Address: 1201 Larimer Street, 80204 Denver, Colorado, United States
Architecture and Planning, Arts and Media, Business, Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Public Affairs
The University of Colorado Denver began in 1912 as the Extension Center of the Department of Correspondence and Extension of the University of Colorado. The School of Medicine moved to Denver in 1925, to Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, and later became the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. The extension became the University of Colorado Denver Center in 1964 and an independent institution, the University of Colorado Denver, in 1973.
In 2004 it merged with the Health Sciences Center as the University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center, and in 2007 the Regents renamed it the University of Colorado Denver. In 2014 the university appointed separate chancellors for CU Denver and for CU Anschutz, which separated the two campuses. The health sciences programmes are now at CU Anschutz in Aurora, which is a separate institution.
CU Denver occupies the downtown campus in the Auraria neighbourhood, on Speer Boulevard and Auraria Parkway. It makes up one third of the Auraria Campus, which it shares with Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Community College of Denver. The combined campus covers about 126 acres.
In the autumn of 2025 the university had 13,853 students: 9,771 undergraduates and 4,082 postgraduates. Graduate students make up about 32 percent of the enrolment, and the Graduate School serves roughly 5,000 students each year. The university has 1,073 faculty members, and the systemwide endowment is 593 million dollars.
The colleges and schools are the College of Architecture and Planning, the College of Arts and Media, the Business School, the School of Education and Human Development, the College of Engineering, Design and Computing, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which is the largest, the School of Public Affairs and the Graduate School. The Business School holds AACSB accreditation.
Alumni and affiliates include Michael Hancock, former mayor of Denver, Deanne Criswell, former administrator of FEMA, the Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, the architect Jun Xia, who led the design of the Shanghai Tower, and Isaac Slade, former lead singer of The Fray. Tuition is lower for residents of Colorado. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Auraria Campus shared with Metropolitan State University of Denver and Community College of Denver, and the University of Colorado system with CU Anschutz in Aurora.
Research:
Architecture and planning, engineering, design and computing, public affairs, education, business, liberal arts and sciences.
Famous Alumnis:
Michael B. Hancock, Deanne Criswell, Daniel Gilbert, Jun Xia, Isaac Slade
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1073
Current students***:
13853
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Downtown campus in Denver, urban research university, strong programmes in architecture, business and public affairs, about a third graduate students.
Cons
Shared campus with two other institutions, mainly a commuter university, high cost of living in Denver.
Best For
Students seeking an urban public research university in downtown Denver, strong in architecture, business and public affairs.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
For students who like the finance, life sciences and data analytics focus of this university but want another option nearby, Indiana University Indianapolis fits well: it also offers mba programmes and covers bioinformatics as well.
George Washington University overlaps with this university on finance, life sciences and data analytics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is larger, enrolling about 24,500 students against roughly 13,853 here, and is private, whereas this university is public.
Also strong in finance, life sciences and data analytics, University of Alabama at Birmingham makes a sensible second look at home; it is larger, enrolling about 20,905 students against roughly 13,853 here, and is also a public institution.
The comparison with George Mason University is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on finance, life sciences and data analytics, and it is larger, enrolling about 39,638 students against roughly 13,853 here, and is also a public institution.
University of Central Florida sits close to this institution on finance, life sciences and data analytics; it also offers mba programmes and covers simulation and aerospace as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For civil engineering, mathematics and data analytics outside the home country, Guangzhou University in China is a natural reference; it is larger, enrolling about 34,000 students against roughly 13,853 here, and is also a public institution.
If this institution is on your list for finance, life sciences and data analytics, Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand deserves a comparison, because it is larger, enrolling about 20,939 students against roughly 13,853 here, and is also a public institution.
Looking internationally, University of Technology Sydney in Australia is where finance, civil engineering and mathematics get a comparable treatment; it covers industrial design as well, and is far larger, with about 51,038 students against roughly 13,853 here.
Autonomous University of Madrid, based in Spain, is built around finance, mathematics and life sciences much like this university, and it covers chemistry and physics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 31,722 students against roughly 13,853 here.
University of Porto in Portugal shares the finance, civil engineering and mathematics orientation of this university, and it is larger, enrolling about 30,640 students against roughly 13,853 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is CU Denver?
On the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, Colorado.
When did it begin?
In 1912, as the Extension Center of the University of Colorado.
When did it become independent?
In 1973, as the University of Colorado Denver.
What is CU Anschutz?
The health sciences campus in Aurora, which became a separate institution in 2014.
Which institutions share the Auraria Campus?
CU Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Community College of Denver.
How many students does it have?
13,853 in the autumn of 2025, including 9,771 undergraduates.
What is its largest school?
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Is the Business School accredited?
Yes, by the AACSB.
Which well-known people studied there?
Michael Hancock, Deanne Criswell and Jun Xia, among others.
What does it cost?
Tuition is lower for residents of Colorado. Check the current tariff.
Architecture, Engineering, Environment, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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