Information for International Students

Click on any of the following links for information:

• International Admissions
  
  • Applying to Undergraduate Programs
  • Applying to Graduate Programs
  • Expenses 

The University of Colorado Denver provides a variety of international programs and educational opportunities and services for international and domestic students, scholars, faculty, staff and the greater Denver community. The goals of the Office of International Affairs are to raise international awareness on the campus, to provide opportunities for students to gain global competency needed in today’s interdependent world and to create a campus community that is welcoming to international students and scholars.

CU Denver Quick Facts for International Students 

International Admissions

Director: George F. Kacenga
Telephone: +1-303-315-2384
Fax: +1-303-315-2389
Website: international.ucdenver.edu/admissions

The Department of International Admissions at the University of Colorado Denver assists all international students with the international application process. The analysis of foreign academic credentials and the evaluation of international grading scales are conducted internally. At the request of academic departments, International Admissions also evaluates course work completed at foreign institutions by domestic applicants.

International Admissions representatives recruit overseas to attract qualified international students to CU Denver. The department also advises staff and faculty traveling overseas on possible networking with prospective international students, visiting Fulbright offices and foreign universities with CU Denver brochures and information.

International Admissions Application Deadlines

Undergraduate
Applicants applying from outside the United States:

Applicants applying while in the United States:

Term         Preferred Deadline      Final Deadline
Summer     January 15                 May 15
Fall            March 15                    July 31
Spring        October 1                   January 5

Graduate

Final deadlines vary by department and by programs. Please contact the academic department for final deadline.

* College of Architecture & Planning

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English Language Requirement

Both Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores are accepted at CU Denver as proof of English language proficiency.

The CU Denver institutional code for TOEFL is 4875. Test information and registration materials for TOEFL may be obtained from the Ministry of Education, American Culture Center or educational institutions in the applicant’s country. Information may also be obtained directly from:

Educational Testing Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA
+1-877-863-3546
Website: www.toefl.org
E-mail: toefl@ets.org

To receive test information and registration materials for IELTS please visit www.ielts.org. For graduate applicants, the English language requirement may be waived if the applicant has attended a college or university in the United States as a full time student and completed two major terms of academic work with a “B” average or better. Undergraduate applicants may be able to waive tthe English language requirment if they have completed 6 semester hours of college-level English composition with an average grade of “B” or better from an accredited institution in the United States. 

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Live-In Residence Requirement

The CU Denver requires that all first-time international undergraduate students live in the Campus Village at Auraria apartments. Additional information about the facilities, policies and programming at Campus Village are available in the Campus Life  section of this catalog.

Exemptions to the campus residency policy will be evaluated and made on a case-by-case basis. Exemption forms are available through the Office of Student Life, Tivoli room 303, or online. It is not mandatory for international graduate students to live on campus. For further information, please contact the Office of Student Life at 303-556-3399 or at housing@ucdenver.edu.

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Minimum Requirements for International Applicants

Undergraduate Freshman (First-Year) Students

* The English language requirement can be satisfied with the TOEFL exam or the IELTS.
** Some programs in Arts & Media require an audition.

Undergraduate Transfer Students

* The English language requirement can be satisfied with the TOEFL exams or the IELTS exam.

** Some programs in Arts & Media require an audition.

† Must meet the same GPA requirements as domestic students.

‡ A minimum of one year’s course work in calculus and calculus-based physics is required for engineering.

Graduate Students

Minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores vary by academic department.
English language requirement may be waived for admission in some programs for international students that have graduated with a bachelor’s degree from foreign institutions where the language of instruction was English. Please contact International Admissions for more information.

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On-Campus Employment

F-1 and J-1 students who maintain a minimum GPA, are enrolled full-time, and are otherwise in legal immigration status may work on-campus up to 20 hours per week during normal enrollment periods and more than 20 hours per week during official school breaks (provided the are eligible and intend to enroll the following semester). F-1 students do not require any special authorization prior to commencing employment. J-1 students, however, must receive written authorization from a responsible officer/alternate responsible officer in International Student and Scholar Services prior to commencing on-campus employment.

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Student Life

Office: Tivoli Student Union, 303
Telephone: 303-556-3399
Website: www.ucdenver.edu/life/services/studentlife/resources/Pages/Tivoli-Student-Union.aspx

It is the mission of the Office of Student Life to complement the academic program of studies at CU Denver and enhance the overall educational experience of students through the development of, exposure to and participation in social, cultural, intellectual, recreational, leadership and governance programs. The Office of Student Life is the advising, coordinating, resource and general information center for student organizations, student government, student programs and the academic honor societies. The office is responsible for the administration of the student fee budget and monitors all student fee expenditures to assure compliance with CU Denver and state of Colorado regulations and procedures. The director of student life represents the assistant vice chancellor for university life on selected CU Denver, tri-institutional and Auraria committees and maintains effective lines of communication with Metropolitan State College of Denver, Community College of Denver and Auraria Higher Education Center.

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Health Insurance

Office: Tivoli Student Union, 303
Telephone: 303-556-6273

All F-1 and J-1 students enrolled at the Denver Campus are required to have health insurance. Students are automatically enrolled in the policy when they register for classes. J-2 dependents are encouraged to enroll in the policy but are eligible to submit comparable insurance coverage with another company in order to meet the Department of State insurance requirement.  The insurance office welcomes F-2 dependents as well as other international students in other visa categories to enroll in the policy because the cost of health care in the USA is expensive. For further information about the mandatory policy or information about the waiver process, please contact the Student Health Insurance Office at 303-556-6273.

