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Facts & Figures

DU at a glance

The Institution

A overhead view of the gorgeous DU campus

The University of Denver is the oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain region.

We enroll about 11,600 students in our undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies DU as a doctoral/research University with high research activity.

Program Rankings

Sturm College of Law

The Sturm College of Law's degree programs rank within the nation's top 20.

  • U.S. News & World Report 's 2014 Best Graduate Schools report ranks the Sturm College of Law 64th in the nation (tied), up from No. 69 in 2012. Sturm also was ranked:
  • 9th for its trial advocacy program
  • 11th for its legal writing program
  • 12th for its part-time law degree program
  • 15th for programs ranked best by faculty who teach in the field
  • 17th for its environmental and natural resources program
The Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW)

  • Already considered one of the best in the nation, the Graduate School of Social Work rose another 10 points in new rankings released in March 2012 U.S. News & World Report .

    The oldest school of social work in the Rocky Mountain region, GSSW is ranked number 26 among the nation's best Master of Social Work programs, placing it in the top 11 percent of all nationally accredited programs.

Daniels College of Business

The Daniels College of Business is one of the nation's top business schools.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Daniels:

  • 59th in the nation for best part-time MBA program among accredited business schools (2011)
  • Among the top 25 percent of the nation's best full-time MBA programs (2011).
  • 81st among the best of accredited undergraduate business schools (2011).

Businessweek ranks Daniels:

  • 5th among part-time MBA programs in the southwest region (2011).
  • 25th among part-time MBA programs in the nation, the only business school in Colorado to make the list (2011).
  • 64th among the nation's top undergraduate business programs—the highest-ranking undergraduate business program in Colorado (2011).
  • 2nd in ethics, 15th in accounting, 23rd in international business and 43rd in sustainability undergraduate programs (2011).

Public Accounting Report ranks Daniels:

  • 14th among the top 25 graduate programs—group II, mid-size schools (2010).
  • 22nd among the top 25 undergraduate programs—group II, mid-size schools (2010).

Other publications' rankings:

  • In 2011, the Aspen Institute ranked Daniels second in the world for small MBA programs and 15th in the world for integrating social and environmental issues in its MBA program. Read more in the Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes , its biennial survey to determine the top 100 business schools across the globe. See the DU Today story
  • The Wall Street Journal listed the Daniels College of Business in its Best Executive MBA Programs 2010 report.
  • Financial Times ranks Daniels 99th in the world for its executive MBA program—the only internationally ranked program of its kind in Colorado (2011).
  • Forbes lists Daniels microfinance class among the 10 most innovative business school classes (2010).
  • The Princeton Review lists Daniels among the top 300 business schools (2010).
Josef Korbel School of International Studies

The Josef Korbel School of International Studies offers one of the world's best master's degree programs.

  • Foreign Policy Magazine ranks Korbel as one of the top 12 master's degree programs in the world in the international studies field.
Athletics and Club Sports

DU Athletics and DU Club Sports serve professional-athlete hopefuls and recreational enthusiasts with award-winning, notable programs.

  • In 2008, Sports Illustrated ranked DU 23rd out of 330 Division I programs in the country.
  • DU Athletics boast:
    1. 4 Directors' Cup trophies from 2008-2011, as the top NCAA Division I-AAA athletics program without football
    2. 28 NCAA Division I national championships.
    3. 57 Olympians
    4. 109 individual championships
    5. 308 All-Americans
  • All 17 sports achieved an NCAA Academic Progress Rate score of 925 or higher for five consecutive years.
  • About 22 percent of DU undergraduate students participate in University club sports, as opposed to a participation rate of about 7 percent at other Colorado universities.
Campus clubs and organizations

Our campus clubs and organizations have received numerous accolades. In October 2012, the University of Denver's Mortar Board Chapter received two major accolades:

  • the Golden Torch Award—presented to the most exceptional chapters of Mortar Board for significant results in managing their chapters and contributing meaningful service to their institutions
  • a regional group award for its work on a clean-up project of the Colorado Springs attraction Garden of the Gods—a collaborative effort among DU, Colorado College, the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Utah and the University of Wyoming

University-wide rankings

  • DU's among the nation's top 100 universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

    U.S. News & World Report's annual college rankings for undergraduate education, released in September 2012, placed the University of Denver among the nation's top 100 universities. DU ranked 83rd, tied with Clark University, Drexel University, Indiana University-Bloomington, Marquette University and the University of Tulsa. The University was also named as one of 16 "Up-and-Comers," schools making the most innovative changes in academics, faculty and student life.

