University of Colorado Boulder supplemental essays
University of Colorado Boulder asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is one supplement plus the Common App personal statement: two pieces of writing in all. Early Action closes November 15, 2026 and Regular Decision closes January 15, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 250 word limit. Every University of Colorado Boulder prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it, checked against the college’s own admissions page.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Action | November 15, 2026 |
| Regular Decision | January 15, 2027 |
Checked against www.colorado.edu/admissions/process/first-year/apply#accordion-eea28f0fee1580aaca887d386d150bed1-1. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 250 word limit
What do you hope to study, and why, at CU Boulder? Or if you don't know quite yet, think about your studies so far, extracurricular/after-school activities, jobs, volunteering, future goals or anything else that has shaped your interests.
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Your University of Colorado Boulder checklist
One supplement, required. The first deadline, Early Action, is November 15, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- SupplementRequired250 word limit
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Getting into University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder admits 78.1% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1240-1430 on the SAT and 29-33 on the ACT.
About 8 in 10 applicants are admitted, at a college of 31,939 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1240 | 1340 | 1430 |
| SAT reading and writing | 630 | 670 | 710 |
| SAT math | 610 | 670 | 720 |
| ACT composite | 29 | 31 | 33 |
What SAT score do you need for University of Colorado Boulder?
A 1430 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1340 at their midpoint, and a 1240 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 29, 31 and 33. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for University of Colorado Boulder?
- University of Colorado Boulder sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1240-1430 on the SAT: a 1240 sits at the 25th percentile, 1340 at the median and 1430 at the 75th. A score at or above 1430 is a clear strength in the application; below 1240 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures University of Colorado Boulder reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for University of Colorado Boulder?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 29-33 on the ACT, with a composite of 31 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 29. Reported by University of Colorado Boulder to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for University of Colorado Boulder?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for University of Colorado Boulder is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that University of Colorado Boulder admits 78.1% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into University of Colorado Boulder?
- University of Colorado Boulder admits 78.1% of the people who apply, which is about 8 in 10 applicants. Numbers inside the reported range put you in a real position here, and the application itself decides the rest.
What University of Colorado Boulder costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
University of Colorado Boulder essay questions, answered
- Does University of Colorado Boulder have supplemental essays?
- Yes. University of Colorado Boulder asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 250 word limit.
- How many essays do you write for University of Colorado Boulder in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
University of Colorado Boulder admits 78.1% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: University of Evansville (77.6%), Mississippi State University (77.6%), University of Denver (77.8%), Indiana University Bloomington (78.2%), University of Missouri (Mizzou) (78.5%), Juniata College (78.9%).