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Applying to Undergraduate Programs

1. Submit a complete international application form along with a $75 nonrefundable application fee, payable to the University of Colorado Denver. DO NOT SEND CASH. The application fee must be in U.S. funds only. (Use an international money order or your personal check payable in U.S. currency). Please send it to the following address:
   
   By Air Mail:
        University of Colorado Denver
        International Admissions
        P.O. Box 173364, Campus Box A005/141
        Denver, CO 80217-3364
        USA
   
   By Courier (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.):
        University of Colorado Denver
        International Admissions
        1050 17th St., Suite A-300
        Denver, CO 80204
        USA
        Telephone: 303-315-2230
    

2. Applicants must submit complete and “official” academic records of all course work from secondary schools and any universities attended. Official academic records are records that are directly sent by the issuing institution to the university or are issued to the student in a sealed envelope to be delivered by the student to the university. If the documents are not written in English, they must be translated by a certified translator. The translation must be literal and no conversion of grades should be attempted by the translator. Undergraduate applicants who have more than one year full-time course work in a post secondary institution are not required to submit high school/secondary transcripts or mark sheets.

3. Both Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores are accepted at CU Denver as proof of English language proficiency. Applicants must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score report that is no more than two years old. The CU Denver institutional code for TOEFL is 4875. The English language requirement may be waived if the applicant has completed 6 semester hours of college-level English composition with a B average (3.0 GPA or higher) from an accredited U.S. institution.

4.  

   The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT) score is required for undergraduate freshman engineering applicants. Please be advised that all documents submitted along with the application become the property of the university and will NOT be returned to the applicant.

    

The student’s file will not be considered complete, nor will it be submitted to the admissions committee, until all requested materials are received. To expedite processing, all the information should be sent at least five months before the semester in which you wish to enroll.

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Applying to Graduate Programs

1.      Submit a complete international application form along with a $75 nonrefundable application fee, payable to the University of Colorado Denver. DO NOT SEND CASH. The application fee must be in U.S. funds only. (Use an international money order or your personal check payable in U.S. currency.) Please send it to the address on the application form.

2.      Certified copies of “official” academic records from each college or university, and/or professional schools attended, should be submitted to the university. These official academic records should include courses completed, grades or marks obtained and certificates or degrees awarded. Official academic records are records which are directly sent by the issuing institution to the university or are issued to the student in a sealed envelope to be delivered by the student to the university. If documents are not in English, they must be translated by a certified translator. The translation must be literal and no conversion of grades should be attempted by the translator.

3.   Both Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores are accepted at CU Denver as proof of English language proficiency. (Applicants must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score report which is no more than two years old.) The CU Denver institutional code for TOEFL is 4875. The English language requirement may be waived if the applicant has attended a college or university in the United States as a full-time student and has completed two semesters of academic work with a B average (3.0 GPA or higher). Some departments may also waive the English language requirement if the language of instruction for the students bachelor degree was English. An official letter from the academic institution may be requested to grant this waiver.

4.      Three letters of recommendation* (two letters for the Business School) from college or university professors must accompany the international application form. If you have been out of school for several years, we will also accept recommendations from your employer or supervisor. The admissions committee prefers academic recommendations over employer/supervisor recommendations.

*The Department of Electrical Engineering requires that at least two of the letters be from university faculty.

5.      The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required if you are applying to the Business School. For more information, please visit www.mba.com. The GMAT institutional codes for Business School programs are:

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a requirement for admission consideration in many graduate departments and considered valuable for other programs. For more information, visit www.gre.org. You can also e-mail gre-info@ets.org or call +1-609-771-7670. The CU Denver institutional code for the GRE is 4875.

If you are applying for a master’s degree in public administration or the criminal justice program, you must take the GMAT or GRE.

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Departmental Requirements

Graduate applications are reviewed by a faculty committee in the department in which the student wishes to enroll. Only those students who have completed an undergraduate program that is comperable to a U.S. bachelor’s degree are considered for admission. Please check with academic departments for specific program requirements.

To access department websites, go to www.ucdenver.edu and select Academics, then Schools and Colleges.

Please be advised that all the documents submitted along with the application become the property of the university and will NOT be returned to the applicant.

The student’s file will not be considered complete, nor will it be submitted to the admissions committee, until all requested materials are received. All students applying to any graduate program should contact their academic department for specific departmental requirements.

Department of Biology

Please visit the department website for admissions information.

Business School

The Business School also requires that you answer the following essay questions as part of your application. The essays should be limited to 200 words per question and included on a separate sheet of paper. Sign and date the pages and include them with your application:

1. How will the MBA/MS degree enhance your career plans? Project the kinds of positions you anticipate having five years after earning the degree. What experiences have you had that form the foundation of your goals?

2. Give a candid appraisal of yourself. Include some discussion of your strengths and weaknesses.

3. Discuss three of your achievements or accomplishments.

4. Describe your level of commitment to education and the ways in which you might make a special contribution to the learning experience of others.

School of Education & Human Development

Please visit the school website for additional application requirements.

Department of Electrical Engineering

Students applying for the MS in electrical engineering are required to chose an area of specialization from the following:

• Systems and Controls

• Signal Processing

• Communication Systems

• Microelectronic and VLSI

• Computer Engineering

• Photonics

• Power Systems

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Expenses

The estimated tuition and living expenses for international students, which include room, board, books and insurance, can be generated using the financial sponsorship calculator at:

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