Undergraduate Advising and Other Student Services
The CU Denver academic advising community recognizes the importance of having access to accurate information and support when you need it.
We can help you connect with your advisor, find the most updated degree maps, and understand university academic policies. Advisors assist students, navigate and personalize their college experience, connect them with the right resources, and guide them along their entire academic journey.
This information and the resources in Undergraduate Academic Advising are designed for students in undergraduate programs.
- Center for Undergraduate Exploration and Advising
- College of Architecture and Planning Academic Advising
- College of Arts & Media Advising and Student Services
- College of Engineering, Design and Computing Academic Advising
- College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Academic Advising
- CU Denver Business School Undergraduate Advising
- School of Education and Human Development Academic Services
- School of Public Affairs Academic Advising
In addition to our advising services, CU Denver offers other valuable resources for our Undergraduate Students to help you navigate your time here at CU Denver. Below are just some of the offices that provide those services. Additional support and services can be found here.
Center for Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs
Location: North Classroom 4032
Phone Number: 303-315-7070
Email: pcdp@ucdenver.edu
Website: https://www.ucdenver.edu/pre-college-programs
The Center for Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs at the University of Colorado Denver currently houses unique and distinct outreach programs. These programs are designed to educate, motivate, and prepare first-generation students to be successful in secondary and post-secondary education with the ultimate goal of obtaining a higher education degree.
Early Action (EA)
EA Contact: Erika Larson
Phone: 303-315-5280
Email: success.initiatives@ucdenver.edu
Early Action is a referral-based student support program for faculty and staff to communicate and triage students to resources on campus that provide academic and administrative support. Early Action is one of the ways we support our students. It’s an opportunity for instructors to communicate with students about resources on campus that can help support success in the course. It is a process that opens up the conversation between students, faculty and support staff so that together we can develop strategies for students to achieve their goals in courses and beyond.
Succeeding at college does not mean that you don’t struggle in a class or classes or during particular semesters. Our goal at CU Denver is to do all we can to support every student and facilitate their success. From the first to tenth week of the semester, you may get an email or phone call from a CU Denver staff member offering assistance and opportunities for academic support. Please engage in this process. Getting an Early Action communication is not an indication that you will not succeed in the course. It is a call to action. Students who have taken advantage of resources offered to them are able to move forward and succeed in the course.
Learning Resources Center
Location: Learning Commons, Suite 1231
Phone: 303-315-3531
Email: tutorialservices@ucdenver.edu
Website: https://www.ucdenver.edu/learning-resources-center/home
The CU Denver Learning Resources Center is designed to promote student success, retention, and graduation in a supportive, vibrant and inclusive academic setting. The LRC provides several different services catering to every student's specific learning requirements. Offering both in-person and virtual learning options, each service provided by the Learning Resources Center is available at no additional cost for fee-paying CU Denver students.
New Student Orientation
Location: Learning Commons, Suite 2206
Phone: 303-315-3503
Email: orientation@ucdenver.edu
Website: https://www.ucdenver.edu/orientation
New Student Orientation (NSO) welcomes all incoming Lynx and their families, by creating a supportive, inclusive and encouraging environment. NSO assists our diverse student population by ensuring a smooth transition through the academic, personal and social adjustments to life at CU Denver. Our programs are dedicated to helping students exceed their own expectations through graduation, all the while creating a community at CU Denver that feels like home.
Orientation is required for on-campus, degree seeking, first-year and transfer students.
Office of Academic Achievement
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success: Margaret C. Wood, PhD
Phone: 303-315-2133
Email: margaret.c.wood@ucdenver.edu
Website: ucdenver.edu/ue
The Office of Academic Achievement promotes the creation of high-quality learning experiences in and out of the classroom. We support faculty as they create courses that help students learn, persist, and ultimately graduate. We serve students by providing support for their academic endeavors through advising, tutoring, peer mentoring, and tools for classroom success. We also provide opportunities for enhanced student engagement through research, honors coursework, first-year experiences, and leadership training. From orientation through graduation our programs help students achieve their academics goals, setting them up for success at CU Denver and beyond. The Office of Academic Achievement includes the following areas: Student Transitions & Family Engagement, University Honors & Leadership, Learning Resources Center, Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities, Undergraduate Advising, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning.
