General Graduation Requirements

To receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver, students must satisfy all of the requirements below, in addition to completing a Major and fulfilling all of their School or College requirements (see links below).

Please note that the requirements below are basic university requirements. Consult your School/College and Major to determine whether they have put additional requirements in place that further restrict these categories.

• A minimum of 120 credit hours is required to graduate from CU Denver with a bachelor’s level degree
• A minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA is required for all University of Colorado coursework
• Satisfactory completion of the CU Denver Core Curriculum (an 11 course, 34-38 semester hour curriculum of general education, outlined here)

Repeat Statement

Though students may take any course more than once, credit toward graduation is counted only once for a typical course, unless otherwise noted in the course description. Some types of courses (e.g. Internships, Independent Studies, etc.) may be repeatable for applicable credit within a certain range of total semester hours. See course descriptions for the max semester hours applicable from each course.

Residency Requirement

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which accredits this university, requires that at least 30 of the 120 credits earned for a baccalaureate degree be taken in residence at the University of Colorado Denver. Students are advised that individual schools/colleges may have higher residency requirements.

School/College Specific Graduation Requirements

• Business School
• College of Architecture and Planning
• College of Arts & Media
• College of Engineering, Design and Computing
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• School of Education and Human Development
• School of Public Affairs

Petitioning for Exceptions to Standing Academic Policy

The Office of the Registrar does not have a specific policy regarding petitions for exceptions. 

School/College Specific Policy

• College of Arts & Media
• Business School
• School of Education and Human Development
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Selection of Catalog for Degree Requirements

When a student is matriculated and enrolled at CU Denver, they are required to fulfill the general education and graduation requirements specified in the catalog current at that time. When students formally declare a major, they are required to fulfill the major requirements in the catalog current at that time.

School/College Specific Policy

• College of Arts & Media

Applying for Graduation

Students planning to graduate must apply for graduation through the UCDAccess student portal between the first day of registration and census for the term they intend to graduate. Students must contact their academic advisor to determine what requirements remain for graduation, as well as complete any paperwork required by their school/college. Students will not be officially certified to graduate until a final audit of the student’s record has been completed approximately six weeks after the end of the term. After students have been certified to graduate, they must reapply with the Office of Admissions in order to return to the Denver Campus.

To review the official policy, please click here and search for policy number 7017.

School/College Specific Policy

• College of Architecture and Planning
• College of Arts & Media
• Business School
• School of Education and Human Development
• College of Engineering, Design and Computing

Commencement Ceremony

In early March, information will be emailed to students eligible to participate in the May spring-semester commencement. In early October, information regarding the December commencement will be emailed to students who graduated in summer term or expect to graduate in fall term. Information will be provided about registering for the ceremony, renting a cap and gown, and ordering diploma frames, announcements, and other memorabilia. This information is also available on the Commencement website.

Academic Honors

Dean’s List

CU Denver uses fixed criteria across all schools/colleges for determining eligibility for the Dean’s List. This policy applies to undergraduate students.

For fall and spring semesters, students must successfully complete nine graded hours in the semester. These courses can be both within and outside of the student’s home school/college. Metropolitan State University of Denver pooled courses will not be included in the GPA calculation nor will they apply toward the nine hours required for consideration. The GPA for inclusion in the Dean’s List is 3.750.

In the summer semester, students must complete six graded hours. Course inclusion will be the same as in fall and spring semesters. The GPA for Dean’s List in summer is also 3.750.

Scholarships tied to Dean’s Lists may have additional requirements.

The Registrar’s Office calculates the semester GPAs that are the basis for determining the Dean’s List. Incompletes will not be considered in the calculation of minimum number of hours. The Dean’s List will not be recalculated to include completed incompletes.

College Honors

School/College Specific Policy

COLLEGE OF ARTS & MEDIA

BUSINESS SCHOOL

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND COMPUTING

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

Departmental Honors

School/College Specific Policy

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

University Honors

University Honors is awarded at the time of graduation to students who successfully completed the University Honors and Leadership Program.

Class Rank

Class rank will be calculated by undergraduate degree program within a school or college. It is possible for more than one student to have the same class rank. If more than one student has equivalent class ranking it will be reported as such. The option for a letter indicating the student’s class rank will be provided to any graduating undergraduate, but there will be no designation on the University of Colorado transcript for Denver Campus students receiving bachelor’s degrees. There will be one class rank per student per degree. Students can obtain class rank letters through the student portal. Late postings and grade changes after degrees are posted will not recalculate rankings. Rankings will be a snapshot calculation conducted once per term for each graduating undergraduate student after degrees are posted.

