Colorado College is a small liberal arts school located in Colorado Springs. Founded in 1874, it has a population of just over 2,100 students. The urban setting allows students to fully take advantage of opportunities for internships and employment. The location also offers outdoor adventures, where students can hike, bike or climb Pikes Peak. Many who attend the school love nature. One of the most popular clubs organizes excursions for backpacking, cross-country skiing and kayaking.
Colorado College offers more than 80 majors, minors and special programs on campus. They cover an extensive range of topics, including Southwest studies, feminist and gender studies, Asian studies, environmental science and American cultural studies. The most popular majors are: economics; biology; sociology; international economics; and political science and government.
The school has a different setup for curriculum than most colleges. The ‘block plan’ is organized so students can study one subject at a time for three and a half week blocks. The school maintains this allows for more lab time, research and study time in the field, more intensive learning and less distractions. Professors also only teach one block at a time. The student to faculty ratio is 10 to 1 and 75% of classes have less than 20 students. Consequently, there is plenty of individualized attention. While courses have a start time, they do not have an end time so that professors can take the time to finish each lesson.
Every month, students have a four-and-a-half day ‘block break,’ before starting the next course. Overall, students take eight classes each year. Another difference from other traditional schools: faculty members are encouraged to form relationships with students outside the classroom. They have a program called Breaking Bread, where faculty members invite students into their homes for dinner. More than 200 of these events are held every year.
There are tons of opportunities outside the classroom, including annual events like Winter Ball, a formal dance, and CC Llamapalooza, a music festival. Colorado College also places an importance on community service. All freshmen are required to take a four-day service trip, and there is a soup kitchen for locals every Sunday. The school does have a small Greek presence, with about 10% of men and women in fraternities and sororities on campus. There are also many performing arts events because of the newly-built Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center. Colorado College does have several teams competing in the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Because freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are required to live on campus, the college always has many social activities to take part in. Students looking for a non-traditional school that still offers challenging academics should look into Colorado College’s programs.
Acceptance Rate
Class Standing
SAT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
ACT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
Application Deadlines
Early decision (Round 1): Nov. 15
Early Action: Nov. 10
Early decision (Round 2): Jan.1
Regular Decision: Jan. 15
Transfer Decision (Fall): Mar. 1
Transfer Decision (Spring): Nov. 1
Admissions Information
Freshmen Admissions
Number of 2020 (Class of 2024) applicants: 10,258
Enrolled: 690
Acceptance rate: 13.5%
Yield: 42.4%
Early Action and Early Decision Admissions
2020 (Class of 2024) Early Action acceptance rate: 15%
2020 (Class of 2024) Early Decision I/II acceptance rate: 25%
Waitlist Admission Statistics
Number of waitlisted applicants: 275
Admitted off the waitlist: 23
Waitlist acceptance rate: 8.4%
Transfer Admissions
Number of transfer applicants: 504
Admitted transfer applicants: 63
Transfer acceptance rate: 12.5%
Grades
Average GPA: N/A
Top 10% of High School: 82%
Middle SAT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
SAT Composite: 1320-1460
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 650-730
SAT Math: 650-750
Middle ACT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
ACT Composite: 29-33
ACT English: 30-35
ACT Math: 27-32
Standardized Test Requirements
SAT/ACT recommended
Writing portion recommended
Colorado College is test optional. (For all standardized tests!)
Graduation Rates
Loan Defaults and Rhodes Scholars
Salary After Attending
R&D Expenditures
Campus Safety
Score Card Information
Graduation Rates
4 years: 79.7%
5 years: 82.6%
6 years: 83.1%
Loan default rate: 2.2%
Total Rhodes Scholars: 12
Salary after attending: $45,400
R&D Expenditures: $2.22 million
Campus Safety
Sex offenses: 17
Robberies: 0
Aggravated assaults: 1
Burglaries: 3
Car thefts: 4
Net Cost and Total Expected Cost of Attendance
Average Net Price By Income
Student Debt
Additional Information
Tuition, room and board (2020-2021): $76,482
Total estimated cost of attendance (2020-2021): $78,080
Net Cost
Average: $32,303
By income
$0 to $30,000: $11,568
$30,001 to $48,000: $8,812
$48,001 to $75,000: $15,884
$75,001 to $110,000: $24,330
$110,001 and more: $45,979
Graduates with student debt: 33%
Average student debt at graduation: $23,579
Student Residence
Undergraduate Class Sizes
Student to Faculty Ratio
Student Population
Additional Information
Student to Faculty Ratio: 10 to 1
Women: 55%
Undergraduate Class Sizes
Under 20: 75%
20 to 39: 25%
40 to 99: 0%
100+: 0%
Student Population
Total: 2,124
Undergraduates: 2,099
Student Residence
In State: 13%
Out of State: 78%
International: 9%
