University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

Public · Moderately Selective · CO

Photo: Nove1986 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationCO · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads10,519

Student:faculty17:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate28.8%

6-yr grad rate46.2%

Drop-out rate27.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$10k

Out-of-state tuition$29k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity64.4%

Gender diversity56%

International10.4%

Identity—

Overview

The University of Colorado Denver is a public urban research university located in the heart of downtown Denver, sharing the Auraria campus with two other institutions, Community College of Denver and Metropolitan State University of Denver, and linked administratively to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in nearby Aurora. It's built for students who want their college experience integrated into a working city rather than set apart from one, and its downtown location puts students within walking distance of Denver's business district, arts venues, and Confluence Park along the South Platte River.

Academics

Business, architecture, public affairs, and the health sciences are the notable strengths, with the Anschutz connection giving students in health-related fields access to a major academic medical center that includes CU's School of Medicine, College of Nursing, and Skaggs School of Pharmacy. Programs tend to be structured with working professionals and career-focused students in mind, and the business school in particular has built out flexible and part-time options for students balancing coursework with jobs. The School of Public Affairs draws students interested in government and policy work given the campus's proximity to state and local government in downtown Denver.

Campus & student life

Most students commute, work, or hold internships alongside their coursework, and the shared Auraria campus setting means a less traditional, less self-contained student culture than a standalone residential university. Downtown Denver itself functions as an extension of campus life, and the mix of three institutions sharing one campus creates a more transient student population than a typical single-university setting. Students who want a classic dorm-and-quad experience should look elsewhere within the CU system.

Getting in

Admissions is generally accessible and geared toward students who want a practical, career-connected path rather than a highly selective, traditional-campus experience. The university draws a notably older and more diverse student population than a typical four-year flagship, including many transfer students from the Community College of Denver and working adults returning to finish a degree.

After graduation

Graduates, especially from the health sciences and business programs, tend to move directly into Denver-area employers and hospital systems, with the Anschutz link providing a particularly strong pipeline into regional healthcare careers. Public affairs graduates often move into Colorado state and local government roles given the campus's downtown proximity to those institutions.

Worth knowing

This is a genuinely different kind of college experience from a residential flagship, better suited to students who want a city-integrated, career-focused path than to those picturing traditional four-year campus life. The shared Auraria campus can be confusing to navigate at first, since students from three different schools attend classes across the same buildings.

ucdenver.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate74.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 980–1220 · ACT 23–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying