Top Five Schools in Colorado
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is located in Golden, Colorado, which is in the north central part of the state. It was founded in 1873 and has become the most selective public institution in Colorado. The academic focus of the university is engineering and applied science, and the 3,242 undergraduates are engaged in a very demanding environment. The university is ranked #75 by U.S. News and World Report's Guide to America's Best Colleges. One of the unique aspects of applied science that is researched in depth at Colorado School of Mines is the area of resource exploration and extraction.
University of Colorado-Boulder
Located in beautiful Boulder, the University of Colorado is one of the most respected institutions in the Rocky Mountains. The university was founded in 1876, and it has grown and developed to have earned the designation 'Public Ivy' by Richard Moll. There are currently 26,363 undergraduate students at the flagship campus of the University of Colorado. These students have the opportunity to choose from over 150 disciplines at this university, which is ranked #79 by U.S. News and World Report. The university also receives a generous amount of NASA funding, which contributes to its applied science research activities.
University of Denver
The University of Denver is a private, independent institution that was founded in 1864. The campus sits just seven miles south of downtown Denver, and students often take full academic and social advantage of studying at an urban university. There are currently 5,122 undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Denver, and the campus is ranked #85 by U.S. News and World Report. DU serves a large proportion of nontraditional students, many of whom commute from the Denver Metropolitan Area.
Colorado State University
Founded in 1870, Colorado State University is the flagship campus of the Colorado State University System and is a leading researcher in many scientific fields. There are currently 21,437 undergraduate students enrolled, many of whom study in one of the many areas of science that are explored at this institution. Particular areas of global research include the study of the reemergence of tuberculosis, bioterrorism and the level of pollution in Asian cities. Colorado State is ranked #124 by U.S. News and World Report. The campus of Colorado State is in Fort Collins, along the state's northern border with Wyoming.
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metropolitan State College of Denver has one of the lowest tuitions of any university in Colorado and also has an open admissions policy to any student over the age of 20 with a high school diploma or GED. This accessibility has created a large student body since the campus was founded in 1965 as an 'opportunity school'; and the undergraduate students currently number 21,154 students. The most acclaimed programs at Metropolitan State College are the journalism and aviation departments.
