Published: June 18, 2024

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CU Boulder is a tier 1 university (“R1") with “very high research activity” as designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The R1 classification includes less than 3 percent of educational institutes in the U.S.

The University of Colorado Boulder is among the top 25 engineering graduate programs in the U.S., according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings for 2024-25

When compared with its public university peers, the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s graduate program was ranked No. 12. The college was ranked No. 23 overall when compared to both public and private universities, tied with Duke University and the University of Southern California.

Dean Keith Molenaar said he was proud to see CU Engineering programs continue to be recognized by peers and the national media. 

“We are home to leading scholars across disciplines and over 1,000 PhD students. Our rankings reflect our strengths in both established programs like aerospace and in new, growing programs like biomedical engineering,” he said. “We are a comprehensive research college, and that is going to continue to allow our graduates to pursue sustainable solutions to pressing societal challenges.”  

In the engineering specialty rankings, three CU Engineering degree programs were also in the top 10 among public institutions, with an additional four in the top 20: 

CU Boulder's computer science graduate program is ranked No. 21 among public peers as part of the Best Computer Science Schools ranking for 2024. 

As of fall 2023, more than 1,300 students were pursuing master’s in engineering and applied science at CU Boulder.