What SAT or ACT score do you need for CU Boulder?

As of November 2026: CU Boulder is test-optional for the 2027 first-year application cycle, and the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1230 and 1420. On the ACT, that middle half scored between 28 and 33.

CU Boulder does not require the SAT or ACT. Here is what the score bands mean, how many students send a score, and when a score is one to send.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

CU Boulder is test-optional for the 2027 cycle. Your child does not need an SAT or ACT score to apply in the 2027 first-year application cycle. If your child sends a score, it will be read.

The SAT middle half runs from 1230 to 1420. The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1230 and 1420. On the ACT, the middle half scored between 28 and 33.

Only 20 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT. Just 20 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT score, and 8 percent sent an ACT score. So the bands describe the students who chose to send a score, not the whole class.

Does CU Boulder require the SAT or ACT?

This is CU Boulder's test policy as it stands for students applying in the 2027 first-year application cycle.

College	Policy	Applies to	In the college's words	Good to know	Source
University of Colorado Boulder	Test-optional	2027 first-year application cycle	SAT/ACT scores are not required and we take a holistic approach when reviewing your application	Applicants may self-report scores if they want them considered. ACT Writing/Science sections not used as of April 2025.	Source

Test-optional means the college reads a score if one is sent. A score is never required.

CU Boulder: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Score bands describe enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent that test. Prices are for a full year.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	56069
admits, fall 2023	46705
admit rate, percent	83.3
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1230
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1420
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	28
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	33
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	20
share who sent an ACT, percent	8
application fee, dollars	65
full price of a year, dollars	37684
average net price after aid, dollars	25346

The bands show where the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent a score landed. They are not a cutoff.

When are the CU Boulder deadlines for fall 2027 entry?

These are the application dates for students who start college in fall 2027.

Regular deadline	Priority deadline	Where to check
--	--	Source

No date is listed for any round. Check the link for the current dates.

Does CU Boulder require the SAT or ACT?

No, CU Boulder is test-optional for the 2027 first-year application cycle, so your child may apply without an SAT or ACT score.

That cycle covers high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027. The university's own admissions page says plainly that SAT and ACT scores are not required. If your child wants a score considered, applicants may self-report it.

Test-optional does not mean scores are ignored. It means a score is read when one is sent, and left out when it is not. The university also says it does not use the ACT Writing or Science sections as of April 2025.

What SAT score do enrolled first-years at CU Boulder have?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT score to CU Boulder scored between 1230 and 1420.

These are students in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal numbers. A quarter of those who sent an SAT scored below 1230, and a quarter scored above 1420. So the band is not a floor. It is a picture of where most submitters landed.

We tell families to use this band for one choice only: whether to send a score. It is not a line your child must clear to apply.

What ACT score do enrolled first-years at CU Boulder have?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT score to CU Boulder scored between 28 and 33.

As with the SAT, a quarter of ACT submitters scored below 28, and a quarter scored above 33. These are also students in the fall 2023 class.

Some of our students find that one test fits them better than the other. The band for each test helps you judge which score, if either, is the stronger one to send.

How many CU Boulder students send a test score?

Only 20 percent of enrolled first-years at CU Boulder sent an SAT score, and 8 percent sent an ACT score. At a selective test-optional college like this one, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score: a strong one bolsters the odds of getting in, and most merit scholarships are keyed to a score.

Keep that in mind when you read the bands. They describe only the students who chose to send a score, not the whole fall 2023 class.

For a family, the takeaway is calm. Applying without a score is common at CU Boulder, and a strong score still has a place in the application.

Should my child send a score to CU Boulder?

Our rule for CU Boulder is simple: an SAT of 1230 or higher, or an ACT of 28 or higher, is a score to send.

A score inside or above the band sits with the middle half of submitters or above them. Sending it adds one more piece of good news to the application.

A score below the band is one to think hard about. CU Boulder is test-optional, so your child can leave it off. Before you decide, look at whether more prep could lift it into the band before the deadline. If not, we usually tell families to apply without it and let the rest of the application speak.

How hard is it to get into CU Boulder?

CU Boulder admitted 83.3 percent of its applicants for fall 2023, or 46,705 out of 56,069.

By those numbers, most applicants got in. Even so, an admit rate is an average across all applicants. It does not tell you about your own child.

We tell families to treat this number as encouraging. Then we help them build the strongest application they can, with or without a score.

What does it cost to apply to and attend CU Boulder?

The CU Boulder application fee is $65.

The full price of a year is $37,684. The average net price after aid is $25,346. That is what families paid on average once aid was counted.

Your own price may be higher or lower than the average. CU Boulder publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must. We suggest your family run it with your own numbers before senior year gets busy.

When are the CU Boulder deadlines for fall 2027?

CU Boulder posts its fall 2027 deadlines on its first-year application page at https://www.colorado.edu/admissions/apply/first-year-students. We do not have a confirmed date for any round, so we will not guess one.

Check that page early in the fall of senior year and put each date on your family calendar. Then plan test dates backward from the deadline your child picks, so any new score arrives in time.

What should we do this month?

This month, have your child sit a free full-length mock SAT and a free full-length mock ACT with Test Prep Gurus.

Then compare each result with the CU Boulder bands: 1230 to 1420 on the SAT and 28 to 33 on the ACT. That tells you which test fits your child better and how close your child is to a score to send.

Our rule is to plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. We also tell our students to prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just one section. To book a free mock SAT or a free mock ACT, call us at 949.229.5359 or visit https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step.

Questions parents ask

Does CU Boulder require the SAT or ACT?
No, CU Boulder is test-optional for the 2027 first-year application cycle, so your child may apply without an SAT or ACT score.

What SAT score do CU Boulder students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT score to CU Boulder scored between 1230 and 1420.

What ACT score do CU Boulder students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT score to CU Boulder scored between 28 and 33.

Should my child send a test score to CU Boulder?
Our rule for CU Boulder is simple: an SAT of 1230 or higher, or an ACT of 28 or higher, is a score to send.

How hard is it to get into CU Boulder?
CU Boulder admitted 83.3 percent of its applicants for fall 2023, or 46,705 out of 56,069.

How much does a year at CU Boulder cost?
The full price of a year is $37,684.

Method and sources: The test policy is CU Boulder's own statement on its first-year admissions page, and it names the 2027 first-year application cycle. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent that test, from the latest federal file; they do not describe every applicant or every admitted student. Applicant counts, admits and the admit rate are from the same fall 2023 federal data, and prices and the application fee come from the College Scorecard.