View source for University of Colorado Boulder

{{Short description|American public research university}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox university
| name                  = University of Colorado Boulder
| image                 = Seal of the University of Colorado.svg
| image_upright         = .6
| caption               = 
| motto                 = ''Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν'' ([[Greek language|Greek]])
| mottoeng              = "Let your light shine"<ref name="Let Your Light Shine">{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2017/07/05/let-your-light-shine-my-year-visiting-scholar-conservative-thought-university-colorado|title=Let Your Light Shine|date=July 5, 2017 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder Arts and Sciences Magazine|access-date=October 7, 2017|archive-date=October 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008130720/http://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2017/07/05/let-your-light-shine-my-year-visiting-scholar-conservative-thought-university-colorado|url-status=live}}</ref>
| established           = {{start date and age|1876|03|14}}
|former_name = University of Colorado (1876–1965)
| type                  = [[Public university|Public]] [[research university]]
| endowment             = $2.25 billion ([[Fiscal year|FY]]2024)<br />(system-wide)<ref name=NACUBO>As of June 30, 2024. {{cite web |url=https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2024-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-for-US-and-Canadian-Institutions-FINAL-Feb-12-2025.xlsx |title=U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student |date=February 12, 2025 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) |access-date=February 12, 2025 |format=XLSX |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212074654/https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2024-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-for-US-and-Canadian-Institutions-FINAL-Feb-12-2025.xlsx |archive-date=February 12, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| chancellor            = [[Justin Schwartz]]
| president             = Todd Saliman
| provost               = Russell Moore
| faculty               = 3,589 (fall 2024)<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.cu.edu/doc/fall2024employmentpdf |title=University of Colorado Faculty and Staff, Fall 2024 |access-date=May 8, 2025 }}</ref>
| students              = 38,808 (fall 2025)<ref name="University of Colorado Boulder">{{cite web |title=CU Boulder Fall Enrollment Over Time - Campus Totals |url=https://viz-public.cu.edu/t/Boulder/views/CUBoulderfallenrollmentovertime-campustotals/CampusTotal-Summary |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |website=cuboulder.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CU sees systemwide record enrollment this fall |url=https://connections.cu.edu/stories/cu-sees-systemwide-record-enrollment-fall |website=University of Colorado System |date=September 19, 2025}}</ref>
| undergrad             = 32,520 (fall 2025)<ref name="University of Colorado Boulder" />
| postgrad              = 6,288 (fall 2025)<ref name="University of Colorado Boulder" />
| city                  = [[Boulder, Colorado]]
| country               = United States
| coordinates           = {{Coord|40.0073|N|105.2678|W|type:edu_region:US-CO|display=inline,title}}
| campus                = Midsize city<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Colorado&s=all&pg=2&id=126614|title=University of Colorado Boulder|access-date=November 7, 2021|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107045204/https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Colorado&s=all&pg=2&id=126614|url-status=live}}</ref> 
|campus_size={{convert|786|acre|km2}}
| colors                = {{College color list|team=Colorado Buffaloes}} <!-- school colors are same as athletics -->
| sports_nickname              = [[Colorado Buffaloes|Buffaloes]]
| mascot                = {{hlist|[[Ralphie the Buffalo|Ralphie]] (bison)|Chip (costume)}}
| sporting_affiliations = [[NCAA Division I]] [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS]] – [[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
| parent                = [[University of Colorado]]
| academic_affiliations = {{hlist
|[[Association of American Universities|AAU]]|[[ORAU]]
|[[UArctic]]
|[[Universities Research Association|URA]]
|[[Space-grant]]}}
| website               = {{official URL}}
| logo                  = UC Boulder logo.svg
| logo_upright          = 1.1
| accreditation = [[Higher Learning Commission|HLC]]
}}

The '''University of Colorado Boulder''' ('''CU Boulder''',<ref>{{cite web|title=Campus, College & School Names|date=May 11, 2017|publisher=University of Colorado Boulder|url=https://www.colorado.edu/brand/how-use/text-tone/editorial-style-guide/campus-college-school-names|access-date=December 4, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215140642/https://www.colorado.edu/brand/how-use/text-tone/editorial-style-guide/campus-college-school-names|url-status=live}}</ref> '''CU''', or '''Colorado''') is a [[Public university|public]] [[research university]] in [[Boulder, Colorado]], United States. Founded in 1876, five months before [[Colorado]] became a [[Federated state|state]], it is the [[flagship university]] of the [[University of Colorado]] system. CU Boulder is a member of the [[Association of American Universities]], is [[Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education|classified]] among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity"<ref>{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=126614 |publisher=Center for Postsecondary Education |website=carnegieclassifications.iu.edu |access-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724073631/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=126614 |url-status=live }}</ref> and has been referred to as a [[Public Ivy]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greene |first1=Howard R. |last2=Greene |first2=Matthew W. |title=The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities |date=2001 |publisher=Cliff Street Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0060934590 |edition=1st}}</ref>

The university consists of nine colleges and schools and offers over 150 academic programs, enrolling more than 35,000 students as of January 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/academics |title=Academics |date=September 21, 2020 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110145806/https://www.colorado.edu/academics |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, the university attracted the support of over $634 million for research and spent $536 million on research and development according to the [[National Science Foundation]], ranking it 50th in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Table 20. Higher education R&D expenditures, ranked by FY 2018 R&D expenditures: FYs 2009–18 |url=https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab020.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930141919/https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab020.html |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=ncsesdata.nsf.gov |publisher=[[National Science Foundation]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Report &#124; Office of Contracts and Grants &#124; University of Colorado Boulder |url=https://www.colorado.edu/ocg/annual-report#:~:text=Research%20Expenditures&text=CU%20Boulder's%20research%20and%20creative,fiscal%20year%202021%20(FY21). |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305174420/https://www.colorado.edu/ocg/annual-report#:~:text=Research%20Expenditures&text=CU%20Boulder's%20research%20and%20creative,fiscal%20year%202021%20(FY21). |archive-date=March 5, 2022 |access-date=March 5, 2022}}</ref> It receives the most NASA astrophysics technology grants of all academic institutions and is the only university in the world that has sent instruments to all planets in the [[Solar System]].<ref>{{cite news |title=CU Boulder leads in NASA astrophysics technology grants to universities |url=https://lasp.colorado.edu/2023/01/30/cu-boulder-leads-in-nasa-astrophysics-technology-grants-to-universities/ |access-date=17 December 2024 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics |date=30 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=LASP welcomes CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz |url=https://lasp.colorado.edu/2024/10/28/lasp-welcomes-cu-boulder-chancellor-justin-schwartz/ |access-date=17 December 2024 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics |date=28 October 2024}}</ref>

The [[Colorado Buffaloes]] compete in 17 varsity sports and are members of the [[NCAA Division I]] [[Big 12 Conference]]. The Buffaloes have won 28 national championships: 20 in [[NCAA Skiing Championships|skiing]], 7 total in [[NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship|men's]] and [[NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship|women's cross country]], and 1 in [[Colorado Buffaloes football|football]]. The university has produced [[List of American universities with Olympic medals|10 Olympic medalists]]. Alumni, faculty, and researchers have included 12 [[Nobel Prize]] laureates<ref>{{cite news |title=Six Colorado scientists among Nobel laureates backing Biden |url=https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2020-election/endorsement-watch-six-colorado-scientists-among-nobel-laureates-backing-biden/article_d4768c4e-f372-11ea-80ef-f31ed8fc0524.html |access-date=17 December 2024 |work=Colorado Politics |publisher=Colorado Springs Gazette LLC |date=12 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417063219/https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2020-election/endorsement-watch-six-colorado-scientists-among-nobel-laureates-backing-biden/article_d4768c4e-f372-11ea-80ef-f31ed8fc0524.html |archive-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> (of whom 5 were affiliated with the university when the prizes were awarded<ref>{{cite web |title=Nobel Laureates and research affiliations |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/facts/lists/affiliations.php |website=The official website of the Nobel Prize |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507191418/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/facts/lists/affiliations.php |archive-date=7 May 2024 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 22, 2019 |title=Infographic: CU and the Nobel Prize |pages=36 |work=Coloradan |issue=Spring 2019 |url=https://www.colorado.edu/coloradan/sites/default/files/attached-files/coloradan_spr19_forweb_1.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=October 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015112310/https://www.colorado.edu/coloradan/sites/default/files/attached-files/coloradan_spr19_forweb_1.pdf |archive-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref>), 10 [[Pulitzer Prize]] winners, 11 [[MacArthur Fellowship|MacArthur Fellows]], 1 [[Turing Award]] laureate, 20 [[astronauts]] and 2 [[associate justices of the United States Supreme Court]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fellows Location at Award — MacArthur Foundation |url=https://www.macfound.org/maps/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203120234/https://www.macfound.org/maps/2/ |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |access-date=January 27, 2021 |website=www.macfound.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 14, 2017 |title=CU in Space |url=https://www.colorado.edu/alumni/heritage-center/exhibitions/cu-space |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124103116/https://www.colorado.edu/alumni/heritage-center/exhibitions/cu-space |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |access-date=October 13, 2020 |work=Alumni Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 29, 2023 |title=Byron R. White |url=https://www.oyez.org/justices/byron_r_white |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321212510/http://www.oyez.org/justices/byron_r_white/ |archive-date=March 21, 2007 |access-date=March 29, 2023 |work=Oyez}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ferren |first=John |url=https://www.scribd.com/book/387425711/Salt-of-the-Earth-Conscience-of-the-Court-The-Story-of-Justice-Wiley-Rutledge |title=Salt of the Earth, Conscience of the Court: The Story of Justice Wiley Rutledge |date=March 8, 2006 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=9780807876619 |location=United Kingdom |page=40}}</ref>

==History==
On March 14, 1876, the Colorado territorial legislature passed an amendment to the state constitution that provided money for the establishment of the University of Colorado in Boulder, the [[Colorado School of Mines]] in [[Golden, Colorado|Golden]], and the [[Colorado State University|Colorado Agricultural College]] in [[Fort Collins]].

