Quad

Head-to-head

U. Colorado Boulder
U. Utah

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Utah costs about $13.2K less per year on average than U. Colorado Boulder ($30,514 vs. $43,699, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    U. Utah's yield is 12 pts higher than U. Colorado Boulder's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    U. Utah's grants cover 23% of its full price on average, vs. 12% at U. Colorado Boulder

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    U. Utah has 9 pts more first-gen students than U. Colorado Boulder (29% vs. 20%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    U. Utah has 5 pts more Pell recipients than U. Colorado Boulder (20% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    U. Colorado Boulder's SAT midpoint is 50 points higher than U. Utah's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Colorado Boulder admits 78%, U. Utah 86%; U. Utah's yield is higher, at 26%.

Acceptance rate
U. Colorado Boulder78%
U. Utah86%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Colorado BoulderSelective
  • U. UtahAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. Colorado Boulder
1240–1430
U. Utah
1190–1380
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Colorado BoulderGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • U. UtahGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

U. Colorado Boulder is a bit larger than U. Utah (31,939 vs. 27,264 undergrads); U. Utah has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Colorado Boulder31.9K
U. Utah27.3K
Pell Grant share
U. Colorado Boulder14%
U. Utah20%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at U. Colorado Boulder, and Research and Experimental Psychology at U. Utah; both have 19 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
U. Colorado Boulder19 to 1
U. Utah19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Colorado BoulderBusiness Administration and Management, General18%
  • U. UtahResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other8%

What each costs

U. Utah costs about $13.2K less a year than U. Colorado Boulder on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Colorado Boulder$43.7K
U. Utah$30.5K
Aid generosity
U. Colorado Boulder12%
U. Utah23%

What each pays off

U. Colorado Boulder's former students earn more, a median $69.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Colorado Boulder$69.7K
U. Utah$67.2K
Graduation rate
U. Colorado Boulder74%
U. Utah70%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Colorado Boulder got more selective while U. Utah got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Colorado BoulderGrowing+133%
  • U. UtahGrowing+144%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why