Colorado

University of Colorado Boulder Profile and Rankings

University of Colorado Boulder (“CU”) is the main campus of the University of Colorado system. Boulder, CO is a scenic college town with the Rocky Mountains in the background. This location helps to give CU a beautiful campus, that is wooded, and popular with students who enjoy outdoor recreational activities that are available in the local area. Some people have called it a “public Ivy,” implying that it offers academic excellence, at the lower cost that a public university can offer its in-state residents.

CU has ranked high in a number of academic disciplines, in our RealRank ratings, primarily in disciplines related to engineering and mining. This has created a mini high tech corridor in the Boulder area, much as Stanford University seeded the high tech growth of Silicon Valley with talented graduates. The full listing of the rankings in which they have appeared thus far can be found at the end of this profile.

For many, the campus life at CU revolves around fraternities and sororities. The on-campus housing is limited, with over 70% of students living off campus.

The Basics

RealRank Ranking Categories

Key: Platinum: Elite Class; Gold: Very good; Silver: Successful, with room to improve;

Bronze: Mid to low range; NI: Needs improvement.

Academic Profile

Renowned Alumni

Here are some of the notable alumni of the University of Colorado who you could say made an impact on the world. You probably have heard of a lot of these, but are there any others you would add in?

• Eric Bieniemy – NFL Running Back and offensive coordinator for Kansas City Chiefs.
• Lynne Cheney – Former “Second Lady” of the United States, married to Vice-President Dick Cheney
  
• W. Edwards Deming – Leading expert in quality engineering and pioneer of Japan’s economic miracle growth after World War Two.
  
• Steve Ells – Founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants.
  
• Hale Irwin – Professional Golfer.
  
• William Jovanovich – Publisher at Harcourt Brace & Jovanovich.
  
• Billy Kidd – Prominent U.S. Downhill Skier; 1970 World Champion.
  
• Glenn Miller – Leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
  
• Robert Redford – Actor and founder of the Sundance Film Festival.
  
• Spencer Silver – Inventor of Post-it® Notes.
  
• Marilyn Van Derbur – Former “Miss America.”
  
• Byron White – Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
  
• Steve Wozniak – Co-Founder of Apple Computers.

Who else would you add to this list?

Most Popular Majors

The most popular majors at CU include the following, in decreasing order of popularity. This ordering may change slightly from year-to-year.