CU Boulder enrollment driven by record retention, in-state increases

Record retention rates propelled the University of Colorado Boulder’s total fall enrollment up 3.4% (1,275 students) to 38,428, according to new enrollment data published Thursday. Undergraduate enrollment stands at 31,939.

CU Boulder staff and faculty have been intentional over the last several years to implement new and innovative strategies that help students complete their degrees, and the latest data demonstrate that those efforts are working.

CU Boulder’s fall 2024 census data reports all-time high record-breaking retention and graduation rates in multiple measures:

• Fall 2023 first-year cohort’s second-fall retention rate is 90.2%, up from 89.1%.
  • First time surpassing 90%.
• Fall 2022 first-year cohort’s third-fall retention rate is 83.8%, up from 81.7%.
• Fall 2021 first-year cohort’s fourth-fall retention rate is 79.5%, up from 78.7%.
• Fall 2020 first-year cohort’s four-year graduation rate is 59.2%, up from previous high, 57.8%, set by the fall 2017 cohort.

Additionally, CU Boulder welcomed its largest number of Colorado residents in a new, fall term undergraduate cohort. CU Boulder enrolled 4,017 Colorado resident first-year students and 1,046 resident transfer students—its largest since fall 2004—for a total of 5,063 new Colorado resident undergraduate students.

In overall enrollment, students from historically marginalized backgrounds increased from 26.9% to 27.7%. Female students continue to represent roughly half of CU Boulder’s enrollment, up from 46.2% to 46.8%.

“Moving forward, CU Boulder will continue its efforts to reflect the diversity of Colorado, including efforts to diversify the student body and support all those who join our campus through to graduation,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “While we still have work to do in addressing recruitment and retention gaps among minoritized populations, it’s evident that CU Boulder remains a destination of choice for thousands of students across Colorado and beyond.”

In light of consistent improvements in retention since 2021, CU Boulder intentionally decreased the size of the first-year class 1.5% (or 116 students) over fall 2023 to ensure dedicated resources for retention and graduation. The university’s acceptance rate was 76%, a 30-year low.

In first-year enrollment, students from minoritized backgrounds comprise 31.4% of the total cohort, up from 30.4% last year. First-year students who identify as Black or African American increased by 7.9% to 260 total students. Gains were also reported among Hispanic/Latine students, up 1.9% to 1,068 total students, and Asian American students, up 1.2% to 853 total students. White students decreased 4.2% to 4,856 total students.

First-year, first-generation students declined from 16.1% in fall 2023 to 14% in fall 2024. However, the first-generation transfer cohort — composed primarily of residents (64.5%) — increased from 18% to 20.1%.

“We believe the decline in first-generation, first-year students was due to FAFSA delays in spite of CU’s reallocation of additional resources to support students,” said Amy Hutton, CU Boulder associate vice chancellor of enrollment management, who also noted this belief is reinforced by the increase in first-generation transfer students whose previous FAFSA experience likely helped them weather the uncertainty of last year. “Our campus will continue to invest in precollegiate and other development programs, which have supported more than 42,000 first-generation scholars and their families to prepare for and access higher education in the past 40 years.”

Enrollment changes will result in an increase in preliminary budget projections, which will be reassessed with the new census data. Additional one-time FY25 revenue from enrollment increases will flow through the campus budget model. CU Boulder’s budget model dictates net tuition revenue, which funds mandatory costs, a strategic fund, schools/colleges and administrative support units.