College in Colorado

Standards to Attend Four-Year Public Colleges or Universities in Colorado

Colleges, particularly four-year and graduate schools, use many criteria when making admissions decisions. These criteria may include academic performance, test scores, recommendations, essays and extra-curricular activities or work experience. Different schools place different levels of importance on these criteria when making a decision to admit a student. You can review the relative importance schools place on these criteria on their school profile, admissions tab.

If you are interested in attending any Colorado public four-year institution, you need to plan ahead and understand state-level admissions standards while working on your high school plan of study. These standards apply both to first-time freshmen and transfer students, and they represent minimum requirements for admission to a Colorado public four-year school. They do not apply to community colleges, which have open enrollment. Meeting these standards does not guarantee admission to any school.

The two standards discussed here include the Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR) and the Index. For further detail, see the Admission Standards Policy. Once you understand these two standards, be sure to review additional pointers about how college admission works and use the worksheet to help you prepare for the admissions process, step-by-step.

All about HEAR (Higher Education Admissions Requirements)

All first-time freshman applicants and some transfer applicants who wish to attend a Colorado public four-year college should plan to meet the Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR). HEAR requires applicants that graduate from high school in 2008 and 2009 to meet the Phase One coursework requirements, and applicants that graduate from high school in 2010 and later to meet Phase Two requirements.

These coursework requirements are in place to ensure that admitted students are prepared to be successful at a four-year institution. For more information on the Higher Education Admission Requirements and what courses are required, either view the Admission Standards Policy, the summary of requirements or the FAQ.

All About the Index

The standards for entering freshman into four-year schools are based on the calculation of an admissions "index." The index has two components: the student's high school grade point average (GPA) or class rank, and performance on the ACT or SAT standardized test.

To calculate your index score online, use the Colorado Department of Higher Education Index Score Calculator or view the index score matrix. To use the matrix, find your ACT or SAT score along the appropriate top horizontal row. Then find your GPA or class rank along the appropriate left vertical row. The intersection of your two scores is your index score.

While some exemptions apply and schools may accept a low percentage of students who don't meet the required index score, in general, each public four-year college in Colorado must apply the index standard as they make admissions decisions as follows:

If you already have a baccalaureate degree, have a non-U.S. transcript or are seeking to enter a non-degree program or two-year program at one of these schools, the index requirement may be waived.

Be sure to talk with your counselor or the college's admissions officer and review the current standards at the Department of Higher Education Website.

One Final Very Important Note

If you plan to attend a two-year community or junior college and then transfer to a four-year school, be sure to ask admissions advisors at both the two-year and four-year schools about which credits will transfer to the four-year school. And, review transfer requirements at the Department of Higher Education Website.