High Impact Practices (HIPs)
HIPs are specialized practices or programs of engaged teaching and active learning. Ten specific HIPs are recognized nationally: First-Year Seminars, Common Intellectual Experiences, Learning Communities, Writing-Intensive Courses, Collaborative Assignments and Projects, Undergraduate Research, Diversity/Global Learning, Service Learning and Community-Based Learning, Internships, and Capstone Courses and Projects. National research shows that student participation in HIPs increases engagement, retention, and completion, especially in the case of underrepresented groups.
First-Year Experiences (FYE)
Location: Learning Commons Room 2206
Phone Number: 303-315-5499
Email: fye@ucdenver.edu
Website: ucdenver.edu/fye
The focus of the CU Denver First-Year Experiences program is specially-designed courses that provide a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our new degree-seeking students who are starting college for the first time in the fall semester. In any of the FYE courses they choose, first-year students acclimate to the rigors of college-level work, engage in the active social and intellectual life of our campus, work closely with faculty and peer leaders, and make close friends and study partners.
Internships & Experiential Learning Center:
Senior Director of Student Career Development: Sarah Trzeciak
Location: Tivoli Student Union Annex, Suite 439
Phone: 303-315-7318
Email: sarah.trzeciak@ucdenver.edu
Website: ucdenver.edu/elc
Housed under the Student Community and Engagement umbrella, Experiential learning includes a variety of activities with one common goal-to immerse students in hands-on learning outside the classroom where experience is at the heart of the learning process. The Experiential Learning Center, located within the SCE division, is committed to working closely with students, faculty, employers, and community partners to provide quality experiential learning opportunities that enhance academic learning, integrate theory and practice, and promote professional development and active citizenship. The ELC offers resources for internships, undergraduate research, and professional development experiences.
Global Learning | Study Abroad
Location: Tivoli Student Union Annex, Suite 339
Phone: 303-315-2001
Email: study.abroad@ucdenver.edu
Website: https://www.ucdenver.edu/students/study-abroad
The Office of Global Education / Study Abroad provides academically and professionally relevant international experiences to a diverse student population at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. These experiences equip students with cross-cultural skills necessary to succeed in an interconnected global society. The Office of Global Education is committed to providing students with a wide range of engaging and affordable study, internship, research, and clinical opportunities.
International program offerings vary to meet the needs and interests of all students. These programs are open to undergraduate, graduate, and international students; it is not necessary to be a particular major to participate. Program lengths range from two weeks to an academic year or more. The vast majority of programs do not require language proficiency beyond the English language.
The Office of Global Education strives to keep study abroad programs affordable. In most cases, students are able to utilize financial aid and are eligible for an array of internal and external scholarships. For the most current information on programs, policies, and funding, please visit the Office of Global Education website at https://www.ucdenver.edu/students/study-abroad or visit LynxConnect in the Tivoli.
Peer Advocate Leader (PAL) Program
Location: Learning Commons Room 2206
Phone Number: 303-315-5492
Email: PAL@ucdenver.edu
Website: https://www.ucdenver.edu/first-year-experiences/peer-advocate-leaders
We serve as peer mentors to help students navigate a successful college career. PALs are trained to work with students to connect them with CU Denver, the Auraria Campus, and the Denver community. These mentoring relationships are designed to foster student engagement and academic success by providing peer-level support that promotes student achievement, growth, and learning through the student’s career at CU Denver. PALs are paired in First-Year Experience courses to plan and facilitate educational and social activities. PALs also assist students in one-on-one environments.
