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🎓 College profile

University of Colorado Boulder

CO · Public · Mid-size city · 56,069 applicants 2023

R1 Research
83% admit rate SAT 1230–1420 $34,818/yr at $110k+ income

🧭 A parent's read

  • The major moves the money more than the admit letter. Computer Science grads from here earn about $121,952 four years out; music grads about $38,701 — a 3.2× spread on the same diploma. Have the major conversation before you deposit, not after.
  • Built for the AI economy. About 1 in 12 degrees here is already in AI, computer science, or data fields; it offers a dedicated AI major; its AI research output ranks #44 among US universities. This campus is leaning into the shift, not waiting for it.
  • The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 5× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$37,684/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$69,738/yr) still runs about 5× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
  • Ask the submit question deliberately. This college is test-optional — but at many such colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates. “Optional” is a strategy decision, not a pass.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

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🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

  • Strong academic profiles — admitted students cluster in the top test and GPA tiers (bands above)
  • Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)
  • Students who thrive in a large, programmatic environment

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1230, or ACT below 28, or unweighted GPA below 3.57 (admitted-class quartiles per the school's own data)
  • Out-of-state tuition is 2.9× the in-state rate

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R1: Doctoral - Very High Research Activity
Total enrollment
31,939
20,000 and above
In-state tuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid — common above ~$110K income — pay this, minus any merit scholarships.
$15,666
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$44,918
+$29,252 vs in-state
Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
83.3%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%The middle half of enrolled students scored in this range — a quarter scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
1230–1420
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%The middle half of enrolled students scored in this range — a quarter scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
28–33
composite
Test policyApplicants choose whether to send SAT/ACT scores. At many such colleges, students who submit strong scores are still admitted at higher rates.
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earningsMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$69,738
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

🎓 High-school GPA

3.77 avg unweightedGPA on the plain 4.0 scale, no honors/AP bonus. When a college publishes an "average admitted GPA of 3.9," it's often this scale — don't compare it to a weighted 4.3. GPA, enrolled first-years

unweighted 4.0 scale. Common Data Set 2025-2026 ↗

As published by the college in its Common Data Set / admissions data (2025-26) — independently verified 2026-07-23 (source linked above). GPA basis (weighted vs. unweighted vs. 4.0-scale) varies by college and is labeled above.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$54,939
Earnings, 10 yrs after entryMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$69,738
4-year completionThe share of students who finish a bachelor's in four years. Nationally barely half do — and a fifth year quietly adds a full extra year of cost to the real price.
74%
Median debt (completers)The federal-loan balance of the typical graduating borrower. Families who pay cash aren't counted, so read it as "among those who borrowed."
$19,500

💰 The real cost

What families at your income actually pay

Above $110K income — where most Reach families sit — aid-receiving families average $34,818/yr at University of Colorado Boulder; families who don't qualify for aid pay the full ~$37,684/yr. Lower brackets pay less — the full ladder is below. One caveat, once: every bracket figure here averages only the families in that bracket who received aid — it says nothing about whether your family will qualify.

🔎 Earning over $110K? You're above the top federal bracket — the median family headed by a 45-to-54-year-old (the prime college-parent years) earned about $134K in 2024, and the federal data lumps everyone from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Whether you'll get need aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats. at this income is entirely college-specific: a few heavily-endowed schools meet full need well past $150K, while many others give little above the brackets shown — there, merit scholarships, where offered, become the realistic lever.

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Your odds + estimated net price across your whole college list — then confirm the exact figure with University of Colorado Boulder's own Net Price Calculator ↗ (10–15 min; have your tax return handy).

Family income $110k+ most Reach families
$34,818/yr
Family income $75-110k
$26,915/yr
Family income $48-75k
$18,828/yr
Family income $30-48k
$14,381/yr
Family income $0-30k
$14,231/yr

📈 The payoffTen years of typical earnings divided by four years of cost. A 3× means a decade of median pay covers the cost three times over — check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you., both ways

4.6× at full price 6.9× with aid
Full price, no aidThe all-in yearly price — tuition, housing, food, books, fees — before any aid. This is the real "full price," not just the tuition line. (4 yrs, in-state)
$150,736
~$37,684/yr all-in (out-of-state runs higher)
Aid recipients pay (4 yrs)
$101,384
$25,346/yr average
10-yr earnings total
$697,380
$69,738/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup the cost
2.2 yrs
at full price (1.5 with aid), at the median earnings rate

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41–NPT45; Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates; suppressed brackets = small cohorts; the $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — the brackets haven't been refreshed since the early 2010s). Payoff multiple = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (4-yr cost); full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of Colorado Boulder

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Colorado Boulder actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
1,201 degrees · 27.8%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Engineering
865 degrees · 20.0%
Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.
3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
825 degrees · 19.1%
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
4. Communication, Journalism, & Related
732 degrees · 16.9%
Media, PR, marketing communications. Salary spread is wide.
5. Social Sciences
699 degrees · 16.2%
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

💼 What those majors earn here

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — University of Colorado Boulder's own graduates, not national averages.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 473 $77,385 $121,952
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 199 $81,835 $116,350
Computer Engineering. Bachelor's Degree — $86,211 $115,181
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 26 $88,957 $100,631
Chemical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 47 $70,359 $95,780
Civil Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 81 $73,033 $94,960
Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 235 $66,089 $93,073
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 117 $41,176 $90,635
Architectural Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 44 $72,567 $89,797
Biochemical Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 72 $70,668 $89,262

Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →

Alternatives to University of Colorado Boulder

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 stats-based merit scholarships
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
30 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
21 stats-based + 2 competitive scholarships
💰 Lower full price
Similar selectivity, but a meaningfully lower full sticker price — the comparison that matters most for families who won't qualify for much need-based aid.
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr full price (in-state) · $28,516 less before aid
CUNY Hunter College
NY · Public
$13,905/yr full price (in-state) · $23,779 less before aid
CUNY Brooklyn College
NY · Public
$14,151/yr full price (in-state) · $23,533 less before aid
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state and similar selectivity, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
CO · Public
97% admit rate (vs 83% here)

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