Two cities competed for the site of the University of Colorado: Boulder and [[Cañon City]]. The consolation prize for the losing city was to be the home to the new [[Colorado Department of Corrections|Colorado State Prison]]. Cañon City was at a disadvantage as it was already the home of the Colorado Territorial Prison (there are now six prisons in the Cañon City area).

The cornerstone of the building that became Old Main was laid on September 20, 1875. The doors of the university opened on September 5, 1877. At the time, there were few [[high school]]s in the state that could adequately prepare students for university work, so in addition to the university, a preparatory school was formed on campus. In the fall of 1877, the student body consisted of 15 students in the college proper and 50 students in the preparatory school. There were 38 men and 27 women, and their ages ranged from 12 to 23 years.<ref>{{cite book | last = Davis| first = William E. | author-link = William E. Davis | year = 1965 | title = Glory Colorado! A history of the University of Colorado, 1858–1963 | publisher = Prutt Press, Inc. | location = Boulder, Colorado | id = LD1178 .D35}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], Colorado was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the [[V-12 Navy College Training Program]] which offered students a path to a navy commission.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2010/08/from-basketball-to-covert-ops.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=From Basketball to Covert Ops: E. Henry Knoche | access-date=September 26, 2011 | archive-date=January 12, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112123341/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2010/08/from-basketball-to-covert-ops.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

CU hired its first female professor, [[Mary Rippon]], in 1878.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13058123/|title=Pettem: Mary Rippon to receive posthumous honorary degree|last=Camera {{!}}|first=Daily|date=August 13, 2009|website=Boulder Daily Camera|language=en-US|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=August 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817225456/http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13058123|url-status=live}}</ref> It hired its first African-American professor, Charles H. Nilon, in 1956, and its first African-American librarian, [[Mildred Nilon]], in 1962.<ref name="Boulder Daily Camera-2016">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_29758344/cu-boulder-scholarship-fund-honors-first-black-professor|title=Scholarship fund honors CU-Boulder's first black professor, librarian|date=April 12, 2016|website=Boulder Daily Camera|language=en-US|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709145933/https://www.dailycamera.com/2016/04/12/scholarship-fund-honors-cu-boulders-first-black-professor-librarian/|url-status=live}}</ref> Its first African American female graduate, [[Lucile Buchanan|Lucile Berkeley Buchanan]], received her degree in 1918.<ref name="KUSA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.9news.com/article/news/education/cu-corrects-history-awards-diploma-for-first-black-woman-to-graduate/73-551033027|title=CU corrects history, awards diploma for first black woman to graduate|website=KUSA|date=May 10, 2018 |access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709150026/https://www.9news.com/article/news/education/cu-corrects-history-awards-diploma-for-first-black-woman-to-graduate/73-551033027|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Campus==
[[File:CU boulder campus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|The CU Boulder campus]]
The main CU Boulder campus is located south of the [[Pearl Street Mall]] and east of [[Chautauqua Auditorium (Boulder, Colorado)|Chautauqua Auditorium]]. It consists of academic and residential buildings as well as research facilities. The East Campus is about a quarter-mile from the main campus and is composed mainly of athletic fields and research buildings.
CU Boulder's campus has been ranked as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the United States by ''[[Travel + Leisure]]'' and ''[[Condé Nast Traveler]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title="America's most beautiful college campuses", ''Travel+Leisure'' (September 2011) |work=Travel + Leisure |url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-beautiful-college-campuses/21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202225614/http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-beautiful-college-campuses/21 |archive-date=February 2, 2014 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-beautiful-college-campuses |title="America's most beautiful college campuses", ''Travel + Leisure'' (August, 2018) |access-date=September 9, 2019 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608184511/https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-beautiful-college-campuses |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-01-29/the-20-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-america |title="The 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America", ''Condé Nast Traveler'' (August 6, 2018) |date=January 29, 2016 |access-date=September 9, 2019 |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608184521/https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-01-29/the-20-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-america |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Architecture===
CU Boulder's distinctive architecture style, known as Tuscan Vernacular Revival, was designed by architect [[Charles Klauder]].<ref name="Campus Architect">{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/fm/departments/planning-design-construction/campus-architect |title=Campus Architect |date=February 28, 2017 |publisher=Facilities Management, University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928044413/https://www.colorado.edu/fm/departments/planning-design-construction/campus-architect |url-status=live }}</ref> The oldest buildings, such as Old Main (1876) and Macky Auditorium (1923), were in the [[Collegiate Gothic]] style of many East Coast schools, and Klauder's initial plans for the university's new buildings (approved in 1919) were in the same style.<ref name="Campus Architect" /> A month or so after approval, however, Klauder updated his design by sketching in a new wrap of rough, textured [[sandstone]] walls with sloping, multi-leveled red-orange-[[Roof tiles|tiled roofs]] and [[Indiana limestone]] trim.<ref name="Campus Architect" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Joshua |title=CU Boulder's Roof Tiles Are a Campus Staple |url=https://www.colorado.edu/coloradan/2019/10/01/cu-boulders-roof-tiles-are-campus-staple |access-date=28 April 2025 |work=Coloradan Alumni Magazine |publisher=UNiversity of Colorado Boulder |date=October 1, 2019}}</ref> This formed the basis of a unified style, used in the design of fifteen other buildings between 1921 and 1939 and still followed on the campus to this day.<ref name="Campus Architect" /> The sandstone used in the construction of nearly all the buildings on campus was selected from a variety of [[Front Range]] mountain quarries.

[[File:SewallHallCUBoulder.JPG|thumb|right|Sewall Hall]]

===Residence halls===
Currently, freshmen and others attending the University of Colorado Boulder have an option of 24 on- and off-campus residence halls.<ref>[https://housing.colorado.edu/residences/residence-halls] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005200713/https://housing.colorado.edu/residences/residence-halls|date=October 5, 2016}}. Housing.colorado.edu. Retrieved on August 12, 2013.</ref> Residence halls have 17 varieties of room types from singles to four-person rooms and others with apartment-style amenities.<ref>[http://housing.colorado.edu/residences/room-types/residence-hall-rooms Residence Hall Rooms | Housing and Dining Services] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505015430/http://housing.colorado.edu/residences/room-types/residence-hall-rooms |date=May 5, 2011 }}. Housing.colorado.edu. Retrieved on August 12, 2013.</ref> There are several communities of residence halls located throughout the campus, as well as in a separate area called Williams Village which is located approximately 1.5 miles off of the main campus. There is a free bus service that transports students to the main campus from Williams Village and vice versa. The university also offers Residential Academic Programs (RAPS) in many of its Residence Halls. RAPs provide students with in-dorm classes tailored to academic interests (international affairs, environmental studies, etc.).

[[File:Engineeringcenterjpeg-2.jpg|thumb|Engineering Center]]

===Engineering Center===
The Engineering Center on the North-East side of campus houses the nation's largest [[Geotechnical centrifuge modeling|geotechnical centrifuge]] as well as ion-implantation and microwave-propagation facilities, [[Optical spectrometer|spectrometers]], electron and other microscopes, and a structural analysis facility. In 2021, the Rustandy Building joined the Engineering Center to the Koelbel Building, in order to increase collaboration with the School of Business.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-09 |title=Business and Engineering Expansion: The Rustandy Building |url=https://www.colorado.edu/business/about/business-engineering-expansion |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Leeds School of Business |language=en}}</ref>

===Norlin Library===<!-- linked from redirect [[Norlin Library]] -->
[[File:Norlin Library.jpg|thumb|Norlin Library]]
Until 1903, the library collection was housed with the rest of the school in Old Main. The growing size of the library required a move, as the weight of the books was causing physical damage to the floor. The cornerstone for the first separate library building was laid in January 1903, and the building was opened in January 1904. When the new Norlin Library opened in 1940, the old library was turned over to the [[Theatre]] department and was converted into classrooms and a theatre.

Norlin Library was the last building to be designed by Klauder. There are two inscriptions on the western face of the building, overlooking the [[Norlin Quadrangle Historic District|Norlin Quadrangle]]. Both were composed by President Norlin. The larger inscription reads "Who knows only his own generation remains always a child," based on a [[Cicero]] quotation, while the smaller inscription on the marble just over the door reads "Enter here the timeless fellowship of the human spirit."

===Macky Auditorium===
[[File:Mackey Auditorium - Colorado.jpg|thumb|right|Macky Auditorium]]

Macky Auditorium is a large building on the north edge of the University of Colorado campus, near 17th Street and University Avenue, which plays host to various talks, plays, and musical performances. Andrew J. Macky was a prominent businessman involved with the town of Boulder in the late 19th century. Macky served as the president, as well as a stockholder of the First National Bank, an institution founded by another early CU supporter, Lewis Cheney. Macky is credited with a number of landmarks throughout Boulder, where he was a carpenter and involved in politics.

The Auditorium opened its doors in 1923, thirteen years after construction started. Macky's adopted daughter, May, sued for a third of Macky's estate, a case that took thirteen years to settle. May was angered that her father left her no money in his will while leaving $300,000 to CU for the hall's construction. The university eventually won the case, and the majority of critical construction on the building resumed.

