Colorado College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Colorado College is a private college in Colorado that admits roughly 18% of applicants, which puts it in the highly selective range. A rate like this means it turns away most applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Colorado College weighs, where it ranks among Colorado schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1440, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Colorado College?
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, Colorado College admitted 31.8% of Early Decision applicants (292 of 918), against about 16.9% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 18.5%.
Source: Colorado College Common Data Set 2024-25, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 30, 2026.
What do students study at Colorado College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Colorado College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Colorado College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Colorado College?
At Colorado College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 18% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Colorado College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Colorado College hard to get into?
Colorado College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 18% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Colorado College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Colorado College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Colorado College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Colorado College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Colorado College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Colorado College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1350 SAT?
About 26% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1350 SAT, the middle of Colorado College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1460 SAT comes out near 35%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/colorado-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Colorado College
From Colorado College's own 2024-25 Common Data Set (fall 2024 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Colorado College?
31.8%. Colorado College admitted 292 of 918 Early Decision applicants for fall 2024, against 18.5% of all 8,511 first-year applicants (Colorado College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Colorado College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 31.8% versus about 16.9% for everyone who applied another way, 1.9x the rate, and Early Decision filled 18.6% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Colorado College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
What is Colorado College's early action acceptance rate?
20.6%: 790 admitted of 3,840 Early Action applicants for fall 2024 (Colorado College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
How many students get off the waitlist at Colorado College?
32 for fall 2024. Colorado College offered 696 applicants a waitlist spot, 140 accepted one, and 32 were admitted from it: 22.9% of those who stayed on (Colorado College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Colorado College?
31.9%: 59 of 185 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2024 (Colorado College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Source: Colorado College Common Data Set 2024-25. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Colorado College
Built from Colorado College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Colorado College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Colorado College carries about a 3.80 core GPA and a 1410 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
The admitted middle 50% is 1230 to 1460 SAT (29 to 33 ACT). Submit a score at 1345 or higher; below 1230, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Colorado College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Colorado College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Colorado College's exact dates at www.coloradocollege.edu.
How many students apply to Colorado College, and how many get in?
7,532 students applied to Colorado College for fall 2023; 1,509 were admitted (20%). 517 enrolled. Only about 34% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Colorado College enrolls about 2,014 undergraduates in total, 56% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Colorado College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Colorado College scored between 1230 and 1460 on the SAT (average 1365). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 29 to 33. A score above 1460 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1230 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Colorado College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Colorado College looks for
What Colorado College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Colorado College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Colorado College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Colorado College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Colorado College cost after financial aid?
Colorado College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $86,921 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $70,734. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $33,375 a year, and it ranges from $9,217 for families earning under $30,000 to $44,141 for families earning over $110,000. 14% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Colorado College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Colorado College student who received federal aid earns $65,222 a year, up from $47,611 at six years. 88% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $18,257; 26% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Colorado College compares in Colorado
Colorado College ranks #2 most selective of 16 schools in Colorado in our database.
Among the 16 Colorado schools we track, Colorado College ranks #2 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like U.S. Air Force Academy (14%) and Colorado School of Mines (61%) sit nearby, which makes Colorado a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Colorado College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Colorado College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: College of the Holy Cross, Babson College, and Denison University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Colorado College's acceptance rate?
Colorado College admitted 1,509 of 7,532 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 20% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 34% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Colorado College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1230 to 1460 on the SAT and 29 to 33 on the ACT. A score above 1460 is in the top quarter of admits. Colorado College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Colorado College test-optional?
Yes. Colorado College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Colorado College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Colorado College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $33,375 a year against a sticker price of about $86,921. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $9,217 on average.
What do Colorado College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Colorado College are $65,222 a year among students who received federal aid, and 88% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Colorado College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Colorado College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Colorado College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Colorado College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Colorado College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Colorado College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.