Four-Year Graduation Guarantee

The University of Colorado Denver has adopted a set of guidelines to define the conditions under which an undergraduate student will be guaranteed to graduate in four years. More information is available through the undergraduate advising offices for each college and the major program offices. The Denver Campus has five undergraduate colleges in which this guarantee applies: College of Arts & Media, Business School, College of Engineering, Design and Computing, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and School of Public Affairs.

CU Denver guarantees that if a student begins studies in a fall semester and lack of scheduling of essential courses is found to have prevented a student from completing all course work necessary for a BA, BFA or BS degree from the university by the end of the student’s eighth consecutive fall and spring semester, the college/school shall provide tuition plus any course fees for all courses required for completion of the degree requirements. This applies only when needed courses are not offered by the college/school and does not apply to scheduling conflicts for individual students. Students must satisfy all the requirements described below to be eligible for this guarantee.

This guarantee applies to all students who enroll beginning in a fall term as first-semester, full-time freshmen without admission deficiencies, who do not need remedial course work and who satisfy all the requirements described below. This guarantee does not include completion of all options within the major, a second major, a double degree, a minor or a certificate program. The four-year graduation guarantee does not apply to programs in which the degree has been discontinued or is in the process of being phased out. In these cases, every effort will be made to allow students to fulfill requirements by taking courses at other universities and colleges to facilitate timely completion of the degree.

Some study abroad programs may not provide a sufficient range of courses to allow students to meet the requirements, thus, students who participate in study abroad programs during the fall or spring semesters may not be eligible for this guarantee. A student may be able to participate in a study abroad program during the summer semester and still meet all the requirements of this guarantee. It is essential that a student work closely with an advisor to determine if the student can participate in a study abroad program and still meet all the requirements of this guarantee.

Requirements

Students must satisfy all of the following requirements to be eligible for this guarantee.

1. Students must begin studies in a fall semester and enroll in CU Denver course work as specified on the student plan of study for eight consecutive fall and spring semesters.
2. Students must complete all required course work by the end of the eighth semester.
3. No fewer than 60 semester hours of applicable course work must be completed successfully by the end of the second year (24 calendar months); 90 semester hours by the end of the third year (36 calendar months); and 120 semester hours by the end of the fourth year (48 calendar months). Students must successfully complete an average of 15 semester hours each semester.
4. Students must meet with their college advisor and their major advisor for academic advising during the first, third, fifth and seventh semesters of study.
5. The major must be declared no later than the end of the first semester of study and students must not change their major or any options within the major.
6. A required plan of study toward the major must be agreed upon and signed by the student and advisor at the end of the first semester. Thereafter students must make satisfactory progress toward completing the major, as defined by each major, and the general education requirements. Courses with certain grades may not meet the satisfactory progress requirement of this guarantee. A statement of what constitutes satisfactory progress and what grades are acceptable is available from the major or departmental office at the time the major is declared.
7. A minimum of 30 semester hours of college general education courses should be completed by the end of the second year, including core curriculum courses that also meet major requirements and foreign language proficiency.
8. All lower-division graduation requirements must be successfully completed by the 90-semester-hour mark.
9. Students must remain in good academic standing according to their school/college academic policies.
10. Grades of C-, C or C+, as defined by the college/school, must be earned in all course work required for the major, and students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.000 in all major course work attempted.
11. Students must register each semester within one week of the student’s specified eligibility to register.
12. Students must take courses that are specified in the student plan of study approved by their advisor.
13. Elective courses must be avoided if they conflict with required major or general education courses. Elective courses must not be given a higher priority than required courses.
14. Students must meet all departmental, school or college and university policies regarding graduation requirements.
15. The college/school must be notified in writing of the student’s intent to graduate no later than the beginning of the seventh semester of study. A graduation application must be filed no later than the deadline for the appropriate graduation date. The student must complete a graduation checkout/senior audit with their advisor.

The student is responsible for and must keep documentation proving that these requirements were satisfied (e.g., records of advising meetings attended, advising records and instructions, etc.).

To review the policy, please click here and search policy number 7023.