Colorado State University

For Fall 2025, 38,365 first-year students applied to Colorado State, 34,004 were admitted and 5,376 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 88.6%.

Source: CSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (FY2026) (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.

By school or major. CSU's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole university. CSU publishes the extra requirements for its competitive majors, but no acceptance rate by major.

Source: CSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (FY2026) (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Early action. CSU has no early decision plan. Its early action date (November 15) is nonbinding and unrestricted, and the Common Data Set gives no early action counts.

Source: CSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (FY2026) (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

You apply to CSU and name a major. A few majors set a higher bar for direct entry; if you miss it, CSU can still admit you to your alternate major or an Exploratory Studies track:

• Biomedical Sciences. A 3.3 high school GPA; four years of calculus-track math; three years of science, at least two of them biology and chemistry, with grades of C or better; no F in any math or science course unless retaken for a C or better.
• College of Business. A 3.2 high school GPA. The college offers one degree, the B.S. in Business Administration, with concentrations.
• Computer Science. A 3.3 high school GPA, or a 3.0 to 3.29 GPA with four years of calculus-track math (AP Computer Science can stand in for the fourth year) and no D or F in math or AP Computer Science unless retaken for a C or better.
• Engineering. A 3.3 high school GPA, four years of calculus-track math with grades of C or better and no D or F in math unless retaken, and a year of chemistry or physics.
• Dance, Music and Theatre. An audition: Dance (B.A. and B.F.A.), Music (B.A. and B.M.) and Theatre (B.A.).

Source: CSU Admissions, Competitive Majors (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

85 majors across 8 schools. Every undergraduate major in CSU's official 2026-2027 General Catalog, grouped by the college that offers it. The catalog's college pages name a degree only where a major comes in more than one (Art, Dance, Music) or is a combined program; elsewhere no degree is shown. Concentrations, minors, certificates and graduate programs are left out.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

The application opens August 1. A complete file by November 15 gets full consideration and automatic scholarship review by January 15; by January 15, scholarship review by February 28. After January 15, applications are read on a rolling basis and scholarships may not be available. CSU releases fall decisions from October 1, most within four weeks of a complete file (allow up to six). The fee is $65; Colorado students apply free.

Source: CSU Admissions, Domestic Freshman Admissions (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

CSU does not require the SAT or ACT. If you send scores, they are added to your application but reviewed only if you email admissions to ask. Even then they carry little weight, are never the reason an application is declined, and play no part in scholarships. Scores can be used for composition placement after admission.

Source: CSU Admissions, Domestic Freshman Admissions (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

The Common Data Set marks the SAT or ACT as not considered for admission, even if submitted; this page follows the admissions office, which reads scores when you ask.

Source: CSU Common Data Set 2025-2026 (FY2026) (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028

Not announced yet. When we checked Colorado State's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.

Source: CSU Admissions, Domestic Freshman Admissions (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

The published cost of a year at Colorado State, 2026-2027:

Estimates for a full-time undergraduate living on campus, nine-month year. Freshmen pay no differential tuition.

Source: CSU Office of Financial Aid, Cost of Attendance 2026-2027 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:

What first-year, full-time, in-state students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from CSU's aid offer.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Chosen for how close each is to Colorado State University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.

• University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · Public90.1% admitted$16,200 average net price
• University of Nevada, Las VegasLas Vegas, NV · Public83.9% admitted$10,359 average net price
• Utah State UniversityLogan, UT · Public92.1% admitted$14,936 average net price
• University of WyomingLaramie, WY · Public97% admitted$13,599 average net price
• SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuse, NY · Public84.7% admitted$18,952 average net price

Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.