DU law student Jericah Selby

  • DU's many volunteering, service-learning and civic-engagement work earned it a spot on the 2010 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

    During the 2009-2010 school year, at least 4,000 DU students did community service, volunteered--for classroom credit and otherwise. Their work represented more than 540,000 hours that helped improve their communities.

  • DU freshmen rate their experiences here highly, and a majority of graduating seniors would choose DU again.

    Eighty-six percent of surveyed first-year DU students reported a favorable image of the University, and 79 percent of surveyed seniors would choose DU again if they could start their college career over, according to the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Other survey findings:

    • Eighty-eight percent of DU seniors said they at least occasionally discuss career plans with faculty.
    • Seventy percent of first-year students say they frequently receive prompt verbal or written feedback from faculty members.
    • Eighty-three percent of first-year respondents say the University places substantial emphasis on academics.
    • Fifty-five percent said they frequently work harder than they thought they could to meet faculty expectations.
    • Sixty-two percent of first-year students frequently discuss readings or ideas from course work outside of class.
    • By their senior year, 63 percent of students have participated in some form of practicum, internship, field experience, co-op or clinical assignment.
Students in the Daniels College of Business skate in Magness Arena

  • Nearly half our students say they take advantage of support we offer beyond the classroom.

    The 2009 NSSE revealed that 49 percent of students spent time with faculty on activities other than coursework, and 78 percent of students had participated in community service. Read more results from the 2009 NSSE study (PDF).

  • A majority of DU students practice what they learn here through our study abroad and research programs.

    The University of Denver ranks sixth in the nation among doctoral and research institutions in the percentage of undergraduate students participating in study abroad programs, according to the 2012 Open Doors report released by the Institute of International Education, which reflects data from the 2010-11 academic year. The report shows that 64.3 percent of DU undergraduates studied abroad.

  • DU is among the nation's highest-ranked universities for safety preparedness.

    DU scored well in a national report on safety preparedness released in February 2008 by Reader's Digest. The magazine surveyed 135 universities nationwide for its article and assigned letter grades based on their readiness to handle on-campus threats to safety and security. Only 45 schools, including DU, received an "A" from the magazine. The survey considered many variables, including campus size and location.

New Places to Research, Study and Learn

Students gather inside the Anderson Academic Commons, with the Perched Classroom in the background
  • On March 25, 2013, we opened the Anderson Academic Commons, an energy-efficient, academic services hub—and home of DU's main libraries.
  • We've opened 19 new academic, residential and administrative buildings since 1997.
  • The newest residence building, Nagel Hall, opened in August 2008.
  • We opened the SIÉ CHÉOU-KANG Center for International Security and Diplomacy at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in August 2009.
  • In September 2009, we opened a new soccer stadium.
  • Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall, which houses the Morgridge College of Education, the Learning Effectiveness Program and the Disability Services Program, opened in 2010.

Environmental Initiatives

A DU student gets one-on-one culinary lessons from a professional chef

DU has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050 and commits to environmental conservation and sustainability efforts. Some examples:

  • We offset 31 percent of campus energy use through renewable energy credits. This makes DU the largest wind-energy buyer among Colorado colleges and universities. DU students started the renewable energy credit program, and they help fund it through student fees.
  • In 2008, DU established a Sustainability Council composed of faculty, staff and students.
  • We use vehicles that run on clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG). In fact, we operate the only CNG fueling station on a Colorado college or university campus.
  • We offer a minor in sustainability, which students can tailor to meet their needs and complement any major.