University of Colorado Boulder vs. University of Utah

A side-by-side comparison of CU Boulder and Utah — acceptance rates (70.7% vs. 90.1%), SAT scores (1130–1370 vs. 1120–1320), tuition, financial aid, and majors, drawn from each school's official Common Data Set.

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CU BoulderBoulder, CO

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

CU Boulder CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from CU Boulder CDS (Fall 2025).
70.7%acceptance rate
Applied
73,180
Admitted
51,716
Enrolled
7,397

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state81.3%
14,650 admitted of 18,030 applicants
Out-of-state67.4%
37,065 admitted of 54,968 applicants
International76.2%
2,378 admitted of 3,121 applicants

Early action

CU Boulder offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

CU Boulder is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1130
50th Percentile
1260
75th Percentile
1370

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
27
50th Percentile
30
75th Percentile
32

Class rank

Where CU Boulder's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class26.3%
Top quarter of class57.6%
Top half of class87.7%

Based on the 41.3% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. CU Boulder does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How CU Boulder weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from CU Boulder's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$38,552
In-State
$69,596
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$15,014$46,058
Room & Board
$19,242$19,242
Other Expenses
$4,296$4,296
Total
$38,552$69,596

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$14k
$30–48k~$14k
$48–75k~$19k
$75–110k~$27k
$110k+~$35k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants14.5%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
28%
Avg. Package
$23,118
Avg. Need Met
72%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Engineering
Biological & Life Sciences
Social Sciences
Communication & Journalism
Psychology
Computer & Information Sciences
Visual & Performing Arts
Other
Business
17%
Engineering
13%
Life Sci
12%
Social Sci
9%
Comm
9%
Psychology
9%
Computing
7%
Arts
4%
Other
20%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

19.5:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return91%
Graduate within six years74%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$77k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$20k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

CU Boulder’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 29 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
95%
In Fraternities
9%
In Sororities
22%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
Boulder, CO

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
4722J
4822F
5729M
6335A
7143M
8351J
8857J
8656A
7948S
6637O
5528N
4621D
Snow a year
93 in
Precipitation a year
21 in
Days at 90°F or above
33
Days below 32°F
138

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, BOULDER, CO US station, 1.2 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

52%
48%
Male
17,748
Female
16,353

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White66.4%
Hispanic14.1%
Other10.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander6.5%
Black2.2%
Native American<1%
UtahSalt Lake City, UT

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Utah CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Utah CDS (Fall 2025).
90.1%acceptance rate
Applied
30,036
Admitted
27,076
Enrolled
6,513

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state89.7%
9,028 admitted of 10,063 applicants
Out-of-state90.4%
17,153 admitted of 18,977 applicants
International89.9%
895 admitted of 996 applicants

Early action

Utah offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Utah is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1120
50th Percentile
1230
75th Percentile
1320

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
22
50th Percentile
25
75th Percentile
29

Class rank

Utah does not report this.

Not reported

Admissions factors

How Utah weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Utah's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$43,989
In-State
$69,191
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$12,252$37,454
Room & Board
$15,537$15,537
Other Expenses
$16,200$16,200
Total
$43,989$69,191

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$13k
$30–48k~$13k
$48–75k~$14k
$75–110k~$18k
$110k+~$22k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants19.6%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
30%
Avg. Package
$14,012
Avg. Need Met
45%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Social Sciences
Computer & Info Sciences
Biological & Life Sciences
Engineering
Psychology
Visual & Performing Arts
Health Professions
Communication/Journalism
Other
Business
15%
Social Sci
13%
Computing
10%
Life Sci
10%
Engineering
8%
Psychology
8%
Arts
6%
Health
6%
Comm
5%
Other
19%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

19:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return86%
Graduate within six years66%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$75k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$19k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Utah’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

  • Communication & Media Studies

    261 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$63kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$18k median debt
  • Biology

    261 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$63kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$20k median debt
  • Computer Science

    244 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$137kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$19k median debt
  • Nursing

    219 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$86kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$19k median debt
  • Finance

    211 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$101kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$18k median debt
Show all 33 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
65%
In Fraternities
8%
In Sororities
14%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
Salt Lake City, UT

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
4028J
4631F
5639M
6244A
7252M
8361J
9170J
9068A
8058S
6647O
5237N
4128D
Snow a year
49 in
Precipitation a year
18 in
Days at 90°F or above
45
Days below 32°F
81

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, SALT LAKE TRIAD CTR, UT US station, 2.7 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

53%
47%
Male
15,481
Female
13,854

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White63.8%
Hispanic14.1%
Other13.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander6.6%
Black1.2%
Native American<1%

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CU Boulder vs. Utah: frequently asked questions

CU Boulder is more selective: it admits about 70.7% of applicants, compared with 90.1% at Utah. Both are competitive, and your odds depend on far more than the overall rate.

The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1130–1370 at CU Boulder and 1120–1320 at Utah on the SAT. Treat the ranges as a benchmark — a score inside or above a school's range keeps you competitive there.

Utah has the lower published price for out-of-state students — $37,454 in tuition and fees versus $46,058 at CU Boulder, a gap of about $8,604 a year before financial aid.

CU Boulder graduates a higher share of its students within six years — 74% versus 66% at Utah.

CU Boulder. Its Common Data Set rates the application essay important, against considered at Utah, so the same draft carries more weight at CU Boulder. Both still read essays as part of a full application review.

Source: University of Colorado Boulder Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-26. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with CU Boulder. Banner photo by Laura Scudder (Laurascudder), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Source: University of Utah Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Utah. Banner photo by InSapphoWeTrust, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).