Jan 17, 2026  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Admission Requirements and Preparation Standards

The following information explains the Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR) and the Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) requirements for first-time freshman and transfer students:

Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR)

First-time freshmen as well as transfer applicants with fewer than 30 credit hours who graduated from high school in spring of 2008 or later must meet the state of Colorado Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR) for high school units of study. College courses taken before or after graduation from high school can be considered toward fulfillment of HEAR unit requirements for admission consideration.

For students who graduated in 2008 or 2009, the following minimum high school courses (units) are required:

English 4 years (units)
Mathematics 3 years (units)
Natural Science 3 years (units), 2 of which must be lab-based
Social Studies 3 years (units), 1 of which must be United States or world history
Academic Electives 2 years (units)

For students who graduated in 2010 or later, the following minimum high school courses (units) are required:

English 4 years (units)
Mathematics 4 years (units)
Natural Science 3 years (units), 2 of which must be lab-based
Social Studies 3 years (units), 1 of which must be United States or world history
Foreign Language 1 year (unit), must be in a single language

Academic Electives

2 years (units)

 Students with HEAR deficiencies may be considered for admission on an individual basis based on rigor of units completed as well as other admission criteria (e.g., test scores, rank in high school class, and GPA).

Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS)

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First-time freshman and transfer students entering the University of Colorado Denver are required to meet the following minimum academic preparation standards (MAPS) for high school units of study, either prior to initial enrollment or before graduation from the University of Colorado Denver.   College courses taken before or after graduation from high school can be considered toward MAPS fulfillment.  Note:  Students who graduated from high school between 1988 and 2009 may have reduced unit requirements in some areas.  Students who graduated from high school before 1988 are exempt from MAPS.

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING    Years
English (emphasis on composition)   4
Mathematics (including two years of algebra and one year of geometry)   4
Natural science (including physics and/or biology and at least one lab course)    3
Social science (including one year of U.S. or world history) 3
Foreign language (all units must be in a single language)    2
Academic elective  1
Total   
 		 17
   
COLLEGE OF ARTS & MEDIA Years
English (emphasis on composition–also recommend literature and grammar and strongly recommend one year of speech/debate) 4
Mathematics (three years at the college preparatory level; no more than one year of business or consumer mathematics) 4
Natural science (including one year of laboratory science) 3
Social science (including one year of U.S. or world history) 2
Foreign language (all units must be in a single language) 2
Academic elective or arts course 1
Total 16
   
BUSINESS SCHOOL  
English (emphasis on composition–one year of speech/debate and two years of composition are strongly recommended) 4
Mathematics (including two years of algebra and one year of geometry) 4
Natural science (including two years of laboratory science) 3
Social science (including one year of U.S. or world history) 2
Foreign language (all units must be in a single language) 2
Academic elective (additional course in English, foreign language, mathematics, natural or social science) 1
Total 16
   
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE  
English (emphasis on composition–also recommend literature and grammar and strongly recommend one year of speech/debate) 4
Mathematics (including two years of algebra, one year of geometry and one year of trigonometry and analytical geometry 4
Natural sciences (including one year of physics, one year of chemistry and two years of laboratory science) 3
Foreign language (all units must be in a single language) 2
Social science (including one year of U.S. or world history) 2
Academic elective 1
Total 16
   
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES  
English (emphasis on composition–also recommend literature and grammar and strongly recommend one year of speech/debate) 4
Mathematics (three years at the college preparatory level; no more than one year of business or consumer mathematics) 4
Natural science (including one year of laboratory science) 3
Social science (including one year of U.S. or world history) 2
Foreign language (all units must be in a single language) 2
Academic elective 1
Total 16
   
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS  
English (emphasis on composition–also recommend literature and grammar and strongly recommend one year of speech/debate)
4
Mathematics (three years at the college preparatory level; no more than one year of business or consumer mathematics) 4
Natural science (including one year of laboratory science) 3
Social science (including one year of U.S. or world history) 2
Foreign language (all units must be in a single language) 2
Academic elective 1
Total 16

Students with MAPS deficiencies may be considered for admission to the university on an individual basis based on the rigor of units completed as well as other admission criteria (e.g., test scores, rank in high school class and GPA) If admitted, students must make up any MAPS deficiencies prior to graduation from the university. Students may make up MAPS deficiencies by successful completion of:

  1. courses taken at CU
  2. courses taken at other institutions of higher education
  3. additional high school credits
  4. credit-by-examination programs
  5. other requirements as approved by each school or college on the Denver Campus

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