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Admissions: University of Colorado Denver
 

Admissions Requirements

For freshman students

​Admission requirements

General Admission

Applies to programs in the College of Arts & Media (except music, see below), the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Affairs.

You are a strong candidate for general admission if:

  • Your index is 93 or higher
  • You have completed all HEAR requirements
  • AND have no more than two MAPS unit deficiencies

Music Admission

Music admission is a competitive process that considers the freshmen admission criteria as well as additional application requirements including scores on the AMMA examination and audition results (an audition deferment is available for applicants to the Music Industry Studies emphasis area).

Music applications are considered only for fall semester and early application is encouraged. Complete music applications are reviewed beginning on February 15 and the final deadline for a complete application is April 12.

Students not admitted to the music major or those who wish to begin studies in the spring or summer semester may be considered for general admission as an undeclared major in the College of Arts & Media. For additional music application information, visit http://cam.ucdenver.edu/meis or call 303-556-2279.

Architecture, Business or Engineering Admission

You are a strong candidate for architecture, business or engineering admission if:

  • Your index is 103 or higher
  • You have completed all HEAR requirements
  • AND have no more than two MAPS unit deficiencies

Note: There is no direct admission to the bioengineering major. Students are considered for admission as pre-bioengineering majors in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and if admitted, apply later for full admission to bioengineering through an internal process after completing specific required courses.

If not qualifying for architecture admission, you will be considered for “undeclared” admission if you are a strong candidate for general admission as indicated above. If not qualifying for business or engineering admission, you will be considered for "pre-business" or "pre-engineering" admission if you are a strong candidate for general admission as indicated above.

All applicants are given full admission consideration. Students who are not strong candidates for admission as defined above are considered on an individual basis, and many are offered admission. 

HEAR and MAPS

Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR)

The state of Colorado Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR) apply to students graduating from high school in 2008 or later. The HEAR requirements are specific courses or units that applicants for admission should have completed by high school graduation. College courses taken while in high school may be considered toward fulfilling these requirements.

For students who graduated in 2008 or 2009, high school course or unit requirements include:

  • Four years of English
  • Three years of mathematics (algebra I or higher)
  • Three years of social studies (including one year of U.S. or world history)
  • Three years of natural science (two of which are lab-based)
  • Two years of academic elective

For students who graduated in 2010 and later, high school course or unit requirements include:

  • Four years of English
  • Four years of mathematics (three of which must be algebra I or higher)
  • Three years of social studies (including one year of U.S. or world history)
  • Three years of natural science (two of which are lab-based)
  • One year of a single foreign language
  • Two years of academic elective

Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS)

The University of Colorado Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) apply to students who graduated from high school in 1988 or later. Though completion of most MAPS requirements is expected by high school graduation, units not completed may be made up by taking specific CU Denver courses.

The MAPS requirements include:

  • Four years of English (at least two years of composition)
  • Three years of mathematics (four years for business and engineering students)
  • Three years of natural science
  • Two years of social science
  • Two years of foreign language (same language)
  • One year of academic elective

​Admission requirements for:

Home school students

Home school students may be considered for admission using the same criteria as those applied to traditional freshman applicants. A detailed home school transcript indicating courses of study and grades earned must be provided at the time of application and after graduation, with date of graduation indicated. ACT or SAT scores are also required.

GED students

Students with a general equivalency diploma (GED) may be considered for admission. An average score of at least 550 is expected, but all students applying for admission are fully considered. GED students are subject to HEAR and MAPS requirements. Though GED students must submit official GED score reports and official high school transcripts, the high school GPA is not considered in the admission review process. ACT or SAT scores are also required.

Nontraditional high school students

Students attending nontraditional high school programs where letter grades are not awarded may be considered for admission. Official high school transcripts along with portfolio summaries or other assessment documents must be provided at the time of application and after graduation, with date of graduation indicated. For ungraded students, the state of Colorado has determined that a 3.3 GPA will be used for index calculation purposes. ACT or SAT scores are also required.

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