First-Year Application Checklist
Required Materials for a Complete Application
Start your application
The application fee is:
- $50 for domestic applicants
- $70 for international applicants
Payable online at the time you submit your application or by check or money order (made payable to the University of Colorado) after you submit your application. If submitting a check or money order, include your full legal name and date of birth. We recognize that some students may be faced with financial constraints in paying the application fee. Waivers may be granted for documented hardships if you submit an application fee waiver form.
If you are eligible for an application fee waiver you will have the opportunity to complete a request for an application fee waiver on the Common Application.
Complete personal essay and writing supplement listed below. Two separate essays must be submitted.
Personal Essay (required, 250–650 words): Choose one of the seven essays from the Common Application.
- Some students have a background, identity, interest or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
- Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma—anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
- Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces. For more information, check out our COVID-19 FAQ.
Writing Supplement (required, 250–650 words): In addition to the Common Application essay, you are required to submit a CU Boulder writing supplement. At the University of Colorado Boulder, no two Buffs are alike. We value difference and support equity and inclusion of all students and their many intersecting identities. Pick one of your unique identities and describe its significance.
One academic letter of recommendation is required. Your full legal name should be included at the top of recommendation letters.
Transcripts can be official or unofficial and submitted directly to CU Boulder from the issuing institution for admission review. Transcripts can be uploaded to your status page in the "upload materials" section, mailed or sent to transcripts@colorado.edu. Official documents will be needed upon enrollment to verify credentials.
Review International Transcript Requirements
Please note: if you have not graduated and do not plan to graduate from high school, you must request an official copy of your certificate of high school equivalency and official GED, TASC or HiSET scores, plus an official transcript of any high school course work completed.
Optional
ACT or SAT scores are not required for first-year students who graduate from high school in 2021 and are applying to CU Boulder, but you may provide self-reported scores if you would like us to take your scores into consideration when reviewing your application.
Review Prospective Student FAQs
*The Colorado College Admission Use Of National Test Score bill was signed into law in July of 2020, granting institutions the flexibility to require or not require standardized test scores during the admission review process. The bill only covers the 2021 application cycle.
Additional Required Materials
Applicants must also complete a College of Music application after their admission application has been submitted, provide a letter of reference and schedule an audition.
Visit the College of Music website for more information.
Questions about applying to CU Boulder?
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