Rankings & Achievements
CU and the Nobel Prize
conferred the greatest benefit to human kind"
CU Boulder boasts five Nobel laureates, four in physics and one in chemistry. Perhaps the world's premier honor for intellectuals, and certainly the best known, it celebrates individuals who have "conferred the greatest benefit to human kind" through their work.
Chemistry, 1989
“Discovery of catalytic properties of RNA."
Thomas Cech
Physics, 2001
“The achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.”
Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell
Physics, 2005
“Contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique.”
John “Jan” Hall
Physics, 2012
“Ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems.”
David Wineland
Lead.
We shape tomorrow’s leaders by recognizing and engaging graduates who consistently demonstrate CU Boulder values and apply intellectual curiosity, rigor and collaboration to creatively address complex issues and opportunities.
3
U.S. Supreme Court justices
5
Nobel Prize winners
5
National Medal of Science winners
12
MacArthur fellows
18
CU Boulder-affiliated astronauts
90+
Fulbright scholars since 2013
Our First Woman Rhodes Scholar
Serene Singh, Political Science & Journalism BA, 2019
CU Boulder student Serene Singh is one of 20 CU Boulder students who have received the Rhodes Scholarship.
She will study at Oxford University in England starting in fall 2019.
Top Graduate School Rankings
from U.S. News & World Report, 2024
#4
in the nation
in Atomic/ Molecular/ Optical Physics
#23
in the nation
in Fine Arts
#11
in the nation
in Quantum Physics
#12
in the nation
in Environmental Law
#9
in the nation
in Geology
#8
in the nation
in Aerospace Engineering Sciences
Innovate.
We serve as a nexus for innovation by facilitating collaboration and the sharing of diverse perspectives among universities, industry, laboratories and communities to elucidate and address complex issues and opportunities.
First
university to achieve a STARS Gold rating for sustainability
#20
top global universities granted U.S. patents
554
license and option agreements signed since 2014
$504 million
in capital raised by CU Boulder startups in FY23
Top 7%
university for National Science Foundation research funding
Expanding Statewide Access to a University Education
Students Earn a CU Boulder Degree at Home in Gunnison, Grand Junction
Providing access to education is a priority at CU Boulder.
We’ve partnered with Colorado Mesa University and Western Colorado University to allow students to earn a CU Boulder engineering degree.
First
Division 1 zero-waste stadium and athletic program
First
U.S. Green Building Council-certified Leed Platinum research lab in the U.S. (SEEC)
18
student lab spaces in our one-of-a-kind ATLAS Insitute
179
companies formed based on CU Boulder technology (since 1990)
#1
public university for NASA research funding
Impact.
We broaden research, scholarship and creative work, and articulate our positive impact on humanity. We collaborate to produce graduates who apply their CU Boulder experience to make meaningful contributions to society.
245,000+
Coloradans in 52 counties benefit from 110+ public service programs provided by faculty, staff and students
47,800+
K–12 students and teachers in 128 school districts participate in community outreach programs
4th
all time for graduates serving as Peace Corps volunteers
14,400+
hours of work done through the Volunteer Resource Center in 2023
112,000+
Colorado students in grades 3–12 have seen our Shakespeare and Violence Prevention performance since 2011
Returning Top-notch Teachers to Their Hometown Communities
Brittni Laura Hernandez, Secondary Education and Teaching, Curriculum and Instruction MA, 2018
Through the “grow your own” program, the School of Education is helping rural school districts attract and retain amazing teachers, like CU Boulder alumna Brittni Laura Hernandez, who is teaching in her hometown of Greeley.
$4.3 billion
annual impact on the state economy
$5.2 billion
state economic impact for Venture Partners from 2018 to 2022
20,000
Coloradans impacted by Contemporary Dance Works Residency Tour since 1991
50%
of Colorado fourth-graders use fossil and archaeology science kits from the CU Museum of Natural History
#1
city in the country for green start-ups
(Promoleaf, 2022)
The CU Boulder Difference
There is great value in higher education, including increased career potential and quality of life. At CU Boulder, we work to make high-quality education worthwhile, relevant and accessible.
Value of a CU Boulder Education
88%
of graduates are employed, in grad school or the military within six months of graduation
$143,200
median midcareer salary for students with a CU Boulder bachelor's degree
(Payscale, 2024)
Local and Global
organizations employing grads: Amazon, Apple, Ball Aerospace, Boeing, Charles Schwab, Disney, Google, IBM, Lockheed Martin, NASA, NBC, Shell, Teach for America, Twitter, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Vail Resorts, Yelp
Providing Access to Students in Colorado
Be Boulder pact saves students millions of dollars a year in fees.
Automatic Merit Scholarships attract Colorado’s highest-achieving high schoolers with weighted GPAs of 3.8 to 4.0+.
CU Promise pays low-income students’ share of tuition and fees.
CU Boulder tuition and fee guarantee offers a predictable, four-year guarantee, providing complete transparency.
Attracting Top Students
2023 Entering Class (7,546)
Most qualified (3.83 GPA)
First-generation (16.1%)
37,153 Fall 2023 Enrollment
18:1 student-to-faculty ratio
1,300+ veterans and dependents using VA education benefits, a record
2,514 international students from 106 countries