University of Colorado Boulder

Basic Information

Type Public
Geographical Reach National
Population 700,000

Weather

Comfortable Days 130 (95% 😎) very dry
Sunshine Hours 3,107 (91% ☀️)
Days Without Precipitation 278 (86%)

Honors College

Name Honors Program
Students 2,000 (6%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 32,217
Men / Women 52% / 48%
From State 54%
From Region 2%
Athletes 372 (1.3%)

Racial/Ethnic

White 67%
Hispanic 14%
Mixed 7%
Asian 6%
International 3%
Black 2%
Native American 0%

Schools & Majors

⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Arts and Sciences 3,288 42% 70% 5% 2% 14% 2% $66,367 33 +0.32 55 94%
Astrophysical & Planetary Science 58 +9 66% 74% 3% 3% 14% 2% $77,997 33 -0.40 76 92% — 85% — —
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology 22 +1 45% 82% 0% 0% 14% 0% $69,293 73 +0.38 62 — — 86% — —
Chemistry 28 +1 57% 75% 4% 0% 18% 0% $75,202 75 +0.35 72 — — 86% — —
Geology 21 +3 71% 67% 0% 5% 10% 10% $69,871 76 +0.43 63 91% — 86% — —
Mathematics 46 +20 72% 54% 13% 2% 22% 2% $87,914 65 +0.10 86 94% — 84% — —
Physics 61 +3 79% 67% 10% 0% 13% 8% $90,984 76 +0.53 88 100% — 88% — —
Statistics and Data Science 22 +2 64% 77% 18% 0% 5% 0% $91,172 32 -0.56 88 — — 88% — —
Biochemistry 56 +6 52% 66% 12% 0% 12% 2% $73,540 61 +0.18 70 91% — 84% — —
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 177 +19 40% 71% 7% 2% 8% 2% $58,008 64 +0.19 33 95% — 85% — —
Integrative Physiology 350 +5 31% 70% 5% 2% 13% 0% $76,067 77 +0.59 74 96% — 88% — —
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology 139 +15 27% 66% 6% 2% 14% 3% $64,272 18 -0.64 50 96% — 87% — —
Neuroscience 100 +44 33% 66% 4% 4% 11% 3% $75,692 81 +0.76 73 97% — 87% — —
Environmental Studies 190 +8 46% 83% 2% 2% 8% 2% $68,044 89 +1.18 59 94% — 85% — —
Communication Sciences and Disorders 66 +9 5% 77% 3% 2% 8% 2% $56,103 20 -0.78 28 97% — 76% — —
Economics 204 +23 83% 70% 6% 0% 12% 5% $81,765 31 -0.61 80 96% — 83% — —
Asian Studies 1 +3 0% 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% $53,019 36 -0.49 20 — — 77% — —
Chinese 9 +3 33% 56% 22% 0% 22% 0% $48,657 18 -0.84 12 83% — 86% — —
Classics 11 +10 45% 82% 9% 0% 9% 0% $56,146 48 -0.17 28 — — 79% — —
English 103 +4 36% 72% 4% 0% 16% 0% $56,979 76 +0.56 30 91% — 84% — —
Ethnic Studies 14 +7 29% 36% 7% 14% 29% 0% $50,968 23 -0.66 16 91% — 69% — —
French 1 +3 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $63,327 68 +0.47 47 91% — 88% — —
General Studies 8 — 38% 75% 0% 0% 25% 0% $66,429 91 +0.87 55 93% — — — —
German Studies 2 +1 100% 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% $56,431 49 -0.14 29 — — 71% — —
History 85 +7 67% 82% 0% 2% 9% 0% $53,017 37 -0.38 20 94% — 77% — —
Italian 1 +1 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $63,327 68 +0.47 47 91% — 100% — —
Japanese 6 +5 67% 83% 0% 0% 0% 0% $48,657 18 -0.84 12 83% — 85% — —
Jewish Studies 1 — 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $60,404 91 +1.18 40 — — 85% — —
Linguistics 22 +8 36% 77% 5% 0% 14% 5% $46,042 11 -1.07 8 94% — 78% — —
Philosophy 49 +22 53% 65% 6% 0% 16% 2% $88,212 97 +2.02 86 94% — 79% — —
Religious Studies 3 +2 67% 67% 0% 0% 0% 0% $60,670 91 +1.21 40 — — 72% — —
Russian Studies 3 +4 33% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,758 39 -0.44 22 — — 100% — —
Spanish 9 +18 22% 56% 0% 0% 22% 0% $63,327 68 +0.47 47 91% — 79% — —
Women and Gender Studies 9 +4 11% 89% 0% 0% 0% 11% $50,968 27 -0.65 16 91% — 83% — —
Anthropology 44 +13 52% 75% 0% 2% 14% 2% $46,792 6 -0.92 9 93% — 76% — —
Community Organization and Advocacy 10 — 20% 60% 10% 0% 30% 0% $58,649 81 +0.64 35 — — — — —
Geography 47 +12 60% 70% 2% 2% 17% 2% $66,219 73 +0.47 55 — — 74% — —
Humanities 19 — 37% 79% 0% 0% 16% 0% $66,429 91 +0.87 55 93% — 84% — —
