Public · University
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, Colorado · Midsize city
- 78.1%
- Admit rate
- $25,346
- Avg net price
- 74%
- Graduation rate
- $69,738
- Median earnings
University of Colorado Boulder is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Boulder, Colorado (midsize city setting), enrolling 31,939 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against University of Colorado Boulder's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 78.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1240–1430
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.73
Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Colorado Boulder's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Colorado Boulder's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in, Boulder County, Colorado, United States. By the 1500s, the Ute people held primary occupation of Boulder Valley. In the early 1800s, the Arapaho migrated to the region. In the 1800s, European Americans settled in the area. Boulder has hosted a 10 km road run, the Bolder Boulder, on Memorial Day every year since 1979. The race involves over 50,000 runners, joggers, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it one of the largest road races in the world. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 24 miles to Denver, CO
- To the ocean
- 750 miles
- Nearest airport
- 11 miles to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC)
How University of Colorado Boulder compares
More selective than 48% · #7 most selective of 17 in Colorado
Higher than 86%
Higher than 84% · #5 of 19 in Colorado
Higher than 86%
Higher than 83% · #6 of 22 in Colorado
Cheaper than 28% · #13 cheapest of 20 in Colorado
Lower than 78%
Lower than 14%
Larger than 98%
Percentiles compare University of Colorado Boulder with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Colorado.
University of Colorado Boulder campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate31,93983%
- Graduate6,55517%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women15,37948%
- Men16,56052%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White67%
- Black1.9%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian6.4%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 31,939
- Graduate enrollment
- 6,555
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 14%
- First-generation students
- 20%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $70,221
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $119,916
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 7,546 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Colorado53%
- Other U.S. states45%
- International1.6%
A regional draw: about 53% of first-years come from Colorado, the rest from elsewhere.
2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 78.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1240–1430
- SAT average
- 1357
- SAT reading
- 630–710
- SAT math
- 610–720
- ACT composite
- 29–33
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.73
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $15,666
- Out-of-state tuition
- $44,918
- Room & board
- $18,468
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $37,684
- Average net price
- $25,346
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 74%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 57%
- First-year retention
- 90%
- Transferred to another college
- 16%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $54,939
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $69,738
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Students with federal loans
- 25%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 69%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 7,550
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 24%
- Application fee
- $65
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I-FBS
- Football conference
- Big Twelve Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 463 (250 men · 213 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 252
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 186
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (38,799 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$18,828/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 53% — get grant money from University of Colorado Boulder itself, averaging $8,391, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 7,027 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $69,738
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 28%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $11,277 (17%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 21°F
- Annual rain
- 21.2″
- Annual snow
- 92.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boulder, CO US station (1.2 mi from campus).
What University of Colorado Boulder graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to University of Colorado Boulder
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Colorado Boulder side by side →
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota · Large city · 1 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 31,855
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1362
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York · Large suburb · 9 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 20,112
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1295
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $71k
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon · Small city · 37 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 30,743
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1290
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $64k
Indiana University-Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana · Small city · 46 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 37,806
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1313
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $64k
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Midsize city · 47 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 33,227
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1285
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $59k
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city · 3 mi to Baton Rouge
- Students
- 30,594
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1285
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $61k
Colleges near University of Colorado Boulder
Naropa University
Boulder, CO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 339 students
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder
Boulder, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 8,504 students
Dr. Ida Rolf Institute
Boulder, CO · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 12 students
Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture
Louisville, CO · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology
Broomfield, CO · Private for-profit · Associate · 397 students
Front Range Community College
Westminster, CO · Public · Certificate · 11,476 students
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO · Public · Bachelor's · 6,155 students
Empire Beauty School-Thornton
Thornton, CO · Private for-profit · Certificate · 149 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












