University of Denver is a private institution that was founded in 1864. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,394, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 125 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. University of Denver's ranking in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 91. Its tuition and fees are $40,707 (2013-14).
Whether a student is looking for outdoor recreation, a bustling urban lifestyle, or a hometown team to support in every major professional sports league, he or she will likely find it at the University of Denver. Known as DU, the school is settled at the base of the Rocky Mountains in the state’s capital city. Students who want to explore Denver’s surrounding areas can join in on group trips through the school’s Alpine Club, which organizes more than 20 outdoor excursions a year. There are more than 100 other student clubs and organizations to check out, too, including about 15 fraternities and sororities. Freshmen and sophomores must live on campus unless they are older than 21. Student athletes compete on the Denver Pioneers sports teams, members of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. The school’s ski team has won more national championships than any other program in the country, and the hockey team is notoriously competitive in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. On the professional level, Denver has a team in each of the four major sports leagues: the Denver Broncos in the NFL, the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL, the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, and the Colorado Rockies in the MLB. For creative entertainment, students can check out musical, theatrical, and innovative performances in the on-campus Newman Center. Many of the shows are free. The university campus also hosts the Pen and Podium series, which brings in several famous authors and poets to speak each year. To explore downtown Denver, students can hop on the city’s LightRail system, a network of monorail trains that stops on campus and goes to more than 30 other locations. The city is known for its revitalized urban areas, including Lower Downtown, or LoDo, a hub of shopping, dining, and nightlife that is 8 miles from campus.
Female students can opt to enroll in the school’s Women’s College, which offers single sex classes and organizations. Female students in the Women’s College will graduate with a DU degree. DU is also home to the Sturm College of Law, which ranks in the first tier of law schools. Notable alumni include former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; comedian David Adkins (known as Sinbad); and Coors Brewing Company CEO Peter Coors.