The building has a variety of architectural elements from various buildings around the globe that President [[James Baker (university president)|James Baker]], CU's president at the turn of the 20th century, admired. The design of the auditorium is primarily [[Neo-Gothic]], with the primary materials being sandstone and red tile, like the rest of campus. The result is a unique building, with two large towers and sprawling ivy, that sets itself apart from the rest of the CU campus. Macky was refurbished in 1986, with improved seating, custom carpeting, modern plumbing, and an elevator. Currently, there is an electronic bell system in the towers of Macky which rings the hours during the day.

Macky is the home of two departments both in the College of Music, the [[Jazz]] Studies Department and the Choral Department, and it houses an art gallery that is open Wednesdays, and to patrons during performances. The hall houses almost all performances by the [[Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra]], the Artist Series, and the CU Opera. Macky is also the home of many lectures including part of the [[Conference on World Affairs]] held at CU each spring.

===University Memorial Center===
[[File:University of Colorado UMC fountains 2006.jpg|thumb|right|Dalton Trumbo Fountain Court behind the UMC on July 13, 2006]]
In 1947, Colorado Governor [[William Lee Knous|Lee Knous]] issued a [[proclamation]] to create a [[memorial]] to Colorado's servicemen at the University of Colorado Boulder. A proposal to house this memorial in a [[Student activity center|student union]] building resulted in a remarkable fundraising effort. The University Memorial Center (UMC) opened its doors in October 1953 with President Robert Stearns presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The UMC quickly became the central landmark of the Boulder campus. A 1964 addition created a new bookstore, conference facilities, additional dining facilities, and offices to house the rapidly growing student activities and organizations. The expansion was financed through bonds granted by student fees.

The 1960s and '70s put the UMC at the center of student activism as students staged strikes, grape boycotts, love-ins, sit-ins, and walk-outs. The UMC Fountain Court (now the Dalton Trumbo Fountain Court) became a familiar sight to network television news watchers as the famous and notorious promoted their cause at CU Boulder. Entertainers as diverse as [[Ramsey Lewis]] and the [[Grateful Dead]] have performed in the [[Glenn Miller]] Ballroom. The UMC Connection, a student entertainment center in the basement, is a more informal gathering place, featuring pool tables and a small bowling alley. It also features Club 156, which hosts concerts from local and up-and-coming bands. In 1986, students passed another bond issue to remodel the food services area. The Alferd Packer Grill gets its name from [[Alferd Packer]], a Colorado prospector accused of cannibalism.

===Center for Community===
The Center for Community, also known as the C4C by students, follows the distinct architecture guidelines of [[Charles Klauder]] and is a {{convert|323,000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_15841873?source=most_viewed#axzz1KZPSXTJD |title=No more mystery meat: CU-Boulder dishes up gourmet dorm food |work=coloradodaily.com |access-date=April 26, 2011 |archive-date=August 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824013152/http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_15841873?source=most_viewed#axzz1KZPSXTJD |url-status=live }}</ref> that is promised to be 20 percent to 25 percent more energy- and water-efficient compared to similar-sized buildings.<ref name="dailycamera">{{cite web |url=http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15748864 |title=CU-Boulder unveils $84.4M student hub, 'Center for Community' |first=Brittany |last=Anas |work=dailycamera.com |date=August 11, 2010 |access-date=April 26, 2011 |archive-date=August 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831022820/http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15748864 |url-status=live }}</ref> The facility was completed in September 2010 at a cost of $84.4 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colorado.edu/centerforcommunity/ |title=Center for community |work=colorado.edu |access-date=April 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806015914/http://www.colorado.edu/centerforcommunity/ |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The building is originally bond-financed through the CU treasurer and will be repaid through a combination of sources. A large portion of the debt, $47.4 million, will be repaid by Housing and Dining Services, through room and board fees. Fees from Permit and Parking Services will contribute as well. The center also relies on $18 million in donations, a goal which has not been achieved, but has become a top fundraising priority for the university.<ref name="dailycamera"/>
[[File:WeatherTechCafe.jpg|thumb|The Weather Tech Cafe]]
The building houses offices of Student Services including [[Campus Card]] Services, Disability Services, and Career Services among others. These services have been relocated to the C4C from various locations around campus.<ref name="dailycamera"/> For example, Career Services was previously housed in the basement of the Willard Dormitory. There is a {{convert|140,000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} underground parking structure that contains approximately 365 to 375 parking spaces.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cu.edu/sg/messages/5722.html |title=Regents OK new 'center for community' at CU Boulder |first=Kim |last=Glasscock |work=cu.edu |date=August 23, 2007 |access-date=April 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929191234/https://www.cu.edu/sg/messages/5722.html |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Student study areas are located on the upper floors and conference centers are open to campus and non-campus affiliates throughout the building.

====Dining services====
The dining services offered within the C4C include a CU on the run "grab-n-go", The Bakery, a late-night dining hub called the Weather Tech Café, open until 2 A.M., and finally a central dining facility. This dining facility seats 900 and offers students up to nine specialty dining choices including Persian, Asian, Latin, sushi, Italian, Kosher, a grill, salad bars, and desserts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://housing.colorado.edu/dining |title=Dining &#124; Housing and Dining Services |work=housing.colorado.edu |access-date=April 26, 2011 |archive-date=August 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818015910/http://housing.colorado.edu/dining |url-status=live }}</ref> Overall the Dining Center is projected to serve around one million meals per year.<ref name="dailycamera"/>

===Recreation Center===
In 1973 the student recreation center was built on the CU Boulder's main campus, by the architect James Wallace.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://fm.colorado.edu/planning/documents/Buildings-ChronologicalUpdated2-09.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120031850/http://fm.colorado.edu/planning/documents/Buildings-ChronologicalUpdated2-09.pdf |archive-date=January 20, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The funding to build the recreation center came entirely from student fees, which also funded the expansions in 1990 and 2014. The recreation center features strength and cardio space, basketball/volleyball courts, the only ice rink in Boulder proper, lap pool, dive well, fitness studios (cycling, rowing, etc.), climbing gym, turf gym, and an iconic{{clarify|date=June 2023}} outdoor pool in the shape of the CU Boulder buffalo mascot. It is currently about {{convert|300000|sqft|m2}} and operates on a $5 million annual budget. The center is co-managed by the division of student affairs and CUSG, CU Boulder's student government. It is located on the northern edge of campus next to [[Folsom Field]]. It is open seven days a week and on average 16 hours a day with most of its facilities available for use during those hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.edu/recreation/|title=Home – Recreation Services – University of Colorado Boulder|access-date=August 13, 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905053951/http://www.colorado.edu/recreation/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Mary Rippon Theatre===
[[File:Mary Rippon Theatre.jpg|thumb|right|The view from the back of the Mary Rippon Theatre]]
The Mary Rippon Theatre is an outdoor [[theater]] and the site of many [[cultural]] events, notably the [[Colorado Shakespeare Festival]]. The Theatre was named after Professor [[Mary Rippon]], the first female instructor at the university and one of the first female university instructors in the United States. She taught English grammar, German, French and mathematics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cogreatwomen.org/project/mary-rippon/ |title=Mary Rippon |access-date=2024-04-12}}</ref>

[[File:Old Main - Colorado.jpg|thumb|Old Main]]

===Old Main===
Old Main is the oldest building on campus, and previously served as the Medical School for the University of Colorado system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://universityofcolorado.myuvn.com/old-main/|title=Old Main|date=November 17, 2014|website=University of Colorado Online Visitor's Guide|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-date=November 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117002909/https://universityofcolorado.myuvn.com/old-main/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Galleries===
Norlin Library features two art galleries, several dedicated art spaces, and artworks on display throughout the building. The CU Art Museum features works of modern and contemporary art, as well as historical artworks. The Museum's permanent collection includes over 5,000 works of art from numerous time periods and cultures. The UMC Art Gallery exhibits a variety of visual offerings ranging from student works created on campus to presentations of internationally recognized artists. Andrew J. Macky Gallery showcases the work of both local and national artists and is housed in the historic Macky Auditorium.

===Museums===
[[University of Colorado Museum of Natural History]] has one of the most extensive natural history collections in the Rocky Mountain and Plains regions, representing the disciplines of anthropology, botany, entomology, paleontology, and zoology. It is located in the Henderson building, named after its first curator, Judge [[Junius Henderson]], and hosts the Museum and Field Studies master's (MS) program. The CU Heritage Center<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cuheritage.org/|title=CU Heritage Center|access-date=February 8, 2015|archive-date=July 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725213227/http://cuheritage.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> tells the stories of CU Boulder's past and present and is housed in Old Main, the first building constructed on campus. Seven galleries exhibit art and memorabilia associated with CU faculty and alumni. The [[Fiske Planetarium|Fiske Planetarium and Science Center]] features a {{convert|60|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. planetarium dome and produces laser shows, live concerts, and an ongoing series of public programs. Fiske also offers a hands-on science museum with interactive exhibits and space-themed art.

===Performing arts facilities===
The University of Colorado Boulder College of Music presents over 400 performances and educational events bringing together faculty, students, and guest artists each year through the Pendulum New Music Series. They present musical genres including classical, jazz, world music, and new music. The University of Colorado Boulder Department of Theatre & Dance is home to the Charlotte York Irey Dance Theatre, the University Theatre, and the Loft Theatre as well as Grusin Music Hall and the Chamber Music Hall in the [[College of Music]]. More than twenty productions are presented each year featuring student and faculty actors, dancers, choreographers, directors, and designers, as well as the work of professional guest artists. Student work is also showcased in the annual CU Boulder Fringe Festival, produced by OnStage, a student performing arts group.

