace Engineering Sciences program and the Environmental Studies program are recognized nationally.
1,616 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 503 | 31% | $160,062 |
| Associate Professors | 372 | 23% | $115,512 |
| Assistant Professors | 283 | 18% | $113,177 |
| Instructors | 458 | 28% | $73,792 |
CU Boulder's defining strengths are its UCD 71.04 Good score, the Boulder location (consistently ranked one of the best college cities in the country for outdoor recreation and quality of life), strong aerospace/natural science/engineering programs connected to a dense cluster of federal research agencies and private companies, and a moderate federal loan rate of 24.80%. UCD 71.04 Good.
The considerations: the 74.19% six-year graduation rate is below comparable public flagships; the 75.83% full-time faculty rate is below average; out-of-state tuition ($44,918) makes CU Boulder expensive for non-Colorado residents relative to in-state options at home; and the average net price of $25,346 is the highest in the comparable public flagship batch. Best fit for Colorado residents who want a flagship research university with strong outdoor recreation access and aerospace/engineering/natural science programs, and for out-of-state students specifically targeting Boulder's lifestyle or its aerospace research corridor.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about CU Boulder: the Boulder lifestyle, aerospace and engineering programs, cost for out-of-state students, and career connections to Colorado's tech sector.
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