Private nonprofit · University

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado · Large city

#4 graduation rate in Colorado#5 for grad earnings in Colorado
77.8%
Admit rate
$36,131
Avg net price
76%
Graduation rate
$71,155
Median earnings

University of Denver is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Denver, Colorado (large city setting), enrolling 6,025 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 6,025 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Denver's admitted students.

Admit rate
77.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1240–1410
Avg GPA (est.)
3.72

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Denver's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Denver's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Denver, Colorado

Denver is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. By the terms of the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie between the United States and various tribes including the Cheyenne and Arapaho, the United States unilaterally defined and recognized Cheyenne and Arapaho territory as ranging from the North Platte River in present-day Wyoming and Nebraska southward to the Arkansas River in present-day Colorado and Kansas. Apollo Hall opened soon after the city's founding in 1859 and staged many plays for eager settlers. In the 1880s Horace Tabor built Denver's first opera house. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
4 miles to Denver, CO
To the ocean
742 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC)

How University of Denver compares

Selectivity77.8%

More selective than 49% · #6 most selective of 17 in Colorado

SAT average1355

Higher than 86%

Graduation rate76%

Higher than 86% · #4 of 19 in Colorado

First-year retention89%

Higher than 84%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$71,155

Higher than 84% · #5 of 22 in Colorado

Average net price$36,131

Cheaper than 8% · #19 cheapest of 20 in Colorado

Median debt at graduation$21,844

Lower than 60%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment6,025

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare University of Denver with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Colorado.

University of Denver campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

12,224students
  • Undergraduate6,02549%
  • Graduate6,19951%

Undergraduates by gender

6,025undergrads
  • Women3,62860%
  • Men2,39740%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White67%
  • Black3.0%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian3.8%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,025
Graduate enrollment
6,199
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
14%
First-generation students
19%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$80,202
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$117,090
Endowment
$1,088,971,768

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 1,458 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Colorado28%
  • Other U.S. states70%
  • International2.9%

A national draw — only 28% of first-years come from Colorado; 70% arrive from other states.

3% 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
77.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1240–1410
SAT average
1355
SAT reading
640–710
SAT math
600–700
ACT composite
28–33
Average GPA (estimated)
3.72

Cost

In-state tuition
$61,398
Room & board
$17,759
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$78,476
Average net price
$36,131

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)
76%
Graduated on time (4 years)
66%
First-year retention
89%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$57,118
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$71,155
Median debt at graduation
$21,844
Students with federal loans
28%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
66%

About 9% 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
66%
Low-income (Pell)
66%
First-generation
66%

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
2,647
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
44%
Housing charge (year)
$9,840
Meal plan (year)
$6,495
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
372 (193 men · 179 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 (11)

Lacrosse84
Soccer68
Swimming and Diving (combined)62
Basketball30
Skiing26
Ice Hockey25
Golf20
Tennis18
Gymnastics15
Volleyball15
Other Sports9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
54
Property offenses (2022–2024)
161

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (12,813 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.

72reported offenses a year
18 violent a year54 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
35
Burglary
17
Rape
9.0
Fondling
4.7
Aggravated assault
4.0
Arson
1.3
Robbery
0.3

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
$20,097
$30–48k
$16,211
$48–75k
$22,940
$75–110k
$31,759
$110k+
$47,222

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
$95,993

$22,940/year × about 4.2 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$30,657
average award, among those who get one

University of Denver discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $30,657. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 1,620 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)
$71,155
Typical debt at graduation
$21,844
Debt vs. one year's pay
31%
Out-earn a HS grad
74%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$68,942
Men
$74,551

Men out-earn women by $5,609 (8%) 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
91°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
15.8″
Annual snow
40.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Denver Water Dept, CO US station (4.3 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 Denver

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Denver side by side →

Colleges near University of Denver

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.