International Affairs 106 +8 45% 61% 5% 4% 17% 2% $69,670 46 -0.16 63 92% — 80% — —
Political Science 229 +26 55% 69% 3% 2% 16% 1% $64,966 31 -0.53 52 98% — 81% — —
Psychology 606 +45 26% 72% 5% 2% 14% 2% $62,950 90 +1.20 46 93% — 79% — —
Sociology 144 +27 33% 60% 5% 8% 18% 1% $65,222 90 +0.76 52 94% — 76% — —
Art History 10 +1 10% 50% 0% 0% 30% 10% $43,499 25 -0.65 6 93% — 79% — —
Art Practices 55 +5 27% 71% 4% 5% 13% 0% $43,499 36 -0.36 6 93% — 85% — —
Cinema Studies 100 +3 66% 68% 5% 2% 18% 1% $46,382 35 -0.39 9 91% — 80% — —
Dance 12 +1 17% 75% 17% 0% 8% 0% $42,064 42 -0.13 5 — — 88% — —
Theatre 29 — 31% 69% 0% 3% 24% 0% $46,624 76 +0.48 9 89% — 85% — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Engineering and Applied Science 1,523 74% 62% 9% 1% 12% 6% $109,266 98 +0.21 96 96% 3.2%
Aerospace Engineering 288 — 79% 66% 8% 1% 11% 6% $120,770 96 +2.37 98 98% — 44% — —
Architectural Engineering 36 — 44% 44% 0% 0% 11% 39% $85,069 13 -1.04 83 100% — 52% — —
Biomedical Engineering 60 — 38% 57% 12% 3% 20% 0% $98,025 48 -0.06 92 — — 70% — —
Chemical Engineering 43 — 63% 53% 14% 0% 14% 7% $101,283 33 -0.43 94 94% — 78% — —
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering 25 — 40% 80% 8% 0% 0% 4% $90,390 6 -1.55 88 96% — 82% — —
Civil Engineering 52 — 69% 67% 4% 0% 12% 10% $88,523 27 -0.54 86 97% — 65% — —
Computer Engineering 50 — 88% 54% 14% 6% 14% 6% $109,510 40 -0.36 96 — — 60% — —
Electrical Engineering 34 — 71% 59% 3% 0% 24% 9% $105,697 26 -0.54 95 100% 2.8% 62% — —
Engineering Physics 20 — 95% 65% 0% 5% 15% 0% $108,230 63 +0.27 96 89% — 73% — —
Environmental Engineering 48 — 48% 65% 6% 0% 12% 8% $83,639 37 -0.24 82 97% — 72% — —
Integrated Design Engineering 39 — 54% 51% 10% 0% 23% 3% $149,479 100 +3.88 100 94% — 65% — —
Mechanical Engineering 263 — 81% 69% 5% 1% 12% 4% $95,127 30 -0.51 90 96% — 29% — —
Computer Science 454 +1 83% 59% 14% 2% 9% 7% $128,220 64 +0.10 99 95% 3.2% 61% — —
Applied Mathematics 39 — 54% 59% 8% 0% 15% 3% $92,064 33 -0.53 89 94% — 78% — —
Creative Technology & Design 72 — 51% 62% 11% 1% 11% 1% $49,575 1 -3.26 13 — — 73% — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Media, Communication and Information 759 45% 77% 3% 1% 11% 1% $78,218 67 +0.94 76 96% 81%
Information Science 67 +2 78% 67% 10% 4% 4% 3% $91,899 41 -0.31 89 — — — — —
Communication 198 +2 45% 75% 3% 1% 15% 1% $72,603 85 +1.00 68 94% — — — —
Journalism 64 +1 39% 70% 0% 2% 12% 3% $68,212 78 +0.66 60 97% — 81% — —
Media Studies 43 +1 44% 77% 5% 0% 14% 2% $72,603 85 +1.00 68 94% — — — —
Strategic Communication 311 — 33% 82% 2% 0% 10% 1% $87,916 90 +1.49 86 97% — — — —
Media Production 76 +3 68% 74% 5% 3% 7% 3% $52,708 50 -0.20 20 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
College of Music 62 50% 68% 10% 3% 11% 3% $51,802 2 +0.54 17 86% 100%
Music 14 — 43% 50% 14% 7% 14% 14% $51,568 71 +0.52 17 86% — — — —
Music Education 5 — 20% 60% 20% 0% 20% 0% $54,480 86 +0.83 24 — — 100% — —
Music Performance 43 — 56% 74% 7% 2% 9% 0% $51,568 71 +0.52 17 86% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
Leeds School of Business 1,275 67% 71% 5% 1% 13% 2% $90,482 90 +0.67 88 96% 25%
Business Administration 1,275 — 67% 71% 5% 1% 13% 2% $90,482 83 +0.67 88 96% — 25% — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
Program in Environmental Design 172 49% 76% 5% 0% 13% 1% $67,696 36 +0.70 58 97%
Environmental Design 172 — 49% 76% 5% 0% 13% 1% $67,696 78 +0.70 58 97% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Education 83 10% 86% 1% 0% 6% 0% $50,376 1 -0.37 15 82%
Education 9 — 0% 78% 0% 0% 11% 0% $51,584 31 -0.41 17 — — — — —
Elementary Education 58 — 2% 86% 2% 0% 5% 0% $50,230 37 -0.31 14 — — 82% — —
Secondary Education 16 — 44% 88% 0% 0% 6% 0% $50,230 24 -0.57 14 — — — — —

