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Colleges in and near Boulder

Boulder is a college town: 31 of every 100 residents are students

The University of Colorado Boulder (37,286 students on campus) and Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder (8,571) are inside the city. Across Colorado, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town31% of residents are studentsUniversity of Colorado BoulderAuguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Boulder. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
5
64,274 students on campus
Nearest college
1.1 mi
Naropa University
Residents in college
31%
Above CO (6%)
Nearest community college
14.1 mi
Front Range · $4,663 tuition
Nearest public university
1.5 mi
University of Colorado Boulder · $15,666 in-state
Students on campus in Boulder
46,595
next to 105,689 residents

What stands out about college in Boulder

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town31 of every 100 Boulder residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.Two colleges within 2.8 milesUniversity of Colorado Boulder admits 78% of applicants. Together they have 45,857 students on campus.In-state price at University of Colorado BoulderLiving in Colorado, the University of Colorado Boulder charges $15,666 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $44,918. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 14.1 miles awayFront Range Community College in Westminster: tuition and fees $4,663 a year for Colorado residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Boulder

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

31 of every 100 Boulder residents are in college (CO: 6).

46,595students on campus at Boulder’s 3 colleges, next to 105,689 residents (dorm students count as residents)
22,117college students live in Boulder households rather than dorms
28.8median age · CO 37.7
52%of residents are men · CO 51% (±0.9 points)
53%of homes rented · CO 34%
$2,018median rent · 15% above the state
BoulderBoulder, CO
Cost of living$2,018/mo median rentD−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIC−HealthCDC estimatesAJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundAHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Boulder’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 21.5% of Boulder residents are below the poverty line, 8.9% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 3 points either way). 62% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (31% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Boulder’s median age is 28.8 (Colorado 37.7), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Boulder

Three private colleges within 10.3 miles, one public college within 1.5 miles, and Front Range Community College 14.1 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miUniversity of Colorado BoulderFront RangeAuguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderBoulder
University or collegeCommunity college
Naropa UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 738 on campus · In Boulder100%admitted$29knet price37%graduate$29kearningsUniversity of Colorado BoulderUniversity or college · Public · 37,286 on campus · In Boulder78%admitted$25knet price74%graduate$70kearningsAuguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderUniversity or college · For-profit · 8,571 on campus · In Boulder$13knet price48%graduate$32kearningsSpartan College of Aeronautics and TechnologyUniversity or college · For-profit · 321 on campus · 10.3 mi · Broomfield$30knet price63%graduate$59kearningsFront Range Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 17,358 on campus · 14.1 mi · Westminster$13knet price35%graduate$46kearningsTuition and fees: $4,663 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Boulder’s median household income ($87,493) falls.

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderIn Boulder · sticker $16,885$15,975a year
Front Range Community College14.1 mi · Westminster · sticker $21,526 · tuition $4,663$16,596a year
University of Colorado BoulderIn Boulder · sticker $37,684$26,915a year
Naropa UniversityIn Boulder · sticker $53,397$45,897a year
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology10.3 mi · Broomfield · sticker $37,719—a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Boulder: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Naropa UniversityUniversity of Colorado BoulderAuguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-BoulderSpartan College of Aeronautics and TechnologyFront Range
University of Colorado Boulder74% graduate$70k earnings$20k typical debt
Front Range Community College35% graduate$46k earnings$12k typical debt
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder48% graduate$32k earnings$10k typical debt
Naropa University37% graduate$29k earnings$25k typical debt
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology63% graduate$59k earnings$19k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Boulder

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Boulder’s 3 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Personal & culinary services 21%Business 14%Engineering 10%Biology 9%Communication 8%Psychology 7%Everything else 31%

Biggest programs

Business Administration, Management and OperationsUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 1,201 graduates a year
$86k4 yrs out
Psychology, GeneralUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 585 graduates a year
$57k4 yrs out
Computer ScienceUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 483 graduates a year
$122k4 yrs out
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 411 graduates a year
$75k4 yrs out
Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 351 graduates a year
$71k4 yrs out
Political Science and GovernmentUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 281 graduates a year
$70k4 yrs out
EconomicsUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 272 graduates a year
$73k4 yrs out
Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Colorado Boulder · 262 graduates a year
$93k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Boulder

Is Boulder a college town?

Yes. 31 of every 100 Boulder residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Colorado. The University of Colorado Boulder has 37,286 students on campus, next to 105,689 residents.

What colleges are in Boulder?

The University of Colorado Boulder, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder and Naropa University are inside the city. Front Range Community College is 14.1 miles away in Westminster.

Why is Boulder’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 21.5% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 8.9% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 3 points).

What is the closest community college to Boulder, and what does it cost?

Front Range Community College in Westminster, 14.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,663 a year for Colorado residents; the federal net price, $13,031, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into the University of Colorado Boulder?

The University of Colorado Boulder admitted 78% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,240–1,430 on the SAT.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Boulder. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →