On May 25, 2021, it became state law that Colorado's public four-year colleges and universities do not need to require SAT or ACT scores for the admission process.
Colorado's public four-year colleges and universities can no longer consider legacy in the admission process. This means that applicants can no longer benefit in the admission process if they had family attend the institution to which they are applying.
Four-year colleges and universities consider a number of factors in determining if an applicant is a good fit and will likely succeed at their institution. The guidelines below explain what Colorado's public institutions review when making admission decisions. (Note: As Colorado two-year, community, and area technical colleges are open enrollment, they do not have academic admission requirements.)
While most four-year institutions charge an admission application fee, nearly all offer fee waivers year-round for applicants who might need it. Click on the box below for instructions on requesting a fee waiver at Colorado's colleges and universities:
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Colorado public four-year colleges and universities consider a mix of factors in making freshman admission decisions:
Chart for GPA and Test Score Ranges of Admitted Freshmen
This chart provides the average GPA and ACT/SAT ranges for students Colorado colleges and universities have admitted. For example, “50 percent of admitted students had between a 3.0 -3.5 GPA and 1040 – 1300 SAT.”
These ranges are NOT admission requirements but a guide to the admission standards at each institution. Students who have below the listed 50 percent ranges can still be competitive for admission if they are strong in other areas of their academic profile.
Four-year colleges in Colorado know that academic preparation, especially in English and math, will make you more likely to be successful in college. The Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR) detail the number of high school courses in each subject area it is recommended you complete to be a competitive candidate for admission—see the chart below.
If you have challenged yourself by successfully completing Honors, AP, IB or college-level courses in high school, this will strengthen your application even more!
And if you successfully completed a capstone project or some other alternative form of education at your high school, colleges will consider it under your academic preparation review, provided it is included on your high school transcript.
The following indicates the units by academic area:
A unit = one year of a high school course. If you are taking a college level course while in high school, one semester = one unit.
The successful completion (grade "C" or better) of a college-level course while in high school will satisfy HEAR for the relevant subject area. For example, if a student earns a "C" or higher in ENG 121: English Composition, the English area in HEAR will be considered as satisfied. Satisfying HEAR does NOT mean satisfying your high school's graduation requirements. Also, some institutions and majors have additional admission requirements - check for more information with the admission offices for the institutions you are interested in attending.
*Currently, the HEAR math recommendation is that students should complete up through Algebra 2. However, some college programs require freshman students to be ready for calculus. If you know which program or area of study you wish to pursue in college, contact the admission or academic advising office at the institution you are considering for specific information.
Students without a high school diploma must provide a high school equivalency exam score. In Colorado, state colleges and universities accept scores from the following exams for admission consideration: GED; HiSET and TASC.
Scores for minimum admission consideration are listed below for each exam:
Please note that meeting minimum required scores on these exams does not guarantee admission. As with other applicants, institutions may consider academic rigor in high school and college courses completed, grades, and assessment scores from other exams. Check with the admission office at the institution you are interested in for more information.
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Colorado public colleges and universities consider the following in making transfer admission decisions:
*While college courses taken before high school graduation are not used to calculate the transfer GPA, they will still be considered in the admission decision and reviewed for transferability.
Look below for the recommended transfer GPA for each public four-year institution in Colorado. Meeting the recommended transfer GPA will assist students in being competitive for admission; however, it is not a requirement for admission to meet this GPA. See below:
The following indicates the recommended GPA by institution:
Check with the institution you are interested in applying to for more specifics regarding their standards and process. Also, be sure to visit the transfer course page for details on course transfer agreements on getting course credit for prior learning!
Transfer student applicants will be guaranteed admission to almost all Colorado public four-year institutions of higher education if they meet the following conditions. (Please note that these conditions are only required to be eligible for the transfer admission guarantee; applicants can still be admissible without meeting the below requirements):
These standards are a general guideline to college admission in Colorado. Students should check with the institution they are interested in attending for specific details regarding their admission process.