===Visual Arts Complex===
[[File:Visual Arts Complex South side.JPG|thumb|Visual Arts Complex]]
A new visual arts complex that houses the Department of Art and Art History and the CU Art Museum officially opened in 2010. The facility houses art programming and studies. The building also contains a 200-seat auditorium as well as twenty-eight student exhibition spaces, and the Colorado Collection (an art collection of approximately 5,000 pieces).

=== The Hill ===
[[University Hill, Boulder|The Hill]], a college neighborhood in Boulder, lies directly west of the University of Colorado campus. The central street of the neighborhood is 13th Street, which features a variety of attractions including a concert venue and [[Fox Theatre (Boulder, Colorado)|the Fox Theatre]], and is near The Sink and several other points of interest.

==Admissions==

=== Undergraduate ===

{{Infobox U.S. college admissions
|year              = 2021
|admit rate        = 79.6
|admit rate change = +3.0
|yield rate        = 15.6
|yield rate change = -9.1
|SAT Total         = 1180–1380<br />(among 32% of [[freshman|FTFs]])
|SAT Total change  = 
|ACT               = 25–31<br />(among 16% of [[freshman|FTFs]])
|ACT change        = 
|float             = right
|ref               = <ref name="FallEnrollmentReport">{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/2021-2022-cds-report |title=CU Boulder Common Data Set 2021–2022
 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref>
|change ref        = <ref name="cds16-17">{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/file-cds-1617 |title=CU Boulder Common Data Set 2016–2017
 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder|access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref>
}}

The 2022 annual ranking of ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' categorizes CU Boulder as "selective".<ref>{{cite web |title = University of Colorado Boulder |url = https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder-1370 |publisher = U.S. News & World Report |access-date = 2022-12-01 }}</ref> For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), CU Boulder received 54,756 applications and accepted 43,576 (79.6%). Of those accepted, 6,785 enrolled, a [[Yield (college admissions)|yield rate]] (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 15.6%.<ref name="FallEnrollmentReport" /> CU Boulder's freshman [[University student retention|retention rate]] is 87%, with 74% going on to graduate within six years.<ref name="FallEnrollmentReport" />

Of the 32% of the incoming freshman class who submitted [[SAT]] scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1180–1380.<ref name="FallEnrollmentReport" /> Of the 16% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted [[ACT (test)|ACT]] scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 25 and 31.<ref name="FallEnrollmentReport" /> In the 2020–2021 academic year, 8 freshman students were [[National Merit Scholars]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/annual_report.pdf|title=National Merit Scholarship Corporation 2019–20 Annual Report|publisher=National Merit Scholarship Corporation|access-date=2022-12-07}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left; font-size:90%; margin:10px;"
|+ '''Fall first-time freshman statistics'''
<ref name="FallEnrollmentReport" />
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/2020-2021-cds-report |title=CU Boulder Common Data Set 2020–2021
 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/2019-2020-cds-report |title=CU Boulder Common Data Set 2019–2020
 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/file-cds-2018-2019 |title=CU Boulder Common Data Set 2018–2019
 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/file-cds-1718 |title=CU Boulder Common Data Set 2017–2018
 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref>
<ref name="cds16-17" />
|-
! 
! 2021 !! 2020 !! 2019 !! 2018 !! 2017 !! 2016
|-
! Applicants
| 54,756 || 44,171 || 40,740 || 36,604 || 36,149 || 34,047
|-
! Admits
| 43,576 || 37,189 || 31,933 || 29,848 || 28,861 || 26,087
|-
! Admit rate
| 79.6 || 84.2 || 78.4 || 81.5 || 79.8 || 76.6
|-
! Enrolled
| 6,785 || 6,326 || 7,113 || 6,700 || 6,570 || 6,439
|-
! Yield rate
| 15.6 || 17.0 || 22.3 || 22.4 || 22.8 || 24.7
|-
! ACT composite*<br /><small>(out of 36)</small>
| 25–31<br /><small>(16%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 24–31<br /><small>(45%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 25–31<br /><small>(47%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 25–30<br /><small>(53%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 25–30<br /><small>(81%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 25–30<br /><small>(79%<sup>†</sup>)</small>
|- 
! SAT composite*<br /><small>(out of 1600)</small>
| 1180–1380<br /><small>(32%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 1140–1340<br /><small>(73%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 1150–1350<br /><small>(72%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 1160–1350<br /><small>(70%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || 1150–1330<br /><small>(35%<sup>†</sup>)</small> || {{sdash}}
|-
| colspan=7 | * middle 50% range<br /> <sup>†</sup> percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit
|}

{{clear}}

==Academics==

{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; font-size:90%; line-height:1.4em; width:300px;"
! colspan=2 style="text-align: center;" | CU Boulder Colleges and Schools<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.colorado.edu/academics/colleges-schools | title= Colleges & Schools | date= June 29, 2015 | publisher= University of Colorado Boulder | access-date= March 7, 2019 | archive-date= March 7, 2019 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190307054312/https://www.colorado.edu/academics/colleges-schools | url-status= live }}</ref>
|-
| College of Arts & Sciences
|-
| [[Leeds School of Business]]
|-
| School of Education
|-
| College of Engineering and Applied Science
|-
| Graduate School
|-
| [[University of Colorado Law School]]
|-
| College of Communication, Media, Design and Information
|-
| College of Music
|-
| Continuing Education and Professional Studies
|-
|}

The University of Colorado Boulder is divided into several colleges and schools. While the college of [[Arts]] and [[Sciences]] is by far the largest, the university also consists of the college of [[Engineering]] and Applied Science, the Program in Environmental Design, [[Education]], [[Music]], [[Law]], the [[Leeds School of Business]], and the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. Most, if not all, of these colleges and schools, also incorporate master- and doctorate-level degree programs. At the university, there are currently approximately 3,400 courses available in over 150 disciplines making up 85 majors ranging from Accounting to Women's Studies.

[[University of Colorado School of Law]] is the smallest and most selective of the colleges. The Wolf Law Building, the new home of the Law School, was dedicated on September 8, 2006, by [[United States Supreme Court]] justice [[Stephen Breyer]].

The [[Leeds School of Business]] has an enrollment of 3,300 students including undergraduates, master's candidates, and Ph.D. candidates. The undergraduate program ranks 39th in the country and the undergraduate entrepreneurship program ranks 14th in the nation. The MBA program ranks 26th among all public universities.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} The faculty are ranked 38th in the nation according to the ''Academy of Management Journal''.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

CU Boulder adopted an [[academic honor code|honor code]] in 2000 following growing concerns about [[academic dishonesty]] on campus in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|title=CU Students On Their Honor |newspaper=Rocky Mountain News |date=November 25, 2000}}</ref> A copy of the code stating "On my honor, as a University of Colorado Boulder student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work" is engraved on a metal plate and posted in every classroom on campus.

Undergraduates who seek an academic challenge may participate in CU's Honors Program. Begun in 1931, the Honors Program currently consists of the top ten percent of incoming freshmen and participating undergraduates with a 3.3 GPA or greater (on a 4.0 scale). The program offers over 40 honors classes each semester taught by tenured or tenure-track professors and limited to class sizes of 17<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-14 |title=Honors Program Courses |url=https://www.colorado.edu/honors/courses |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Arts and Sciences Honors Program |language=en}}</ref> students. Honors students also have the opportunity to graduate with honors, high honors, and highest honors, by writing and defending a thesis during their senior year. The program extends into the residence halls through the Kittredge Honors Program. The Presidents Leadership Class is a program for top scholars at the University of Colorado Boulder. Scholars participate in a four-year leadership development program. The program provides opportunities to the top fifty students at CU from every major and discipline.

One option for students (mostly freshmen and sophomores) living on campus is to join a residential academic program (RAP). Each RAP focuses on a curricular theme and offers courses in the residence hall itself. The programs also include educational activities.

