# University of Colorado Boulder (CU)

Public college in Boulder, CO. IPEDS ID 126614.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 78% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $25,346 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 74%; beats 85% of CO colleges and 84% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $69,738; beats 85% of CO colleges and 85% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $13,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $14,231 |
| 30-48k | $14,381 |
| 48-75k | $18,828 |
| 75-110k | $26,915 |
| 110k+ | $34,818 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.26 years on average (58% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $69,738 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $40,610 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in CO (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $14,231 | $60,624 | 2.1 years |
| 30-48k | $14,381 | $61,263 | 2.1 years |
| 48-75k | $18,828 | $80,207 | 2.8 years |
| 75-110k | $26,915 | $114,658 | 3.9 years |
| 110k+ | $34,818 | $148,325 | 5.1 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $37,684 in-state; about $66,936 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $15,666 in-state, $44,918 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $16,950; books: $1,200

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 630–710; SAT math: 610–720; ACT: 29–33 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 56,069 applicants, 46,692 admitted, 7,546 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 78%, ACT 29–33 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 83%, ACT 28–33 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (68 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $77,385 | $121,952 | $19,974 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $81,835 | $116,350 | $25,039 |
| Computer Engineering | $86,211 | $115,181 | $23,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $88,957 | $100,631 | $20,414 |
| Chemical Engineering | $70,359 | $95,780 | $24,500 |
| Civil Engineering | $73,033 | $94,960 | $20,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $66,089 | $93,073 | $20,500 |
| Mathematics | $41,176 | $90,635 | $20,960 |
| Architectural Engineering | $72,567 | $89,797 | $15,165 |
| Biochemical Engineering | $70,668 | $89,262 | $15,000 |
| Business Administration | $56,014 | $86,441 | $21,500 |
| Environmental Engineering | $63,049 | $82,020 | $20,836 |
| Physics | $41,874 | $75,764 | $20,635 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $42,218 | $74,779 | $19,433 |
| Economics | $51,521 | $73,319 | $17,119 |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | $45,066 | $72,698 | $22,324 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $48,229 | $72,306 | $23,831 |
| Neuroscience | $35,980 | $71,942 | $21,900 |
| Physiology | $33,926 | $71,444 | $20,330 |
| Political Science | $39,954 | $69,651 | $19,500 |
| Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $43,192 | $68,579 | $17,889 |
| Biochemistry | $50,474 | $68,488 | $20,185 |
| Communications | $39,738 | $66,623 | $17,500 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $30,747 | $63,337 | $21,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $24,628 | $62,119 | $19,000 |
| Environmental Design | $42,401 | $61,788 | $23,641 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $46,263 | $60,453 | $25,000 |
| International / Global Studies | $33,892 | $59,796 | $17,600 |
| Sociology | $37,958 | $58,026 | $17,819 |
| Geography | $32,078 | $57,677 | $21,802 |
| Journalism | $34,022 | $57,079 | $15,750 |
| Psychology | $30,176 | $56,867 | $20,500 |
| Anthropology | $36,822 | $55,217 | $20,000 |
| English | $31,825 | $54,085 | $19,522 |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | $37,184 | $53,429 | $23,331 |
| History | $37,044 | $49,401 | $17,905 |
| Studio Art | $17,501 | $47,297 | $21,500 |
| Film and Photography | $22,601 | $39,720 | $20,000 |
| Music | not reported | $38,701 | $17,288 |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Science / Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography and Environmental Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | $25,218 |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | $32,142 | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $131,470 (Boulder, CO), $104,750 (CO), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage $164,560 (Boulder, CO), $138,390 (CO), $135,980 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).