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University of Colorado Boulder: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

542 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
78% Acceptance Rate

University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution in Boulder, Colorado enrolling 31,939 undergraduates. It accepts 78% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 74%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #120 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 2%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is University of Colorado Boulder Ranked?

University of Colorado Boulder ranks #120 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 2%.

#120 Best Colleges in Nation
#3 Best Colleges in CO
University of Colorado Boulder ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.

University of Colorado Boulder was awarded 542 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, University of Colorado Boulder is ranked #120 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.

Within the state, University of Colorado Boulder holds the #3 spot on the Best Colleges in Colorado ranking.

See all of the rankings for University of Colorado Boulder.

Is It Hard to Get Into University of Colorado Boulder?

78% Acceptance Rate
83% Of Accepted Are Women
18% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

University of Colorado Boulder has an acceptance rate of 78%, which makes it somewhat selective. Make sure it’s not the only school you apply to, even if it’s your school of choice. Whether you get in or not will largely depend on how you compare to other applicants.

Average Test Scores

About 18% of students accepted to University of Colorado Boulder submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 630 and 710. Math scores were between 610 and 720.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of Colorado Boulder  ( 630 to 710 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for University of Colorado Boulder  ( 610 to 720 )
200
800

University of Colorado Boulder received ACT scores from 6% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 29 and 33.

ACT Composite Scores for University of Colorado Boulder  ( 29 to 33 )
1
36

Learn more about University of Colorado Boulder admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at University of Colorado Boulder?

19 to 1 Student to Faculty
76% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at University of Colorado Boulder is 19 to 1, which is high when compared to the national average of 15 to 1. This may indicate that some of your classes will be larger in size than they would be at other schools. However, upper level classes will probably be smaller.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at University of Colorado Boulder is 76%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  76 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at University of Colorado Boulder?

90% Freshmen Retention
74% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 90% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like University of Colorado Boulder enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  90 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At University of Colorado Boulder the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 74%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  74 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of Colorado Boulder.

How Diverse Is University of Colorado Boulder?

31,939 Undergraduate Students
29.2% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
47.1% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 31,939 undergraduates at University of Colorado Boulder.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of Colorado Boulder.

How Much Does University of Colorado Boulder Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
25% Take Out Loans
$24,832 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of University of Colorado Boulder is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for University of Colorado Boulder

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$14,231 $14,381 $18,828 $26,915 $34,818

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of University of Colorado Boulder, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At University of Colorado Boulder, approximately 25% of students took out student loans averaging $6,208 a year. That adds up to $24,832 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for University of Colorado Boulder.

How Much Do University of Colorado Boulder Graduates Earn?

$69,738 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $69,738 in their early years. This is good news for future University of Colorado Boulder graduates since it is 42% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for University of Colorado Boulder Graduates

See which majors at University of Colorado Boulder make the most money.

Where Is University of Colorado Boulder Located?

Colorado State
31,939 Undergraduate Students
Midsize City Campus Setting

University of Colorado Boulder is an public institution situated in Boulder, Colorado. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of University of Colorado Boulder.

Location of University of Colorado Boulder

Contact information for University of Colorado Boulder are given below.

Contact Details
Address: Regent Drive at Broadway, Boulder, CO 80309-0017
Phone: 3034921411
Website: www.colorado.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colorado_at_Boulder
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuboulder
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cuboulder

What Majors Does University of Colorado Boulder Offer?

26 Majors With Completions
21,514 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 26 majors graduated from University of Colorado Boulder. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 10,757 NA
Business Administration & Management 1,516 $55,533
Computer Science 700 $77,440
General Psychology 651 $34,383
Aeronautical Engineering 466 $75,798
Mechanical Engineering 394 $66,510
Computational Science 392 NA
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 377 $30,428
Public Relations & Advertising 317 $42,963
Natural Resources Conservation 305 $33,404

Learn more about the majors offered at University of Colorado Boulder along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does University of Colorado Boulder Offer Online Classes?

44% Take At Least One Class Online
1% Take All Classes Online

13,910 students took at least one online class at University of Colorado Boulder.

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

Learn more about online learning at University of Colorado Boulder.

Interested in comparing University of Colorado Boulder? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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