===Rankings===
{{Infobox US university ranking
<!-- National rankings -->
| Forbes_NU = 93
| USNWR_NU = 97 <small>(tie)</small>
| Wamo_NU = 409
| WSJ_NU = 238
<!-- Global rankings -->
| ARWU_W = 62
| QS_W = 299
| THE_W = 159
| USNWR_W = 107 <small>(tie)</small>
}}

''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranked the University of Colorado Boulder tied for 97th best among all national universities, tied for 46th among public universities in the U.S., and tied for 107th best among all universities globally for 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder-1370/overall-rankings|title=U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=November 17, 2025 }}</ref>

===Faculty===
{{as of|2006}}, there were more than 3,800 tenured or tenure-eligible faculty members, as well as 4,400 non-tenured adjunct professors and instructors.<ref name="AnswerBook">{{Cite web|title=University of Colorado System Answer Book |first1=Christiane |last1=Griffin-Wehr |first2=Jill |last2=Norton |date=May 2006 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |url=https://www.cusys.edu/downloads/answerbook.pdf |access-date=December 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216022109/https://www.cusys.edu/downloads/answerbook.pdf |archive-date=February 16, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Current faculty include [[Nobel Prize|Nobel laureates]] [[David J. Wineland]] (physics 2012), [[John L. Hall|John Hall]] (physics, 2005), [[Eric Cornell]] (physics, 2001), and [[Thomas Robert Cech]] (chemistry, 1989). [[Carl Wieman]] was also awarded a Nobel prize for his work with Eric Cornell. He maintains a part-time appointment at the University of Colorado Boulder but his primary appointment is Professor and Director of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at the University of British Columbia. Controversial writer [[Ward Churchill]] was a professor of [[ethnic studies]] until he was terminated in July 2007.<ref name="wrongly fired">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/us/03churchill.html?hp&_r=0 |title=Jury Says Professor Was Wrongly Fired |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122143957/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/us/03churchill.html?hp&_r=0 |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |work=The New York Times |first1=Kirk |last1=Johnson |first2=Katherine Q. |last2=Seelye |date=April 2, 2009}}</ref> [[Robert T. Craig]] an [[International Communication Association]] Fellow and author of "Communication Theory as a Field" is a professor in the Communication Department. Teaching Professor of Distinction [[Michael Dubson]] is the associate chair of the physics department and Author of Modern Physics 2nd edition. Professor Emerita [[Susan Kingsley Kent]] is the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

===Center for Advanced Engineering and Technology Education===
The Center for Advanced Engineering and Technology Education (CAETE) is a partnership between the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. As the [[distance learning]] and professional studies arm of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, CAETE provides courses from the college to working professionals via the Internet and CD-ROM. Students can take courses for professional development or toward earning a [[master's degree]] or graduate certificate (in some disciplines) in [[aerospace engineering]], [[University of Colorado at Boulder Computer Science Department|computer science]], [[electrical engineering|electrical, computer and energy engineering]], [[engineering management]], and [[telecommunications]]. Founded in 1983, CAETE currently receives over 1,000 enrollments a year from over 250 job sites in [[Colorado]], across the nation, and abroad.

=== University of Colorado Engineering Management Program ===
The University of Colorado Engineering Management Program (formally the Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program) is a graduate and undergraduate-level initiative within the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. The program equips experienced engineers and technical professionals with management, leadership, and project‑planning capabilities to advance into mid-career leadership roles. It offers a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management, a minor and graduate certificates on-campus, evening, and fully online via Coursera. It was initiated in 1987 with an endowment from [[Lockheed Martin]] to meet the needs of the high-tech industry in [[Colorado]].

===Media===
The ''[[CU Independent]]'' is the award-winning, student-run news publication for the University of Colorado Boulder.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title="The Campus Press in cyberspace," ''Inside CU,'' March 13, 2007 |url=http://www.colorado.edu/insidecu/editions/2007/3-13/story3.html/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319061025/http://www.colorado.edu/insidecu/editions/2007/3-13/story3.html |archivedate=March 19, 2015}}</ref> It has been digital-only since August 2006, one of the first major college newspapers to drop its print edition.<ref name=":0" /> It was founded in 1978 as the ''Working Press'' but soon adopted the name ''Campus Press.'' It was launched by Mal Deans, a CU journalism instructor, to serve as a student-run newspaper after the ''[[Colorado Daily]]'' left campus and became a community newspaper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sphsaa.org/class_profile.cfm?member_id=1354436/|title=Mal Deans was a 'journalist's journalist|work=The Daily Camera|date=December 30, 2005|access-date=June 4, 2025|archive-date=August 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822155049/http://www.sphsaa.org/class_profile.cfm?member_id=1354436/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The name was changed to the ''CU Independent'' in August 2008 after it split from the journalism school's curriculum in the wake of a controversy over a student journalist's racially charged column.<ref>{{Cite web|author-first1=Heath|author-last1=Urie|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13102638/|title=Campus Press no more, CU Independent takes off|website=Daily Camera|date=August 16, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813092402/http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13102638/|archive-date=13 August 2014}}</ref> In December 2019, the university's media college, which had been providing space and retaining staff pay, announced it will defund the ''CU Independent'' in favor of a faculty-led media enterprise. Staff of the ''CU Independent'' said they would continue to maintain the website and publish content under a new funding model separate from the college.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Elizabeth |date=December 9, 2019 |title=University of Colorado to stop funding student-run CU Independent and launch a more faculty-led news outlet |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/12/09/cu-independent-university-colorado-student-mediaommunication-and-information/ |access-date=June 5, 2025 |website=The Denver Post}}</ref>

[[1000-Word Philosophy]] is a [[philosophy]] [[blog]] that publishes introductory 1000-word (or less) essays on philosophical topics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awgford.weebly.com/blog/dig-deeper-1000-word-philosophy|title=Dig Deeper: 1000-Word Philosophy|work=Fordthought|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=July 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713124220/http://awgford.weebly.com/blog/dig-deeper-1000-word-philosophy|url-status=live}}</ref>
Most of the authors are the students and graduates of the CU Boulder. The blog is created and edited by Andrew D. Chapman, a philosophy lecturer at this university.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailynous.com/2014/04/09/philosophy-in-1000-words-or-less/|title=Philosophy in 1000 Words or Less|author=Justin|work=Daily Nous|date=April 9, 2014|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=July 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714011948/http://dailynous.com/2014/04/09/philosophy-in-1000-words-or-less/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2014/01/1000-word-philosophy.html|title=Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=July 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709145927/https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2014/01/1000-word-philosophy.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niu.edu/phil/|title=Department of Philosophy – NIU – Northern Illinois University|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=July 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720124454/http://www.niu.edu/phil/|url-status=live}}</ref> The essays generally include references or sources for more information.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://1000wordphilosophy.wordpress.com/about/|title=About 1000-Word Philosophy|work=1000-Word Philosophy|date=January 16, 2014|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017234205/https://1000wordphilosophy.wordpress.com/about/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''What’s Wrong?'' is the "not quite official" blog of the University of Colorado, Boulder's Center for Values and Social Policy. It is edited by David Boonin, professor of philosophy and Associate Dean for Arts and Humanities. The blog's purpose is to provide "a forum for discussing and reporting on topics in applied normative philosophy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailynous.com/2015/08/10/whats-wrong-a-new-blog/|title=What's Wrong? (A New Blog)|author=Justin|work=Daily Nous|date=August 10, 2015|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=August 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811011213/http://dailynous.com/2015/08/10/whats-wrong-a-new-blog/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://whatswrongcvsp.com/|title=What's Wrong?|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703230726/http://whatswrongcvsp.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Research institutes===
CU Boulder's research mission is supported by 11 research institutes within the university. Each research institute supports faculty from multiple academic departments, allowing institutes to conduct truly multidisciplinary research.

The Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG) is a research institute within the Graduate School dedicated to conducting and facilitating research on the genetic and environmental bases of individual differences in behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.edu/ibg|title=Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder|access-date=March 1, 2016|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306073357/http://www.colorado.edu/ibg/|url-status=live}}</ref> After its [[Gerald E. McClearn|founding in 1967]] IBG led the resurging interest in genetic influences on behavior. IBG was the first post-World War II research institute dedicated to research in [[behavioral genetics]]. IBG remains one of the top research facilities for research in [[behavioral genetics]], including [[human behavioral genetics]], [[psychiatric genetics]], [[quantitative genetics]], [[statistical genetics]], and animal behavioral genetics.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Loehlin|first1=JC|date=2009|chapter=History of behavior genetics|title=Handbook of behavior genetics|publisher=Springer |editor1-first=Yong-Kyu|editor1-last=Kim|isbn=978-1-4419-6747-3}}</ref>

The Institute of Cognitive Science (ICS) at CU Boulder promotes interdisciplinary research and training in cognitive science. ICS is highly interdisciplinary; its research focuses on [[education]], [[language processing]], [[emotion]], and higher-level cognition using experimental methods. It is home to a state-of-the-art [[fMRI]] system used to collect [[neuroimaging]] data.

ATLAS Institute is a center for interdisciplinary research and academic study, where engineering, computer science and robotics are blended with design-oriented topics.<ref>{{cite web |title=ATLAS Institute |url=https://www.colorado.edu/atlas/? |website=ATLAS Institute |access-date=October 3, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003220857/https://www.colorado.edu/atlas/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Part of CU Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science, the institute offers academic programs at the undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels, and administers research labs, hacker and makerspaces, and a black box experimental performance studio. At the beginning of the 2018–2019 academic year, approximately 1,200 students were enrolled in ATLAS academic programs and the institute sponsored six research labs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.colorado.edu/atlas/labs-centers|title=ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado Boulder|date=June 14, 2017|access-date=August 29, 2018|archive-date=August 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830005315/https://www.colorado.edu/atlas/labs-centers|url-status=live}}</ref>

In addition to IBG, ICS and ATLAS, the university's other institutes include Biofrontiers Institute, [[Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences]], Institute of [[Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research|Arctic & Alpine Research (INSTAAR)]], Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS), CU Boulder-[[NIST]] joint institute [[JILA]], [[Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics|Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics (LASP)]], Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), and the [[University of Colorado Museum of Natural History]].