Financial

In-State Tuition & Fees $16,459
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees $47,786
Est. In-State Cost $21,291
Est. Out-of-State Cost $61,816
ROI Percentile 79th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 90%
4-Year Graduation Rate 57%
6-Year Graduation Rate 74%
Transfer-Out Rate 16%

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅ % Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn
Social Sciences 27.8% 1,993 38% 72% 4% 2% 14% 2% $69,077 85 +0.79 61 95% —
Business & Economics 20.7% 1,479 69% 71% 5% 1% 13% 2% $89,280 70 +0.49 87 96% —
Engineering 13.4% 958 72% 64% 7% 1% 13% 6% $105,470 65 +0.55 95 97% 2.8%
Life & Natural Sciences 11.5% 822 34% 69% 6% 2% 12% 1% $69,966 61 +0.29 63 96% —
Computer Science 7.3% 521 83% 60% 14% 3% 9% 6% $123,549 70 +0.04 99 95% 3.2%
Arts 4.8% 344 51% 69% 6% 3% 14% 2% $48,082 33 -0.10 11 90% —
Humanities 4.7% 337 46% 73% 4% 1% 14% 1% $59,430 74 +0.25 37 92% —
Physical Sciences & Math 4.1% 297 66% 68% 7% 1% 14% 3% $83,541 59 +0.03 82 95% —
Agriculture & Food Science 2.7% 190 46% 83% 2% 2% 8% 2% $68,044 82 +1.18 59 94% —
Education 1.2% 83 10% 86% 1% 0% 6% 0% $50,377 27 -0.37 15 — —
Professional 1.0% 72 51% 62% 11% 1% 11% 1% $49,575 2 -3.26 13 — —
Health Sciences 0.9% 66 5% 77% 3% 2% 8% 2% $56,103 2 -0.78 28 97% —

Research R1

⇅ Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Physical Sciences & Math $366M #3 82% $2.0M 104 #19 788 187
Engineering $177M #23 81% $8.0M 140 #20 895 87
Life & Natural Sciences $59.7M #81 84% $0.4M 50 #52 277 51
Humanities & Social Sciences $40.9M #51 75% $0.0M 95 #45 262 6
Education $36.7M #13 40% $4.1M 15 #264 — —
Computer Science $23.6M #45 90% $0.9M 28 #26 212 3
Agriculture & Food Science $5.4M #90 44% $0.2M 4 #81 40 1
Health Sciences $2.4M #193 86% $0.1M — — 4 1
Business & Economics $1.5M #180 89% $0 11 #118 64 —
Total $714M #45 79% $15.7M 447 #43 2,542 336

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Sports NCAA D1

⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Football 118 $69.3M $42.8M $26.5M
Track & Field (combined) 91 $718K $1.9M -$1.2M
Basketball 17 $11.9M $8.6M $3.3M
Skiing 14 $182K $1.0M -$843K
Golf 10 $478K $1.1M -$640K
Total 218 $82.6M $55.4M $27.2M
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 78 $747K $2.1M -$1.3M
Lacrosse 32 $784K $1.9M -$1.1M
Soccer 28 $760K $2.5M -$1.8M
Basketball 24 $2.3M $5.2M -$2.8M
Volleyball 19 $728K $2.2M -$1.5M
Skiing 14 $469K $1.1M -$661K
Tennis 11 $568K $1.4M -$789K
Golf 7 $366K $955K -$588K
Total 154 $6.8M $17.3M -$10.6M
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Track & Field (combined) 169 $1.5M $4.0M -$2.5M
Football 118 $69.3M $42.8M $26.5M
Basketball 41 $14.3M $13.8M $470K
Lacrosse 32 $784K $1.9M -$1.1M
Skiing 28 $651K $2.2M -$1.5M
Soccer 28 $760K $2.5M -$1.8M
Volleyball 19 $728K $2.2M -$1.5M
Golf 17 $845K $2.1M -$1.2M
Tennis 11 $568K $1.4M -$789K
Total 372 $161.7M $161.5M $159K

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. Each team's revenue and expenses are what the college attributes to it. The Total view's totals row is the department's grand total, which also includes money not attributed to any team; the Male and Female totals rows only add up their teams.

Admissions

Uses Common App Yes
Acceptance Rate 71%
Yield (non-ED) 14%
Early Action Nov 15
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 81% 67% 72%

Early Action and Restrictive Early Action applicants are reported at the regular-decision rate.

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional
Submitted Test Scores 33%
SAT Range 1130 – 1370
SAT Math Range 560 – 690
SAT RW Range 570 – 700