Student Government Association
Location: Tivoli Student Union 301
Phone Number: 303-315-7286
Email: sga@ucdednver.edu
Website: https://www.ucdenver.edu/student-life/student-government
The University of Colorado Denver Student Government Association (SGA) is your elected student government officials that work to provide you with the best possible student experience and is here to represent you and the voices of all students. Our priority is to provide the students with an enriching and fulfilling university experience, and to promote and maintain the general welfare of the student body.
SGA safeguards the rights and interests of all students while recognizing and respecting the strength and diversity of each individual student. Here, we put equity, diversity, and inclusion at the forefront of what we do. As the collective voice of the student body, we are tasked with serving and leading our students with honesty, integrity, and respect. The CU Denver SGA promises accountability to the student body by modeling effective and responsive shared governance that enriches the quality of student life.
Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)
The Air Force, Navy/Marines, and Army offer college students the opportunity to receive a commission as an officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program. These military training programs occur in conjunction with a student’s undergraduate coursework and lead to a commission upon graduation. All ROTC programs offer competitive scholarships, allow for elective academic credit depending on policies of the student’s home school or college, and include a commitment to military active or reserve duty.
The University of Colorado Denver actively supports students desiring to participate in one of the ROTC programs and provides registration access to Army ROTC (sponsored by the Metropolitan State University of Denver) and to Navy/Marines or Air Force ROTC (sponsored by the University of Colorado Boulder).
Interested students should contact the specific ROTC program directly for military training, scholarship information, and registration details.
Air Force ROTC
AFROTC Detachment 105
University of CO Boulder
UCB 371
Boulder, CO 80309-0371
Phone: (303) 492-3128; (303) 492-8352
Navy/Marines ROTC
Naval ROTC
University of CO Boulder
UCB 374
Boulder, CO 80309-0374
Phone: (303) 492-2576
Army ROTC
Dept. of Military Science
633 Curtis Street
Modular Building MO-1
Denver, CO 80217
Phone: (303) 352-7419
Transfer students enrolled in Army, Air Force, or Navy/Marines ROTC programs should consult with their school or college regarding the application of ROTC course credit toward graduation requirements.
Math Pathways
The choice of the right type and level of Math is crucial for student success. CU Denver highly recommends that all students take Math in their first or second semester.
All undergraduate students must complete a Core Mathematics course to fulfill the university’s graduation requirement. There are currently five different mathematics pathways which are available for students. Students should consult with their advisor and degree map to select which pathway is best for them.
- Quantitative Literacy Pathway
- MATH 1010 Mathematics for the Liberal Arts
- Please note: In order to promote student success, any student who has an ACT MATH score less than 19 (or equivalently an SAT score less than 520) and a H.S. GPA of less than 3.25 will be required to enroll in the one credit hour co-requisite workshop MATH 1011 Math for Liberal Arts Workshop.
- Business Mathematics Pathway
- MATH 1060 Finite Mathematics
- STEM Pathway (one of the following options)
- Please note: If you plan on taking MATH 1110 College Algebra, MATH 1120 College Trigonometry, MATH 1130 Precalculus Mathematics or MATH 1401 Calculus I you will need to complete ALEKS Math Placement. Click here for more information.
- Statistics Pathway
- MATH 2830 Introductory Statistics
- Please note: In order to promote student success, any student who has an ACT MATH score less than 19 (or equivalently an SAT score less than 520) and a H.S. GPA of less than 3.25 will be required to enroll in the one credit hour co-requisite workshop MATH 2831 Introductory Statistics Workshop.
- MATH 2830 Introductory Statistics
- Elementary/Middle School Teacher Mathematics Pathway
- MATH 3041 Fundamental Mathematics: Algebra, Probability and Data Analysis
Students should consult with their advisor and major graduation requirements to select which math pathway is best for them.
For more detailed information please see the descriptions below:
Quantitative Literacy Pathway
MATH 1010 Mathematics for the Liberal Arts is the recommended entry-level math course for all degrees within the Arts and the Humanities, including but not limited to majors in Art History, English, Film & Television, History, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, and Visual Arts.