==Campus organizations==
<!--- To keep this section from getting too large, please do not add student groups or organizations unless they are especially notable, active, or unique to Boulder --->
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023<ref>{{cite web |title= University of Colorado Boulder|url=https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school?126614-University-of-Colorado-Boulder|website=College Scorecard |publisher=[[United States Department of Education]] |access-date=June 23, 2025 }}</ref>
|-
! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
|align=right| {{bartable|68|%|2||background:cyan}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]
|align=right| {{bartable|13|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]]
|align=right| {{bartable|7|%|2||background:violet}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|6|%|2||background:orange}}
|-
| [[International student]]
|align=right| {{bartable|3|%|2||background:#008080}}
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| Unknown
|align=right| {{bartable|1|%|2||background:grey}} 
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |[[Economic diversity]]
|-
| [[American lower class|Low-income]]{{efn|The percentage of students who received an income-based federal [[Pell grant]] intended for low-income students.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|15|%|2||background:red}}
|-
| [[Affluence in the United States|Affluent]]{{efn|The percentage of students who are a part of the [[American middle class]] at the bare minimum.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|85|%|2||background:black}}
|}

===The University of Colorado Student Government===
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2010}}
The [[University of Colorado Student Government]] (CUSG) is the student government for the University of Colorado Boulder. The government contains three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Presiding officers for the student government are elected in a bi-annual vote administered to the 30,000 students at the university. The student government has an autonomy agreement with the University Administration and oversees an annual budget of $36.6 million. CUSG is responsible for the management of the University Student Union, the Recreation Center, the LGBTQ Resource Center, the Women's Resource Center, and the Wardenburg Health Center, along with various other facilities on campus. The government also oversees the fiscal appropriations of over 120 student groups on a yearly basis.

=== CU Gaming and Esports ===
Founded in December 2015,<ref>{{Cite web|title=About {{!}} CU Gaming|url=https://cugaming.gg/about/|access-date=August 21, 2020|language=en-US|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024183147/https://cugaming.gg/about/|url-status=live}}</ref> CU Gaming is the University of Colorado's largest student organization with over 3,500 current members. The organization offers biweekly and monthly [[:Category:Video games|gaming]] events for its members as well as the general student population at CU.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Events {{!}} CU Gaming|url=https://cugaming.gg/calendar/|access-date=August 21, 2020|language=en-US|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024174347/https://cugaming.gg/calendar/|url-status=live}}</ref> CU Gaming offers leadership, career, and internship opportunities for members who are interested in working in the gaming and [[esports]] industries.

CU Esports, CU Gaming's sister organization, fields over a dozen teams in a variety of games. In November 2020, CU Esports' [[Valorant]] Black Team was crowned the Collegiate Valorant Conference Fall 2020 Series Champions after defeating [[UCF]] Esports 2–1 in the finals.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

===Hiking Club ===
Founded in May 1919, the [[Hiking]] Club is the longest running student organization at the University of Colorado Boulder.<ref name="CU Hiking Club">{{cite web | url=http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/uchc/home.htm | title=CU Hiking Club | access-date=December 18, 2007 | publisher=THE HIKING CLUB @ CU | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708222108/http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/uchc/home.htm | archive-date=July 8, 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref> It is a non-profit, student-run organization for university students and affiliates interested in hiking and outdoors activities, with hundreds of active members on campus.

The club motto, "half mile more," dates back to the 1940s of the club's tradition-rich history.<ref name="CU Hiking Club" /> A slide show<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/uchc/slideShows.htm|title=CU Hiking Club<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=December 12, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118085830/http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/uchc/slideShows.htm|archive-date=January 18, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> of the club's activities is shown on campus during semi-annual new member meetings and the alumni association meets annually.

===Radio 1190===
{{Main|KVCU}}
KVCU AM-1190, popularly known as Radio 1190, is a [[college radio]] station affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder. Staff of the station are compensated with funds provided by the University of Colorado Student Union while operating funds are raised during biannual on-air pledge drives. It is also run by volunteers from the journalism program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radio1190.org/info/history.html|title=History of Radio 1190|access-date=September 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061003215222/http://www.radio1190.org/info/history.html|archive-date=October 3, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Boulder Freeride===
Boulder Freeride is the ski and snowboard club at the University of Colorado Boulder. It was started in 1933. Boulder Freeride is active year-round. Boulder Freeride organizes a number of ski trips each year. Past trips have included [[Jackson, WY]], [[Innsbruck, Austria]], [[Whistler, BC]] and [[Chamonix, France]].<ref name="Boulder Freeride">{{cite web | url=http://www.boulderfreeride.com/ | title=Boulder Freeride | access-date=December 18, 2007 | publisher=Boulderfreeride.org }}</ref>

===CU Cycling Club===
Founded in 1983 by Jim Castagneri, the [[cycle sport|cycling]] team was taken to the national championships in 1987 by 1992 Olympian [[John Stenner]]. The CU cycling team frequently ranks in the top five [[USA Cycling]] Collegiate teams in both [[road bicycle racing|road cycling]] and [[mountain biking]] disciplines. They have won the national championship on several occasions, including 2005, when they won in both disciplines.<ref>"About" CU Cycling Team. Web. August 5, 2011. <http://www.cucycling.com/about.php {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113040359/http://www.cucycling.com/about.php |date=January 13, 2012 }}>."</ref> Many members of the club have gone on into professional cycling, including [[Sepp Kuss]] and [[Tyler Hamilton]].

A founding club member of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://collegiatecycling.org/rmccc/ | title=RMCCC – Home of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference }}</ref> the team is open to any student who pays annual dues and meets a minimum amount of credits during the semester. The members include nearly every different type of cyclist, from [[BMX]] riders, [[Mountain bike trials|trials]], and [[Bicycle commuting|bicycle commuters]] to elite amateur or part-time professional road and mountain riders. Specifically, to qualify for road or mountain nationals, a rider must have enough high race results to upgrade to "A" category in the USA Cycling rankings. A number of "A" riders will be chosen by the coaches to represent CU at the National Championships. The number of riders the team is allowed to send is based on how well the team did overall during the season.

===Program Council===
Established in 1953, Program Council is a student-run group that coordinates concerts and movies played on campus throughout the year.<ref name="Program Council">{{cite web | url=http://www.programcouncil.com/content/view/42/55/About | title=University of Colorado Program Council | access-date=July 19, 2008 | publisher=programcouncil.com | archive-date=December 6, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206063833/http://www.programcouncil.com/content/view/42/55/About | url-status=live }}</ref> Program Council mainly focuses on organizing concerts around campus. Over the years, this group has brought such acts as [[The Rolling Stones]], [[The Who]], [[Dave Matthews Band]], [[Pearl Jam]], [[R.E.M.]], [[The Ramones]], [[Henry Rollins]], and many more to the University of Colorado. Concerts vary in size ranging from large-scale concerts to smaller local acts, some of which are free to attend. Besides concerts, Program Council also hosts a film series throughout the year which allows students to see soon-to-be-released movies as well as cult classics for free in one of the large lecture halls on campus.

===The Herd===
The Herd is one of the largest student alumni groups in the nation, with over 6,000 members.<ref name="About The Herd">{{cite web | url=http://www.cuherd.com/about/ | title=The Herd-About | access-date=July 19, 2008 | publisher=The Herd | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625031333/http://www.cuherd.com/about/ | archive-date=June 25, 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The Herd's main goal is increasing school spirit. It encourages students to attend school activities such as sports games and club meetings. The Herd also sponsors discounted bus rides to the ski slopes, discounts around Boulder, and football pre-game parties. Sixteen student leaders run the group; the group is open to currently enrolled students.

===Volunteer Resource Center===
The Volunteer Resource Center is a student-funded organization aimed towards promoting volunteerism in the Boulder community. They provide a database with volunteer opportunities of 250 organizations around campus and in the Boulder area.<ref name="About VRC">{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.edu/vch/AboutUs.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071019234711/http://www.colorado.edu/vch/AboutUs.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2007 |title=About VRC |access-date=April 30, 2009 |publisher=Volunteer Resource Center }}</ref> The CU Boulder campus was recently one of 3 U.S. Universities to receive the Presidential Award for Exemplary Student Community Service in 2008. The Volunteer Resource Center hosts or participates in special volunteer events and activities including Alternative Breaks, Better Boulder Better World, and The Buffalo Can Challenge. The Volunteer Resource Center is also a yearly Volunteer Internship Program which engages six selected students through an interview process to create events aimed at involving more freshmen in volunteering, effectively managing all logistics of the event, and implementing the events on campus.

===Greek life===
The [[Panhellenic]] sorority community consists of roughly a dozen chapters. The men's fraternities at the University of Colorado are not officially affiliated with the school; however, they are still a presence on campus. About 13% of the undergraduate student body participates in Greek life.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.coloradodaily.com/2015/08/08/boulder-fraternities-and-cu-sororities-greek-life-for-buffs/ | title=Boulder fraternities and CU sororities: Greek life for Buffs | work=Colorado Daily | date=August 8, 2015 }}</ref> The Multicultural Greek Council acts as a liaison between the member organizations and university administration.<ref>{{cite web|title=Multicultural Greek Council|url=https://www.colorado.edu/greeks/our-community/multicultural-greek-council|website=Greek Life|access-date=March 9, 2018|language=en|date=July 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310074426/https://www.colorado.edu/greeks/our-community/multicultural-greek-council|archive-date=March 10, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The death of Chi Psi pledge Gordie Bailey from alcohol poisoning during hazing in 2004 caused Boulder fraternities to re-organize and sever legal affiliation to the university. Students gathered for a candlelight vigil for the deceased football player on the Boulder campus on September 20, 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Elizabeth |last=Hernandez |date=November 8, 2019 |title=15 years after pledge's hazing death, relationship between CU and Boulder's fraternities 'nonexistent' |work=Denver Post |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/11/08/university-colorado-boulder-fraternities-hazing/ |access-date=August 12, 2023}}</ref>

