Official High School Transcripts

Official high school transcripts are required for all degree-seeking undergraduate applicants. Official high school transcripts are those issued by the last institution attended and are accepted via email from a high school official, mail, or electronically through a third party e-transcript exchange agent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Hand-carried transcripts or transcripts sent directly by an applicant are considered official only if delivered in the original sealed envelope of the issuing institution.

• High school graduates: Three years of completed high school course work is the minimum requirement for an admission decision. An admission decision can be determined before high school graduation; however, if admitted to CU Denver, a final official high school transcript noting a graduation date will be required. If official transcripts are not received by the end of the initial term of attendance, registration for subsequent terms is restricted.
• High school equivalency exam recipients: Students who did not graduate from high school are required to have a copy of their high school equivalency exam test scores and certificate sent directly from the certifying agency to the CU Denver Office of Admissions. 
  
  Note: Applicants who have attended multiple high schools are only required to submit the transcript of the last institution attended provided that the transcript contains all previous high school course work. When requesting a transcript, indicate to the school official that all course work from previous high school/s be included. 

Official College Transcripts

Official college transcripts are required for all degree-seeking undergraduate applicants. Official college transcripts are those issued by each institution attended and are accepted via mail or electronically through a third party e-transcript exchange agent and sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Hand-carried transcripts or transcripts sent directly by an applicant are considered official only if delivered in the original sealed envelope of the issuing institution.

Individual transcripts are required for each regionally accredited institution attended. Applications are not considered complete until all transcripts from all institutions attended are received.

Note: Transfer credit accepted and documented on another institution’s transcript do not fulfill the transcript requirement.

Unofficial Transcripts

CU Denver will accept unofficial high school or college transcripts as a placeholder for official transcripts during the application process. These transcripts will allow us to provide an admission decision or a preliminary review of transferability of courses. Transfer credit will not be applied until official transcripts are received. Students will ultimately need to submit official transcripts and may be prevented from registering for courses until official transcripts are received. 

Domestic Students with International Transcripts

Non-international applicants that have attended and completed course work at a foreign institution must submit transcripts from those institutions. Transcripts that are not in English must be submitted with a certified English translation. Once received, international transcripts are evaluated by the Office of International Admissions.

Note: Evaluations by outside agencies are not accepted or used in an admission decision.

In-Progress Course Work

Applicants who are admitted and enroll at CU Denver with pending completion of in-progress course work are permitted one term to submit final official transcripts. If official transcripts are not received by the end of the initial term of attendance, registration for subsequent terms is restricted. Final transcripts should be sent via mail or electronically through a third party e-transcript exchange agent and sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Hand-carried transcripts or transcripts sent directly by an applicant are considered official only if delivered in the original sealed envelope of the issuing institution.

Remedial/Developmental College Course Work

The University of Colorado Denver does not accept remedial/developmental course work as part of an applicant’s cumulative GPA and/or credit total. Remedial/developmental courses are intended to bolster the basic skills of new college students so they are adequately prepared for college-level work. Remedial/developmental courses are typically defined as below a 100 course level.

Note: The University of Colorado Denver does not offer remedial/developmental course work.

Grade Replacement

Grade replacement policies vary between institutions and CU Denver defers to each institution’s policy when evaluating an applicant’s cumulative GPA and credits.

Semester Hours

All college course work is converted into semester hours for purposes of admission evaluation. For example, 1.5 quarter hours is equal to 1 semester hour and 1 trimester hour is equal to 0.75 semester hours.

Required Institution Accreditation

The University of Colorado Denver only considers transcripts from regionally accredited institutions in an admission decision. The following regional accrediting organizations are acceptable:

• Higher Learning Commission
• Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education and Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools
• New England Commission of Higher Education
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges and WASC Senior College and University Commission
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
• Northwest Accreditation Commission and North West Commission on Colleges and Universities
  
  To determine regional accreditation of an institution, please visit the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) webpage www.chea.org.
  
  Note: The University of Colorado Denver does not recognize accreditation from faith-related or career-related accrediting organizations. 

Test-Optional

With the establishment of House Bill HB21-1067, CU Denver is test-optional and does not require test scores for admission consideration.  It is up to the applicant if they want their test score to be considered in the admission process. Applicants who choose not to submit a test score for admission will be considered the same as students who submit test scores. There is no penalty for not submitting a test score. The following can be considered in making an admission decision without test scores:

• High school grade point average (GPA)
• Number and mix of academic courses
• Rigor of courses such as honors and higher-level math courses
• College-level courses (concurrent enrollment) completed during high school
• AP/IB courses
• Work experiences, such as pre-apprenticeships, job shadowing, and more
• Volunteer experiences
• Leadership experiences
• Campus fit (interest in offered majors, interest in the institution, and more)

Note: AP, IB, and CLEP scores can be submitted to the university for potential transfer credit but do not impact an admission decision.

Document Retention

All credentials submitted as application materials become the property of the University of Colorado Denver. Original documents are not returned or provided to students.