Freshman Admission
Freshmen (or first-year) students can apply for summer, fall, or spring admission. You are encouraged to apply as early as possible since admission is competitive and decisions are made on a space-available basis.
Application Dates & Deadlines
- Spring 2010: October 1, 2009
- Fall & Summer 2010
- Early Notification (non-binding): December 1, 2009
- Application Deadline: January 15, 2010
- Early Notification (non-binding): December 1, 2009
- More details >
Admission Criteria
CU-Boulder's aim is to build a freshman class of highly qualified, intellectually curious, and actively involved students who have demonstrated high levels of maturity and personal integrity as well as a commitment to serving their communities. To achieve this, we practice a holistic admission review process taking into account a variety of primary academic factors as well as secondary factors as they relate to a student's ability to be successful in our competitive academic environment. While admission is competitive, students will be considered on an individual basis relative to a prediction of their academic success in the college to which they apply.
The primary factor in admission decisions for freshmen is high school academic achievement. CU-Boulder focuses on the student's grade point average (GPA) in core academic courses, the rigor of the student's course selection, and the student's best combination of scores on the SAT I and/or ACT. Students are also reviewed for deficiencies in any of the Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS), as well as any grades of D or F.
The following plan of study meets the requirements of all CU-Boulder colleges and schools and is excellent preparation for collegiate-level study:
Years of Study
- English-4
- Mathematics-4
- Natural Science (includes biology, chemistry, and physics)-3
- Social Science (includes U.S. history, world history, and world geography)-3
- Single Foreign language-3
Students may be admitted to CU-Boulder without meeting all of the MAPS requirements. In these cases, MAPS requirements may be met after students enroll at CU-Boulder. (See the specific MAPS requirements for CU-Boulder's colleges and schools).
Important Links