=== Left Right TIM Improv Comedy ===
Started in 2008 by CU-Boulder students,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_22640742/|title=CU-Boulder improv group Left Right TIM celebrates 5 years|work=Colorado Daily|access-date=March 30, 2018|archive-date=March 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331040418/http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_22640742/|url-status=live}}</ref> Left Right TIM is the Boulder area's premier and longest-running improv comedy team, performing a weekly improvised comedy show every Friday during the university's academic year in the Hale Anthropology Building Room 270 of the school's campus. The team has performed in cities around the country as well as opening for established stand-up comedians and improv theaters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_12957453|title=One hot comic: Natasha Leggero tells jokes at CU on Friday|website=dailycamera.com|access-date=March 30, 2018|archive-date=April 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401003556/http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_12957453|url-status=live}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2018}}

==Sports, clubs, and traditions==

Sports teams at the school are called Buffaloes. The [[varsity team|varsity]] athletic teams participate in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA's]] [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] ([[Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS]] for football, see [[Bowl Championship Series]]) as a member of the [[Big 12 Conference]]. The school rejoined the Big 12 in 2024, ending its affiliation with the [[Pac-12 Conference]]. (CU had previously been a member of the former [[Big Eight Conference]], whose members had merged with four schools of the former [[Southwest Conference]] to create the new Big 12 Conference in 1996.) The official school colors are silver and gold, as opposed to the common belief of black and gold. Silver and gold were chosen to represent the state's mineral wealth, but the colors did not look good together on the uniforms, so black was substituted.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&KEY=&ATCLID=28035 | title=FAQ – University of Colorado | access-date=August 2, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212071134/http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&KEY=&ATCLID=28035 | archive-date=December 12, 2010 | url-status=dead }} See also: [[Colorado Buffaloes#Colors]].</ref> There are three official fight songs: "Glory Colorado", "Go Colorado", and "Fight CU."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=24649|title=School Songs|access-date=April 23, 2013|archive-date=May 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509171419/http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=24649|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bands.colorado.edu/marching/media/fight.html|title=The Golden Buffalo Marching Band|access-date=April 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427062829/http://bands.colorado.edu/marching/media/fight.html|archive-date=April 27, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the early 1980s, the Board of Regents changed the school colors to sky blue and gold; but the changed proved highly unpopular with students and alumni, and the colors were changed back after 1985.

In 1934, the university teams were officially nicknamed the "Buffaloes." Previous [[Athletic nickname|nicknames]] used by the press included the "Silver Helmets" and "Frontiersmen." The final game of 1934, against the [[Denver Pioneers|University of Denver]], saw the first running of a buffalo in a Colorado football game. A buffalo calf was rented from a local ranch and ran along the sidelines.

===Varsity athletics===
[[File:Colorado Buffaloes wordmark.svg|thumb|right|150px|Official athletics logo]]
{{Main|Colorado Buffaloes}}
CU's varsity teams have won national championships in [[NCAA Skiing Championships|skiing]], [[NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship|men's cross country]], [[NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship|women's cross country]], and [[NCAA Division I FBS national football championship|football]]. Conference championships have also been won in several sports. Several club sports, such as cycling, swimming & diving, and triathlon, have won national championships in addition to the varsity teams.

In football, CU enjoys an in-state rivalry with the [[Colorado State]] [[Colorado State Rams football|Rams]] in the "[[Rocky Mountain Showdown]]", a game that was formerly played at the neutral site [[Empower Field at Mile High]] in [[Denver]]. Additionally, Colorado and former Big Eight and Big 12 rival [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln|Nebraska]] [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Cornhuskers]] have played some notable games, often finishing their respective seasons in nationally televised confrontations on the Friday following [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] since the 1990s. This ended after the 2010 season as a result of CU joining the Pac-12 and Nebraska joining the [[Big Ten Conference]]. The team has seen renewed success since 2023 with former NFL star [[Deion Sanders]] as head coach.<ref name="Sports Illustrated">{{cite magazine |last1=Pappas |first1=Cory |date=April 1, 2025 |title=National Analyst Praises Deion Sanders' Impact In College Football |url=https://www.si.com/college/colorado/football/national-analyst-praises-deion-sanders-impact-college-football-colorado-buffaloes-shedeur-travis-hunter-heisman-nfl-draft-big-12 |magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref>

===Club sports===
{{See also|Colorado Buffaloes #Club Sports}}
CU also maintains one of the largest club sports departments in the U.S. It supports over 30 club teams with leading clubs such as both men's and women's [[water polo]], [[Rowing (sport)|crew]], [[cycle sport|cycling]], [[Ultimate (sport)|ultimate]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]] & [[diving (sport)|diving]], [[collegiate fencing|fencing]], [[college lacrosse|men's lacrosse]], [[college baseball|baseball]], [[college softball|softball]], [[college hockey|ice hockey]], [[rugby union]], and the [[CU Triathlon Team]].

===Mascot and spirit program===
{{See also|Colorado Buffaloes#Mascots}}
CU also includes a spirit program. The spirit program consists of three teams: two cheerleading squads, and the CU Express Dance Team. The cheerleading program consists of a competitive co-ed squad as well as a competitive all-girl squad. Both the cheerleading squad and the Express Dance Team compete at NCA/NDA College Nationals. In 2007, the cheerleading squad finished sixth<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=849895&SPID=274&SPSID=4457|title=CU Cheer Squad Places Sixth At NCA Nationals|publisher=CUBuffs.com|access-date=February 8, 2015|archive-date=April 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417212844/http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=849895&SPID=274&SPSID=4457|url-status=live}}</ref> at NCA Nationals in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]]. All squads support the home games of [[Colorado Buffaloes football|football]], Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball, and Women's Volleyball teams, along with other athletic and social events.

The school's live mascot is a female [[American bison]] named [[Ralphie the Buffalo|Ralphie]].<ref>[http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/lists/coolest-mascots-photo-gallery?gt1=39002#sport=CFB&photo=11792896 College football's 12 coolest mascots: 1. Ralphie the Buffalo, Colorado] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902163758/http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/lists/coolest-mascots-photo-gallery?gt1=39002 |date=September 2, 2010 }}. FoxSports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2010.</ref> The costumed mascot CHIP is also a part of the CU Spirit Program. CHIP is a costumed buffalo that represents the University of Colorado at numerous athletic and social events. Along with the Cheer and Dance Program, CHIP competes on a national level once a year against mascots from around the country, including [[Bucky Badger]], [[Sparty]], [[Aubie]], [[Goldy Gopher]] and many other [[Mascot Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] mascots. Most recently CHIP competed in the 2009 UCA national competition and was crowned #1, and the national champion after performing a skit titled "CHIP's Favorite Video Games".

[[File:Folsom Field panorama from club level seats 2007.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.75|Folsom Field]]

===Clubs and other organizations===
CU Boulder offers a variety of political student organizations which cover the full spectrum of politics. Among them are Amnesty International, which focuses on human rights worldwide, Model United Nations (MUN), which simulates the UN with a focus on international relations and diplomacy, as well as the College Democrats and the College Republicans. The University of Colorado also offers many clubs promoting diversity and human rights, such as the Gay Straight Alliance. Students can also choose from a plethora of clubs and organizations centered on ethnicities and countries, as well as different religious groups. CU Boulder also maintains one of the nation's most competitive student-run parliamentary debate programs. In 2010, CU Boulder became the first fully student-run program to win the [[National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence]] (NPTE).<ref>{{cite web|title=2010 NPTE Results|url=http://npte.debateaddict.com/static/results2010.pdf|publisher=National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017234205/http://npte.debateaddict.com/static/results2010.pdf|archive-date=October 17, 2015|access-date=February 24, 2018}}</ref>

==Demographics==
As of fall 2021, there were 35,897 students enrolled. 66.2 percent of the student population identified as white. 56.9% were Colorado residents and 10.1% were California residents.<ref>{{cite web | title=Welcome to data and analytics &#124; Data & Analytics | url=https://www.colorado.edu/oda/sites/default/files/attached-files/overallprofilefall21.pdf }}</ref> A 2014 survey found that 16.3% of the students were registered as members of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], along with 10.5% of CU Boulder non-faculty staff and 6% of CU Boulder faculty.<ref>{{cite news|author=Kuta, Sarah|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_30519985/whats-it-like-be-conservative-student-at-cu|title=What's it like to be a conservative student at CU Boulder?|newspaper=[[Daily Camera]]|date=October 29, 2016|access-date=September 12, 2017|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205040/http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_30519985/whats-it-like-be-conservative-student-at-cu|url-status=live}}</ref> Most students are aligned with the political left.

==Notable alumni==
{{Cleanup gallery|date=August 2025}}
{{Main|List of University of Colorado Boulder alumni}}
The University of Colorado Boulder ranks fourth among U.S. universities in the number of astronauts produced, not including military academies.<ref name="AnswerBook" /> In addition, the University of Colorado Boulder has graduated two heads of state, Mongolian president [[Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj]] and Liberian president [[Ellen Johnson Sirleaf]], and two associate justices of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]], [[Wiley Rutledge]] and [[Byron White]]. [[Japanese-American]] astronaut [[Ellison Onizuka]] and [[Indian-American]] astronaut [[Kalpana Chawla]] are also alumni.

