University of Colorado Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state. It is the main university of the University of Colorado system.

CU Boulder has nine colleges and schools and offers more than 150 academic programs. As of January 2022, it has more than 35,000 students. In 2021, the university received support of over $634 million for research and spent $536 million on research and development.

The Colorado Buffaloes are the university's sports teams, competing in 17 varsity sports. They have won 28 national championships, including 20 in skiing. The university has produced 10 Olympic medalists. Alumni and faculty have included 12 Nobel Prize winners, 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 20 astronauts.

History

The University of Colorado Boulder started when the Colorado territorial legislature approved money for it in 1876. Boulder was chosen as the location over Cañon City. The university opened its doors in 1877 with 15 college students and 50 students in a preparatory school.

During World War II, the university was part of a program that helped students become Navy officers. The university hired its first female professor in 1878 and its first African-American professor in 1956.

Campus

The main campus of the University of Colorado Boulder is located south of the Pearl Street Mall and east of Chautauqua Auditorium. It includes academic and residential buildings along with research facilities. The East Campus is about a quarter-mile away and mainly has athletic fields and research buildings. The campus is known for its beauty and has been praised by travel magazines like Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler.

CU Boulder's buildings have a special style called Tuscan Vernacular Revival, designed by architect Charles Klauder. The oldest buildings, like Old Main (1876) and Macky Auditorium (1923), were built in a style common on East Coast schools. Klauder later changed his design to include rough, textured sandstone walls with sloping, multi-leveled red-orange-tiled roofs and Indiana limestone trim. This style was used for many buildings between 1921 and 1939 and continues to this day. The sandstone for these buildings comes from quarries in the Front Range mountains.

Students at CU Boulder have many places to live, with 24 options both on and off campus. Rooms range from single rooms to four-person rooms and apartment-style living. There are several groups of residence halls across campus and one area called Williams Village, about 1.5 miles away, served by a free bus.

The Engineering Center on campus has advanced research facilities, including the nation's largest geotechnical centrifuge and various scientific instruments like spectrometers and microscopes. In 2021, the Rustandy Building joined the Engineering Center to improve collaboration with the School of Business.

Norlin Library was built in 1904 after outgrowing the space in Old Main. It was designed by Klauder and features inscriptions by President Norlin. The library moved to its current location in 1940, and the old library became a theatre space.

Macky Auditorium, opened in 1923, hosts performances, plays, and talks. It was built with funds partly donated by Andrew J. Macky and features a mix of architectural styles. The auditorium includes departments of Jazz Studies and Choral Music, and it can seat 2,000 people.

The University Memorial Center opened in 1953 as a memorial to Colorado's servicemen. It became a central spot for students and includes dining areas, a bookstore, and event spaces. It was expanded in 1964 with new facilities.

The Center for Community building, finished in 2010, houses student services and has a large underground parking area. It also includes dining spots like a late-night café and a main dining hall with many food choices.

The Recreation Center, built in 1973, offers many activities including strength training, sports courts, an ice rink, a pool, and a climbing gym. It is funded by student fees and is open nearly every day.

The Mary Rippon Theatre is an outdoor stage for cultural events like the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. It is named after Professor Mary Rippon, the university's first female instructor.

Old Main is the oldest building on campus and was once the Medical School. The campus has several art spaces, including galleries in Norlin Library and the CU Art Museum, which has thousands of artworks. The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History has extensive collections of rocks, plants, insects, and animals.

The College of Music holds over 400 performances each year, featuring many types of music. The Department of Theatre & Dance puts on more than twenty shows yearly, including work by students and guests.

A new Visual Arts Complex opened in 2010, housing art departments and featuring exhibition spaces and an auditorium.

The Hill, a neighborhood west of campus, has shops, restaurants, and entertainment spots like the Fox Theatre.

Admissions

Undergraduate

In 2022, U.S. News & World Report said that getting into CU Boulder is not too hard. In 2021, they got 54,756 people who wanted to join, and they said yes to 43,576 of them, which is 79.6%. From those who got yes, 6,785 decided to come, which is 15.6% of all the people they said yes to.

Many new students who joined in 2021 shared their test scores. For those who shared their SAT scores, the middle scores were between 1180 and 1380. For those who shared their ACT scores, the middle scores were between 25 and 31. Also, in the year 2020 to 2021, 8 new students were special scholars called National Merit Scholars.

Academics

The University of Colorado Boulder has many different schools and programs. The largest is the school of Arts and Sciences, but there are also schools for Engineering, Education, Music, Law, and Business, among others. Students can choose from over 150 subjects and nearly 3,400 classes.

