,·Public·Est. 1912
“Urban Colorado research university with 125+ degrees across seven schools and colleges.”
The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Denver) is Colorado's only urban, public research university — a dual-campus institution whose downtown main campus shares the 150-acre Auraria Higher Education Center with Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Community College of Denver, and whose separate Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora is one of the largest dedicated academic health-sciences campuses in the United States. Chartered as part of the University of Colorado System in 1912 and formally organized as an independent CU campus in 1973, CU Denver now enrolls roughly 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students in Denver plus another 4,000+ at Anschutz across schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, and Public Health. It is classified R1 'Very High Research Activity' by the Carnegie Classification and holds a combined $700M+ research portfolio across the two campuses. Academically, CU Denver is organized into seven schools and colleges in downtown Denver — the Business School, the College of Engineering, Design and Computing, the College of Arts & Media, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Education & Human Development, the School of Public Affairs, and the College of Architecture and Planning — plus six professional schools at Anschutz. The College of Architecture and Planning is the only institution in Colorado offering accredited programs in architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning. The College of Arts & Media houses well-regarded programs in film and television, media forensics, music, and visual arts. And CU Denver is a nationally recognized STEM powerhouse for international students: 57+ STEM-OPT eligible degree programs offer the 3-year OPT runway needed for U.S. careers in engineering, data science, pharmacy, and public health. Campus life revolves around downtown Denver and the historic Auraria Campus. The Tivoli Student Union — a grand red-brick former brewery turned student center — anchors the shared green spaces, food halls, study lounges and club offices. Three buildings are central to the CU Denver student experience: the Student Commons, the Student Wellness Center, and City Heights (a 500+ bed first-year residence hall that opened 2019). CU Denver has 120+ student organizations, Division I 'Lynx' athletics (recently transitioned to D1 in 2023 in the Summit League), and the rare advantage of being five walking minutes from LoDo (lower downtown), Coors Field, Ball Arena, and the Cherry Creek bike trail. Denver's 300 days of sunshine, proximity to the Rocky Mountains, and status as a top-5 U.S. metro for tech, bioscience, and aerospace make it one of the most attractive urban campuses in the Mountain West for international students.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourcePriority Deadline
Priority for merit scholarships and housing
Regular Decision
Rolling admissions; apply early for best consideration
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$10,383
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$29,391
/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.
4 years
STEM-designated program in the College of Engineering, Design and Computing. Concentrations in AI, cybersecurity, data science and software engineering. Strong pipelines into Denver's fast-growing tech sector and Boulder/Denver bioscience corridor.
4 years
STEM-designated program offered in partnership with the Anschutz Medical Campus. Uniquely integrates bioengineering coursework with clinical and translational research opportunities at CU Anschutz's medical school, nursing school and teaching hospitals.
4 years
CU Denver Business School program with strong placement into Denver's financial-services, real-estate and aerospace industries. Access to downtown Denver employer networks and faculty with industry experience.
4 years
Signature program in the College of Arts & Media with industry-grade production facilities and strong relationships with Colorado's booming film industry and the Denver Film Society. One of the largest undergraduate film programs in the Mountain West.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $29,391
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.
