The University of Colorado Boulder (UCB, commonly referred to as CU, Boulder, CU-Boulder, or Colorado) is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado, United States. It is the Flagship University of the University of Colorado system and was founded five months before Colorado was admitted to the union in 1876.

In 2010, the university consisted of nine colleges and schools and offered over 150 academic programs and enrolled 29,952 students. Twelve Nobel Laureates, nine MacArthur Fellows, and 18 astronauts have been affiliated with CU-Boulder as students, researchers, or faculty members in its history. The university received nearly $454 million in sponsored research in 2010 to fund programs like the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and JILA.

The Colorado Buffaloes compete in 17 varsity sports and are members of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference. The Buffaloes have won 28 national championships: 20 in skiing, seven total in men’s and women’s cross country, and one in football. Approximately 1,500 students participate in 34 intercollegiate club sports annually as well.

The University of Colorado Boulder is divided into several colleges and schools. While the College of Arts and Sciences is by far the largest, the university also consists of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Program in Environmental Design, Education, Music, Law, and the Leeds School of Business, plus a new College of Media, Communication and Information that debuted in 2014. Most, if not all, of these colleges and schools also incorporate masters and doctorate level degree programs. At the University, there are currently approximately 3,400 courses available in over 150 disciplines comprising 85 majors ranging from Accounting to Women’s Studies.

University of Colorado School of Law is the smallest and most selective of the colleges. The Wolf Law Building, the new home of the Law School, was dedicated on September 8, 2006, by United States Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer.

U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Colorado Boulder tied for 89th best among all national universities, tied for 37th among public universities in the U.S., and 46th best among all universities globally in 2016. The Centre for World University Rankings ranked CU-Boulder 19th among U.S. public comprehensive institutions and 63rd overall in the world in its 2014 ranking of the top 100 degree-granting institutions of higher education.

In 2015 Thomson-Reuters ranked the University of Colorado system as the 28th most innovative educational institution in the world. In 2015, Sierra Magazine ranked CU-Boulder 52nd in its “Coolest Schools” in America list for campus sustainability and climate change efforts.

The University of Colorado Boulder ranks fourth among U.S. universities in the number of astronauts produced, not including military academies. In addition, the University of Colorado Boulder has graduated two Heads of State – Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; and two associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States – Wiley Rutledge, and Byron White. Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla was also an alumna.