Graduate Admissions Requirements University Of Colorado Boulder
In your career, in your network, in your potential. Are you ready to make the next step in your career? Whether conducting unparalleled research or leading in industry, our graduate-level programs will give you the skills and connections necessary to advance your career. Here at CU Boulder, you will gain more than an education. You will grow your network, gain applicable experience and advance your career. As a CU Boulder graduate student, you will have the opportunity to collaborate and gain world-class expertise in your chosen field - all while studying at one of the most beautiful campuses in America!
Working with esteemed faculty and researchers, our graduate students gain world-class expertise in their chosen fields and train to become the next generation of teachers, scholars, artists and researchers. With this guidance, they gain the necessary skills and tools to tackle some of the most complex and pressing issues of our time. CU research has led to the creation of more than 190 new companies in the last 25 years. #1 public university recipient of NASA funding among public universities - and second among all universities. The Graduate School at CU Boulder has established minimum standards for admission. Qualified students may be recommended for admission to regular degree status by approved programs of the Graduate School provided they meet the following criteria.
Individual graduate departments may have additional or more restrictive standards by which they evaluate graduate applicants. Be sure to visit the admissions pages of the programs that you are interested in for a full list of program specific application requirements. Earn a Graduate Degree at Our Top-ranked Research University Ready to advance your education? Here at CU Boulder, we offer more than 125 graduate programs spanning the arts, sciences, business, education, engineering, law, music and more. From conducting unparalleled research to leading in industry, our graduate-level programs give students the skills and connections needed to advance their careers.
Join us. The graduate application is now open. Review the minimum admission requirements. Learn about the application deadline for your program of interest. Application deadlines differ by program. Graduate School admission is handled by individual academic departments; see the specific college, school and program sections for details.
For more information, visit Graduate School Admissions. Students seeking admission to a CU Boulder master's or doctoral program apply directly to the appropriate department. An applicant for admission must present complete application materials, including: A completed application must be submitted by the published deadline for the term for which admission is sought. Most departments have an application deadline that is several months before the start of the desired admission term. Qualified students may be recommended for admission to regular degree status by approved programs of the Graduate School provided they meet the following criteria:
Students who do not meet the requirements for admission as regular degree students may be recommended for provisional degree status by their major department. With the concurrence of the dean of the Graduate School, these students are admitted for a probationary term of either one or two semesters of full-time study (or the equivalent for part-time students). At the end of the specified probationary period, provisional degree students must be either admitted to regular degree status or dismissed from the graduate program. Provisional students are subject to the same standards of performance required of regular degree students, plus any other requirements imposed by the program faculty as conditions of admission. A student enrolled in a master's program must satisfy the degree requirements of both the Graduate School and the major department. The requirements listed below are campus-wide minimum standards of the Graduate School; additional requirements are set forth by the major department.
A graduate student is responsible for becoming informed about and observing all regulations and procedures required by the graduate program pursued. Ignorance of a rule does not constitute a basis for waiving that rule. Any exceptions to the policies stated in this catalog must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School. For purposes of deciding full-time registration status, a student must meet one of the following criteria: Additional full-time and part-time registration requirements may exist for international students or students receiving or deferring financial aid, though degree requirements remain the same. Affected students should consult with International Student and Scholar Services or the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
Master’s degree minimum registration requirements can be met only by registering full-time at CU Boulder for at least two semesters, part-time for at least four semesters, or full-time for at least one semester and... Applicants must hold at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an institution comparable to the University of Colorado. They should have programming experience, a number of computer science courses and sufficient mathematical maturity to understand pure mathematics courses at the upper division (junior/senior) level. For the PhD program, the Department of Computer Science welcomes applicants from interdisciplinary backgrounds. Modern computer science often combines important ideas from multiple fields, including physics, mathematics, economics, biology, psychology and more. We welcome students from all such backgrounds, and do not require a prior degree in computer science.
Applicants should identify a common research interest with faculty and communicate with students in their labs before application, seen on the CS research website. While we highly recommend that PhD applicants complete the listed prerequisite courses before submitting their application, as the research match is the most important factor taken into considerations while making decisions. Therefore, please do go through research happening in our department to make sure this is the right place for you! Completing the prerequisites helps you in handling our graduate courses better and also opens more opportunities to be a teaching assistant. We also highly encourage such students to identify areas and faculty members they wish to work with and/or get in touch with the faculty directly through email. Research area match is the most important factor in PhD admissions.
Your academic background should include at least three semesters of mathematics at the level of sophistication of calculus or above. Examples of such courses such are calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, probability, statistics and abstract algebra. The courses should indicate that you have achieved the mathematical maturity expected of an upper-level science, engineering, or mathematics undergraduate. If you're missing any of these prerequisites, our online post-baccalaureate in Applied Computer Science offers classes that can help you prepare for graduate study. Students are first-year applicants if they are currently enrolled in high school, or if they have earned a high school diploma or its equivalent and have not enrolled in a college or university since... Many factors are considered in evaluating students' applications for admission to CU Boulder.