The university has special programs for students who want extra challenges. These include honors classes and leadership opportunities. There are also special living areas on campus where students can study together and learn about specific topics.

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Colorado Boulder tied for 97th best among all national universities, tied for 46th among public universities in the U.S., and tied for 107th best among all universities globally for 2025.

Faculty

The university has many experienced teachers, including winners of the highest science prizes in the world, called Nobel prizes.

Center for Advanced Engineering and Technology Education

The Center for Advanced Engineering and Technology Education helps working professionals take engineering classes online or through special programs.

University of Colorado Engineering Management Program

This program helps engineers learn important skills for leadership jobs, offering classes both on campus and online.

Media

The CU Independent is a student-run news website that started in 1978. There is also a philosophy blog called 1000-Word Philosophy and another blog called What’s Wrong? that talks about important ideas.

Research institutes

The university has many research centers where scientists from different subjects work together. These include studies of behavior, thinking, and the environment, among other topics.

Campus organizations

The University of Colorado Student Government (CUSG) is the student government for the University of Colorado Boulder. It has three parts: executive, legislative, and judicial. Leaders are chosen by students every six months. CUSG manages many campus places and helps plan money for student groups.

CU Gaming is the largest student group with over 3,500 members. It started in 2015 and holds gaming events for students. CU Esports, a related group, has teams that compete in games like Valorant.

The Hiking Club, started in 1919, is the oldest student group. It helps students enjoy the outdoors through hiking trips.

Radio 1190 is a college radio station run by students. It is supported by the student government and volunteers.

Boulder Freeride is a ski and snowboard club that organizes trips to places like Jackson, WY, Innsbruck, Austria, Whistler, BC, and Chamonix, France.

The CU Cycling Club, founded in 1983, is known for winning national championships. Members include all types of cyclists, from BMX to road and mountain biking.

Program Council plans concerts and movies on campus. It has brought famous bands like The Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam to perform.

The Herd is a large group that helps students get excited about school events and offers discounts for activities like skiing.

The Volunteer Resource Center helps students find ways to help the community. It offers many chances to volunteer and runs special events.

Greek life includes sororities and fraternities. About 13% of students join these groups.

Left Right TIM is an improv comedy team that started in 2008. They perform weekly shows on campus.

Sports, clubs, and traditions

Sports teams at the University of Colorado Boulder are called the Buffaloes. They compete in the NCAA's Division I and joined the Big 12 Conference in 2024. The school's official colors are silver and gold, chosen to represent the state's mineral wealth. The university has three official fight songs: "Glory Colorado," "Go Colorado," and "Fight CU."

CU's teams have won national championships in skiing, men's and women's cross country, and football. The school also has many club sports teams, including water polo, crew, cycling, and more. The school's spirit program includes cheerleading and dance teams, and a live bison mascot named Ralphie. Students can join many clubs and organizations focusing on politics, diversity, and other interests.

Demographics

As of fall 2021, there were 35,897 students at the university. Most students, about 66%, identified as white. Many students came from Colorado, making up almost 57% of the student body, and some came from California, about 10%. A survey in 2014 showed that around 16% of students were registered with the Republican Party.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of University of Colorado Boulder alumni

The University of Colorado Boulder is known for graduating many successful people. It ranks fourth among U.S. universities in the number of astronauts it has produced, not counting those from military academies. Among its graduates are two heads of state: Mongolian president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The university also educated two judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, Wiley Rutledge and Byron White. Notable alumni include astronauts Ellison Onizuka and Kalpana Chawla, as well as famous names like actor Robert Redford, and the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Chancellors

The University of Colorado Boulder has had many leaders who served as its chancellor.

Notable accomplishments at CU

The University of Colorado Boulder has made some amazing discoveries and created important tools. Scientists there were the first to make a new kind of matter called the Bose-Einstein condensate, which exists just a tiny bit above the coldest possible temperature. They also discovered special qualities of RNA that help us understand biology today.

Students and teachers at CU Boulder have done great things, too. They built a house that runs completely on solar power and won top prizes in national competitions. They also created a tool called the FluChip that helps doctors figure out what viruses are making people sick.

Scholarships

The Charles and Mildred Nilon Teacher Education Scholarship Fund remembers Charles and Mildred Nilon, who were CU’s first African American professor and librarian. This scholarship helps students who want to improve schools in communities that need more support, especially those with many African American families.

The Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Scholarship was made to honor Lucile Berkeley Buchanan, CU’s first African American female graduate. She finished her studies in 1918.