To support student success in this course, a co-requisite class, MATH 1011 Math for Liberal Arts Workshop is available for students to take alongside MATH 1010 Mathematics for the Liberal Arts. Students with a High School GPA less than 3.25 and an ACT score less than 19 (equivalent SAT less than 520) are required to register for this 1-credit hour workshop along with their MATH 1010 course.
Business Mathematics Pathway
MATH 1060 Finite Mathematics is the recommended entry-level math course for students in different business tracks.
STEM Pathway
MATH 1108 Stretch College Algebra-Part 1 and MATH 1109 Stretch College Algebra-Part 2; MATH 1110 College Algebra; MATH 1120 College Trigonometry; MATH 1130 Precalculus Mathematics or MATH 1401 Calculus I are the recommended entry-level math courses for all degrees within the Applied, Natural and Physical Sciences, including but not limited to majors in Architecture, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics. Many health careers also require these mathematics courses.
Since student success is one of our goals, students will most likely need to complete a math placement assessment from the “ALEKS Placement, Preparation and Learning” program prior to registering, to determine which level the student is best prepared to enter.
ALEKS PPL guides appropriate mathematics placement and registration, in addition to providing students an opportunity to review material and gain confidence in their math skills. Students may take the ALEKS PPL assessment up to five times, and the highest score is the one that will count as a prerequisite for registering for classes. Using ALEKS PPL, the learning modules that are provided in response to assessment results and advising resources, can lead students to success in the first semester of math and save valuable tuition dollars. Students in this pathway should use these tools to help them succeed.
- The assessment typically takes 60-90 minutes with approximately 30 questions.
- Students should complete ALEKS PPL assessment before orientation and/or registration so they are eligible to register for Math before they leave that day.
- It’s important to be honest while taking the placement assessment.
Students must complete the assessment with the score from the chart below for the corresponding course. The only course that is open to all students in this pathway that does not require assessment is MATH 1108 Stretch College Algebra-Part 1 and MATH 1109 Stretch College Algebra-Part 2
| Course # | Course Name | ALEKS Score Range | Prior Coursework Requisite (alternative to assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| MATH 1108 & MATH 1009 | Stretch College Algebra | No ALEKS assessment is required | Students must complete both MATH 1108 and MATH 1109 to earn Core mathematics credit and to fulfill the prerequisite for MATH 1120 |
| MATH 1110 | College Algebra | 46 or higher | NA |
| MATH 1120 | College Trigonometry | 61 or higher | MATH 1109 or MATH 1110 with a C- or higher |
| MATH 1130 | Pre-Calculus | 61 or higher | NA |
| MATH 1401 | Calculus I | 76 or higher | MATH 1109 or MATH 1110 and MATH 1120 with a C- or higher or MATH 1130 with a C- or higher |
If students already have math college credit from AP/IB/CLEP exam or a concurrent enrollment course, CU Denver will recognize that once we receive official test scores and/or transcripts. This previous coursework (AP/IB/CLEP/concurrent enrollment) may shift your eligibility to enroll in a higher level math course, but ALEKS will still help to give you the most current reflection of your level of preparation and help inform and guide your math selection.
Statistics Pathway
MATH 2830 Introductory Statistics is the recommended entry-level math course for all degrees within the Social, Behavioral, Educational and Integrated Sciences, including but not limited to majors in Anthropology, Communication, Education, Ethnic Studies, Geography and Environmental Sciences, International Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Public Health and Sociology.
To support student success in this course, a co-requisite class, MATH 2831 Introductory Statistics Workshop is available for students to take alongside MATH 2830 Introductory Statistics. Students with a High School GPA less than 3.25 and an ACT score less than 19 (equivalent SAT less than 520) are required to register for this 1-credit hour workshop along with their MATH 2830 Introductory Statistics course.
Elementary/Middle School Teacher Mathematics Pathway
MATH 3041 Fundamental Mathematics: Algebra, Probability and Data Analysis, is the recommended entry-level math course for students in education tracks pursuing elementary or middle school licensure.
Questions? Contact MATH.Placement@ucdenver.edu or your academic advising unit.