Public · University

University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado · Midsize city

#5 graduation rate in Colorado
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.

PublicLarge · 31,939 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Twelve ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

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

Selectivity78.1%

More selective than 48% · #7 most selective of 17 in Colorado

SAT average1357

Higher than 86%

Graduation rate74%

Higher than 84% · #5 of 19 in Colorado

First-year retention90%

Higher than 86%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$69,738

Higher than 83% · #6 of 22 in Colorado

Average net price$25,346

Cheaper than 28% · #13 cheapest of 20 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment31,939

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

38,494students
  • Undergraduate31,93983%
  • Graduate6,55517%

Undergraduates by gender

31,939undergrads
  • 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)

All students
57%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
42%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)169
Football118
Basketball41
Lacrosse32
Skiing28
Soccer28
Volleyball19
Golf17
Tennis11

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.

146reported offenses a year
84 violent a year62 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
52
Burglary
38
Fondling
20
Motor vehicle theft
19
Aggravated assault
8.0
Arson
4.7
Robbery
4.3

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.

< $30k
$14,231
$30–48k
$14,381
$48–75k
$18,828
$75–110k
$26,915
$110k+
$34,818

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.

Est. total to a degree
$81,688

$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.

53%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,391
average award, among those who get one

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.

Strong value

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.

Women
$64,773
Men
$76,050

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boulder, CO US station (1.2 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near University of Colorado Boulder

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.