<gallery class="center">
File:Цахиагийн Элбэгдорж.jpg|Mongolian President and Prime Minister [[Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj]]
File:Wiley Rutledge portrait by Harold M. Brett.jpg|Associate Justice of Supreme Court [[Wiley Rutledge]] (LL.B. 1922)
File:Scott Carpenter in 1962.jpg|Astronaut [[Scott Carpenter]] (BS 1962)
File:Ellison Shoji Onizuka (NASA).jpg|Astronaut [[Ellison Onizuka]] (BS & MS 1969)
File:Kalpana Chawla, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg|Astronaut [[Kalpana Chawla]] (MS 1986 & PhD 1988)
File:Lynne Cheney official photo.jpg|Former [[Second Lady of the United States]] [[Lynne Cheney]] (MA)
File:Steve Wozniak by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg|Co-founder of [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[Steve Wozniak]]
File:Billups coach (cropped).jpg|NBA player and coach [[Chauncey Billups]]
File:2016 US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2555 (27641171904).jpg|Olympic bronze medal [[Jenny Simpson]] (BFA 1992)
File:Jack Swigert.jpg|Astronaut [[Jack Swigert]] (BS 1953)
File:Jonah Hill-4939 (cropped) (cropped).jpg|Actor [[Jonah Hill]]
File:Robert Redford (cropped).jpg|Actor and filmmaker [[Robert Redford]]
File: Jean Stafford in 1941 (cropped).jpg| [[Jean Stafford]], [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner for ''[[The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford]]'' (1970)
File:Trey Parker by Gage Skidmore.jpg|''[[South Park]]'' and ''[[The Book of Mormon (musical)|The Book of Mormon]]'' co-creator [[Trey Parker]] (BA 1993)
File:Matt Stone by Gage Skidmore.jpg|''South Park'' and ''The Book of Mormon'' co-creator [[Matt Stone]] (BA 1993)
</gallery>

==Chancellors==
The following persons have served as chancellor of the University of Colorado Boulder:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/chancellor/about/history-chancellorship |title=History of the Chancellorship |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center"
!{{abbr|No.|Number}}
!Image
!Chancellor
!Term start
!Term end
!{{refh}}
|-
|1
|
|Lawson Crowe
|1974
|1976
|
|-
|2
|[[File:Mary Frances Berry at the Kennedy Space Center.jpg|70px]]
|[[Mary Frances Berry]]
|1976
|1977
|
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|''interim''
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff"|[[J. Russell Nelson]]
|1977
|1978
|
|-
|3
|1978
|1981
|
|-
|4
|
|Milton E. Lipetz
|1981
|1982
|
|-
|5
|
|Harrison Shull
|1982
|1985
|
|-
|6
|
|William H. Baughn
|1985
|1986
|
|-
|7
|
|James N. Corbridge
|1986
|1994
|
|-
|8
|
|Roderic B. Park
|1994
|1997
|
|-
|9
|
|Richard L. Byyny
|1997
|April 30, 2005 {{efn|Resigned for position at the University of Colorado Hospital.}}
|<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.9news.com/article/sports/college/byyny-to-leave-post-as-cu-chancellor/73-344835560 |title=Byyny to leave post as CU chancellor |date=December 13, 2004 |work=[[KUSA (TV)]] |quote=Byyny will begin his new job as executive director of a new health policy center at the hospital, effective March 1.}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|''interim''
|[[File:Phil DiStefano (November 2019).jpg|70px]]
|[[Philip P. DiStefano]]
|2005
|2006
|
|-
|10
|[[File:PetersonFormalPortrait.jpg|70px]]
|[[G.P. "Bud" Peterson]]
|July 15, 2006
|March 31, 2009 {{efn-ua|Resigned to head Georgia Institute of Technology.}}
|
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|''interim''
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff"|[[File:Phil DiStefano (November 2019).jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff"|[[Philip P. DiStefano]]
|April 1, 2009
|May 5, 2009
|<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2009/03/12/provost-named-interim-chancellor-at-cu-boulder/ |title=Provost named interim chancellor at CU-Boulder |date=March 12, 2009 |newspaper=[[The Denver Post]] |url-access=subscription |quote=University of Colorado-Boulder Provost Phil DiStefano will serve as interim chancellor when Chancellor G. P. “Bud” Peterson leaves for his new job as president of Georgia Tech. Peterson is expected to leave CU on April 1. He announced DiStefano’s appointment as interim chancellor Thursday.}}</ref>
|-
|11
|May 5, 2009
|June 30, 2024
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/today/2009/05/05/university-colorado-president-names-phil-distefano-cu-boulder-chancellor |title=University of Colorado President Names Phil DiStefano CU-Boulder Chancellor |date=May 5, 2009 |publisher=University of Colorado system |quote=University of Colorado President Bruce D. Benson today named Phil DiStefano the 11th chancellor of the CU-Boulder campus.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/09/26/philip-distefano-retire-chancellor-lead-other-campus-roles |title=Philip DiStefano to retire as chancellor, lead in other campus roles |date=September 26, 2023 |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |quote=During the speech, he announced plans to retire as chancellor after nearly 15 years in the role and 50 years on campus. He intends to return to the faculty in the School of Education, where he first began his CU Boulder career as an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in 1974.}}</ref>
|-
|12
|[[File:Dr. Justin Schwartz.jpg|70px]]
|[[Justin Schwartz]]
|July 1, 2024
|present
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://president.cu.edu/news/president-saliman-announces-dr-justin-schwartz-cu-boulder-chancellor |title=President Saliman Announces Dr. Justin Schwartz as CU Boulder Chancellor |date=April 19, 2024 |publisher=University of Colorado system |quote=It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Justin Schwartz as the next chancellor of CU Boulder, effective July 1.}}</ref>
|-
|}

Table notes:
{{notelist-ua}}

==Notable accomplishments at CU==
* First to create a new form of matter, the [[Bose–Einstein condensate]], just seven hundred billionths of a degree above absolute zero.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Observation of Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Dilute Atomic Vapor |last1=Anderson |first1=M. H. |last2=Ensher |first2=J. R. |last3=Matthews |first3=M. R. |last4=Wieman |first4=C. E. |last5=Cornell |first5=E. A. |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |publisher=[[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] |issn=1095-9203 |volume=269 |issue=5221 |year=1995 |pages=198–201 |jstor=2888436 |doi=10.1126/science.269.5221.198 |pmid=17789847 |bibcode=1995Sci...269..198A |doi-access=free }}</ref>
* First to observe a "fermionic condensate" formed from pairs of atoms in a gas.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2004/21.html | title=NIST/University of Colorado Scientists Create New Form of Matter: A Fermionic Condensate | publisher=Office of News Services | date=January 28, 2004 | access-date=November 14, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207131059/http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2004/21.html | archive-date=December 7, 2006 }}</ref>
* First to observe the catalytic properties of [[RNA]] which are now foundational to modern biology.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jackman |first=Jane E. |date=April 2015 |title=An origin story: ribozyme catalysis by the ribosome |journal=RNA  |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=650–651 |doi=10.1261/rna.050328.115 |issn=1469-9001 |pmc=4371318 |pmid=25780176}}</ref>
* Developed the "FluChip" to aid physicians in diagnosing respiratory illness and differentiating between three types of influenza and other viruses that cause similar symptoms.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2006/390.html | title=New CU Boulder Technology Expected To Help Rapidly Identify Avian Flu Strains | publisher=Office of News Services | date=November 13, 2006 | access-date=November 14, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204062752/http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2006/390.html | archive-date=December 4, 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* First place in the 2002 and 2005 [[Solar Decathlon|U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon]]. At these first two Solar Decathlon competitions, students and faculty from the Engineering and Architecture programs collaborated to design, construct, transport, and rebuild a house powered exclusively by the sun.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2005/final_results.cfm | title=Final Results of Solar Decathlon 2005 | publisher=U.S. Department of Energy | date=October 14, 2010 | access-date=December 14, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028085900/http://www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2005/final_results.cfm | archive-date=October 28, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The [[Squid server]] was created at the University of Colorado Boulder by Duane Wessels as part of [[Harvest project]] under grant from the [[National Science Foundation]].
* First zero-waste sports stadium (both collegiate and professional) in the nation.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10104812?source=rss | title=CU's Folsom Field aims for no trash | date=December 8, 2003 | work=Denver Post | first=Natalie | last=Meisler | access-date=April 21, 2010 | archive-date=October 20, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020033710/http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10104812?source=rss | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Scholarships ==
The Charles and Mildred Nilon Teacher Education Scholarship Fund honors Charles and Mildred Nilon, CU's first African American professor and librarian, respectively. The scholarship is designated for students who are "committed to advancing educational opportunities in under-resourced schools, especially those that serve African American communities."<ref name="Boulder Daily Camera-2016" />

The Lucile Berkeley Buchanan Scholarship was created to honor [[Lucile Buchanan|Lucile Berkeley Buchanan]], CU's first African American female graduate who graduated in 1918.<ref name="KUSA" />

== See also==
{{portal|United States|Colorado|Education}}
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=yes}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://cubuffs.com/ Athletics website]
* {{College-navigator|126614}}
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Colorado, University of|short=x|display=University of Colorado}}
* {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=University of Colorado|short=x}}
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Colorado, University of|short=x|display=University of Colorado}}

{{University of Colorado Boulder}}
{{Navboxes
| titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Colorado Buffaloes|color=#FFFFFF}}
| list1 =
{{University of Colorado}}
{{Big 12 Conference navbox}}
{{Association of American Universities}}
{{Public colleges and universities in Colorado}}
{{Public Ivy}}
{{ColoCol}}
{{Music venues of Colorado}}
}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colorado At Boulder, University Of}}
[[Category:University of Colorado Boulder| ]]
[[Category:Education in Boulder, Colorado]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1876]]
[[Category:1876 establishments in Colorado Territory]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Boulder, Colorado]]
[[Category:Flagship universities in the United States]]
[[Category:University of Colorado campuses|Boulder]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Higher Learning Commission]]