The University of Colorado (CU) is a

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

public universities A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. It consists of four institutions: the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

, the

University of Colorado Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a Public university, public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2023, UCCS had over 11 ...

, the

University of Colorado Denver The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a Public university, public research university located in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. Established in 1912 as an extension of the University of C ...

, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. It is governed by the elected, nine-member

board of regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

Campuses

University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder)

CU Boulder is the

flagship university A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the University of Colorado System in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

. Founded in 1876, the university has more than 39,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest university in Colorado by enrollment. It offers more than 2,500 courses in more than 150 areas of study through its nine colleges and schools.

University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS)

UCCS is the fastest growing of the three campuses with an undergraduate and graduate student population of about 12,000 students. It offers 45 bachelor's, 22 master's, and five doctoral degree programs through its six colleges. The 520-acre campus is located in central

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver)

CU Denver is the largest

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

in Colorado, attracting more than $420 million in research annually, and granting more master's degrees than any other institution in Colorado. The campus provides an urban learning center with liberal arts, sciences, and professional programs in eight schools and colleges, serving over 18,000 students. CU Denver is located in downtown

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

on the

Auraria Campus Auraria Campus is an educational facility located near downtown Denver, Colorado in the United States. The campus houses facilities of three separate universities and colleges: the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), Community College o ...

, which is also home to

Metropolitan State University of Denver Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver ...

and

Community College of Denver Community College of Denver (CCD) is a public community college in Denver, Colorado. The main campus is at Auraria Campus and it has two other locations in the Denver metropolitan area. CCD focuses on underserved, first-generation, and minor ...

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz)

CU Anschutz in

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

is home to six professional schools in the health sciences and extensive research and clinical care facilities, including the University of Colorado Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado and the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. CU Anschutz has more than 4,200 students, and is the largest academic health center in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

Defunct campuses

University of Colorado South Denver (CU South Denver)

CU South Denver, located in Lone Tree, opened in 2015 as a

satellite campus A satellite campus, branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or country, ...

of CU Denver, but permanently closed in August 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and concerns surrounding the campus' financial viability. At the time of its closing, the campus offered four academic programs and served nearly 300 students.

Related institutions

* The University of Colorado Hospital Authority (UC Health) was created in 1991 to allow the Regents to reorganize the University of Colorado Hospital.

International collaboration

The university is an active member of the

University of the Arctic The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arcti ...

. UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Colorado

Public universities and colleges in Colorado