Although academic performance in high school context (high school GPA and the quality of coursework) is the most important indicator of success, other factors are also considered. These include students' college entrance test scores, should they choose to provide them (either the SAT or ACT), the trend in their grades and the extent to which the Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR)... For information on HEAR, see the HEAR table. Applicants whose records reflect nontraditional grading systems, unusual curricula or high school equivalency such as the GED test will receive individual consideration. CU Boulder is test optional and does not require test scores for admission consideration. If students would like to have test scores considered, they should indicate this on their Common Application.
Please note, as of April 2025 the Writing and Science section of the ACT are not accepted or considered. To submit scores, students can self-report in the application, upload an unofficial score report to their application status page or submit an official score report to CU Boulder. For more information, see the Application Process section. First-year students applying to undergraduate programs are strongly encouraged to meet the following Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR). University of Colorado Boulder © Regents of the University of Colorado Catalog Archive · Contact Us · Privacy · Legal & Trademarks Accessibility · Student Consumer Information · Policies Land Acknowledgement Download the Clery Act Annual Security & Fire safety report, or request a paper copy from the CU Boulder Police Department.
The PDF will include all information unique to this page. The PDF will include all pages of the 2025-26 CU Boulder Catalog. Please do not send application materials to the Department of English. All application materials should be uploaded directly to Graduate Admissions via the online application system. Please visit the CU Boulder Graduate School website for more information. The English Department is occasionally able to waive application fees for a limited number of students based on financial need.
To request a waiver, please write to gsengl@colorado.edu after you have started an online application, but before submitting it. Please be sure to have your CV, writing sample, and personal statement uploaded prior to sending in your request. In your email, include a brief explanation of the need for a waiver and the number of schools to which you are applying. Requests will be forwarded to the appropriate Associate Chair to evaluate. The Graduate School offers application fee waivers for participants in the following programs: AmeriCorps (currently serving), Black in AI (BAI), Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative, Gates Millennium Scholars, Leadership Alliance, Louis-Stokes Alliance... If you are affiliated with one of these programs, please send us proof of your affiliation to gradadm@colorado.edu after you have started an application and before you submit, and we will process your fee...
If you are in the U.S. military you will receive an automatic fee waiver as a thank you for your service (active duty, veteran, previously served, and active reserve are all eligible for this automatic fee waiver). If you are undocumented and/or a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiary, please contact gradadm@colorado.edu to inquire about possible fee waivers. University of Colorado Boulder © Regents of the University of ColoradoPrivacy • Legal & Trademarks
People Also Search
- Admissions | Graduate School | University of Colorado Boulder
- Where to Begin | Graduate School | University of Colorado Boulder
- Apply to Graduate School at CU Boulder - University of Colorado Boulder
- Admissions - University of Colorado Boulder
- Master's Degree Requirements - University of Colorado Boulder
- Graduate Admissions Requirements - University of Colorado Boulder
- Admission Requirements < University of Colorado Boulder
- Degree Requirements - University of Colorado Boulder
- FAQs for Graduate Admissions - University of Colorado Boulder
- Application Management - Graduate School
In Your Career, In Your Network, In Your Potential. Are
In your career, in your network, in your potential. Are you ready to make the next step in your career? Whether conducting unparalleled research or leading in industry, our graduate-level programs will give you the skills and connections necessary to advance your career. Here at CU Boulder, you will gain more than an education. You will grow your network, gain applicable experience and advance you...
Working With Esteemed Faculty And Researchers, Our Graduate Students Gain
Working with esteemed faculty and researchers, our graduate students gain world-class expertise in their chosen fields and train to become the next generation of teachers, scholars, artists and researchers. With this guidance, they gain the necessary skills and tools to tackle some of the most complex and pressing issues of our time. CU research has led to the creation of more than 190 new compani...
Individual Graduate Departments May Have Additional Or More Restrictive Standards
Individual graduate departments may have additional or more restrictive standards by which they evaluate graduate applicants. Be sure to visit the admissions pages of the programs that you are interested in for a full list of program specific application requirements. Earn a Graduate Degree at Our Top-ranked Research University Ready to advance your education? Here at CU Boulder, we offer more tha...
Join Us. The Graduate Application Is Now Open. Review The
Join us. The graduate application is now open. Review the minimum admission requirements. Learn about the application deadline for your program of interest. Application deadlines differ by program. Graduate School admission is handled by individual academic departments; see the specific college, school and program sections for details.
For More Information, Visit Graduate School Admissions. Students Seeking Admission
For more information, visit Graduate School Admissions. Students seeking admission to a CU Boulder master's or doctoral program apply directly to the appropriate department. An applicant for admission must present complete application materials, including: A completed application must be submitted by the published deadline for the term for which admission is sought. Most departments have an applic...