“A pioneering liberal arts college where the innovative Block Plan transforms deep learning — one course at a time at the foot of Pikes Peak.”
Colorado College is one of the nation's leading liberal arts institutions, home to the groundbreaking Block Plan — an innovative scheduling system where students take one course at a time, fully immersed for 3.5 weeks before moving to the next class. Approved in 1969, this distinctive approach fundamentally reimagines liberal arts education by allowing students to eliminate competing priorities and pursue profound, focused learning. Founded in 1874, the 100-acre campus sits at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, offering a tight-knit community of 2,031 undergraduates. The Block Plan's pedagogical power shines particularly in science and field-intensive courses, where students conduct geology field schools across Colorado and New Mexico, take ecology classes on Pikes Peak's slopes, and engage in hands-on learning unavailable in traditional semester structures. With a 9:1 student-faculty ratio and 90% of professors holding terminal degrees, CC fosters genuine mentorship. The college's $1.03 billion endowment supports meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceEarly Action
Non-binding; notification by December 15
Early Decision II
Binding
Regular Decision
Decisions late March
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$73,000 – $74,000
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Rigorous science education leveraging the Block Plan for intensive field work, lab research, and environmental studies in Colorado's natural laboratory.
Interdisciplinary exploration of human society, culture, politics, and expression with emphasis on critical thinking and real-world application.
Technical and computational programs preparing students for careers in tech, finance, and quantitative fields.
4 years
Two integrated majors allowing students to pursue either pure science or socio-political dimensions of environmental challenges. Combines field experiences on Pikes Peak and Colorado ecosystems with policy analysis and sustainability studies. Students can concentrate Economics within Environmental Science for careers in ESG, conservation consulting, and climate tech.
4 years
The defining educational innovation: eight 3.5-week blocks per academic year with one course at a time. Professors teach one class per block, enabling unique pedagogical approaches — particularly powerful for science labs, field schools, studio arts, language immersion, and research-intensive seminars.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $70,734
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
