Nestled between the Rocky Mountains and Colorado’s stunning high plains, the University of Northern Colorado is a public, doctoral research and educational institution that is home to about 9,000 students and more than 200 undergraduate and graduate programs, many of which are nationally recognized. Founded as a teacher’s college in 1889, we graduated generations of educators, more than any other Colorado university. Our culture is marked by academic excellence in education, health sciences, business, the humanities and performing and visual arts.
Recognized as a top university for social mobility, UNC is proud to be a Hispanic Serving Institution and to serve more than 40% of our undergraduates who are the first in their family to attend college. The university’s just-right size, expert faculty, and tradition of research and hands-on learning gives students exceptional opportunities and a personalized education. UNC graduates join a strong network of over 130,000 alumni living and working in 50 states and 90 countries who help build communities that save and transform lives.
We acknowledge that the grounds upon which our university stands are inextricably tied to the history and culture of indigenous peoples. We pay our respect to Elders past, present, and future, and to those who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. The University of Northern Colorado occupies the lands in the territories of the Ute, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota peoples. Further, we acknowledge the 48 tribes that are historically tied to the state of Colorado. We challenge ourselves to be better stewards of the land we inhabit, as well as learn the stories and practices of Indigenous people’s history and culture.14:1 Student-to-Faculty Ratio
with 686 total faculty
(441 of which are full-time)
Undergraduate Snapshot
88%
Full-time students
Average full-time course load: 14 credit hours
42% of incoming first-year students are first generation
5,962 In-state students
Graduate Snapshot
69% Masters Students
20% Doctoral Students
5% Specialist Students
4% Licensure/Certificate Students
2% Unclassified Students
- Masters - 69%
- Doctoral - 20%
- Specialist - 5%
- Licensure/Certificate - 4%
- Unclassified - 2%
Graduate and Undergraduate Ethnicity
- 62% White
- 24% Latinx/Hispanic
- <1% Not Reported/Unknown
- 5% Multi-racial
- 5% African American
- <1% Temporary U.S. Resident
- 2% Asian
- <1% Native American
- <1% Hawaiian
Stories from Bear Country
Leadership for a Changing World
This year marks 20 years for UNC’s Stryker Institute for Leadership Development, and it continues to give students leadership skills that help them make a difference in the lives of others.
New Deans Join UNC
Three new academic deans joined UNC this summer and share a vision for and commitment to student success.
Alumni Spotlight - Holding High Expectations
UNC Trustee Shashwata Prateek Dutta BS 08, EdLD, believes in the importance of education as a driver of social mobility — something he’s experienced in his own journey to success.
