What a friend would tell you
What CC is looking for
CC's Block Plan (one course at a time, 3.5 weeks per block) is the defining feature, and your application must show you understand and want it. Explain why immersive, intensive study appeals to you. Show evidence of deep focus: a project you couldn't stop working on, a subject you pursued obsessively. Students who thrive in variety and shallow exposure across many subjects simultaneously are a poor fit. ED carries a significant advantage.
What students wish they'd known
The Block Plan means if you struggle with one professor or one subject, there's no other class to balance it out. You get one course at a time, and if week two goes badly, that's 50% of the block gone. Colorado Springs is politically conservative, which contrasts with the campus culture. The school is small (2,100 students) and outdoor culture is pervasive; if you don't ski, hike, or climb, you'll feel socially peripheral. Summer-like altitude sun fades fast in winter.
CC might be a fit if...
- You want total immersion in one subject at a time and find the Block Plan's intensity exciting, not terrifying
- You need mountains, trails, and outdoor access to feel like yourself
- You're self-directed enough to manage your education when each course compresses into 3.5 weeks
CC Admissions Strategy
1.9x
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 1.9x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
CC's Early Decision acceptance rate is 35.0% vs 22% overall. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 15 · RD January 15
Deadlines: ED November 15 · RD January 15
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Yes, Tracked
Tracked. Campus visits, info sessions, and opened emails all register. Show up where you can.
Interview
Required
Yield Rate
30%
Only 30% of admits choose to enroll. The waitlist moves more than you'd think; if you land on it, make your interest loud.
Want to boost your odds at CC and every reach on your list, so admissions stops feeling like a coin flip?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at CC
$84,000
Sticker Price
$11,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-blind admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 71% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: CC spends about $31,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 2x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What CC Graduates Get
$65,000
Avg Starting Salary
94%
Employed or in Grad School
71%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (88%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
CC Campus & Culture
The Campus
Colorado College's 90-acre campus sits at the base of Pikes Peak (14,115 feet) in Colorado Springs. Palmer Hall (1904, grey Manitou sandstone, castellated Gothic) is the signature building. Tutt Library's modernist concrete and the Cornerstone Arts Center's glass-and-steel addition frame the academic core. The campus is flat and walkable, bordered by residential neighborhoods to the east and Monument Valley Park's creek trail to the west. Garden of the Gods is 15 minutes by car.
The Social Scene
Outdoorsy, hiking/climbing culture, Pikes Peak access, residential focus
CC Traditions & Trivia
Llamapalooza
Each spring, the gates of Worner Quad open for a free all-day outdoor music festival where students drag couches onto the lawn and Colorado Springs locals join for live sets, food, and the unofficial end of the academic year.
Block Breaks
After each intense 3.5-week single-course block, students get a four-day break and most leave campus immediately for the Rockies, with skiing, backpacking, and climbing trips departing within hours of the final class ending.
Academics at CC
What CC is known for
Block plan (one course at a time), outdoor recreation, environmental studies
Most popular majors at CC
Standout programs
Sciences, environmental studies, psychology, interdisciplinary work
How the curriculum works
Block plan (3.5-week immersive blocks), no traditional semester structure
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 4 years math, 3 years science, 3 years social studies, 2 years foreign language
Notable CC Alumni
Ken Salazar
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, CC class of 1977
James Heckman
Nobel Prize-winning economist, attended CC before graduate work
Peggy Fleming
Olympic gold medalist figure skater, attended Colorado College
Marc Webb
Director of '500 Days of Summer' and 'The Amazing Spider-Man'
Lynne Cheney
Author and former Second Lady, CC class of 1963
If you like CC, also consider
Middlebury College
Similar outdoor culture and liberal arts rigor, Vermont, traditional semester schedule
Whitman College
Comparable small LAC in the Pacific Northwest with outdoor focus
Carleton College
Fellow small LAC with intense academics, Minnesota, trimester pace
Grinnell College
Similar open-curriculum philosophy and intellectual intensity, Iowa, flatter terrain
Occidental College
Small LAC in Los Angeles with similar ethos but urban setting