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CITY ENERGY. COLORADO WINTERS.

University of Denver

The University of Denver is a private university of about 5,800 undergraduates on a 125-acre campus in a residential neighborhood seven miles south of downtown, with light rail into the city. It runs on the quarter system and keeps classes small. In skiing it is the historic power, 24 NCAA team titles, the most of any school, though the last came in 2018; training means highway time to Loveland rather than a hill next to campus.

Denver, CO

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DenverPioneers · Ski team

Photo: Satpalkhalsa, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

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NCAA divisionRMISA · NCAA skiing
D1
UndergraduatesFall 2025
5,766
Acceptance rateFall 2025 · 14,205 of 16,637
85%
Tuition2026-27 · three quarters, no in-state rate
$63,720
Student-faculty ratiodu.edu/about
11:1
NCAA team titlesMost of any program · last 2018
24
Roster athletes2026-27
14
NCAA power rankscore 32.07
#3

Why Denver?

Keep the city.Chase the next start.

Denver gives a racer two environments to think about: a small private university in the city and a competition schedule that lives up I-70. Weigh the academic pace, the driving and the price together.

  • Evans Memorial Chapel, a small stone chapel on the University of Denver campus

    Small classes, quarter pace

    An 11:1 student-faculty ratio and average class under 21, on a quarter calendar where winter quarter runs straight through the race season; more than 70% of undergraduates study abroad.(du.edu)

  • The Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness with its gold tower on the DU campus

    The historic power

    Twenty-four NCAA team titles, the most of any program, 96 individual national champions and 40 Olympians; the last team title came in 2018.(denverpioneers.com)

  • Highland Bowl at Aspen Highlands seen from Loge Peak

    Third in 2026

    Denver finished third at the 2026 NCAA Championships with 386.5 points, 10 ahead of Montana State; Mia Hunt took two first-team All-America podiums in GS and slalom.(denverpioneers.com)

  • Loveland Ski Area near the Continental Divide, the Denver ski team's listed alpine facility

    Loveland partnership

    Head alpine coach Joonas Rasanen describes a training partnership with Loveland, with days at Winter Park, Copper and Vail when snow is short; the 2026 alpine group was 14 athletes.(denverpioneers.com)

About the school

The honest version.

What the school is, what it is known for, and what a family should weigh before committing.

The University of Denver is a private, mid-sized university, about 5,800 undergraduates and 11,500 students overall, on a 125-acre campus in a residential neighborhood seven miles south of downtown, with light rail into the city. It runs on the quarter system, keeps classes small (11:1 student-faculty ratio, average class under 21) and is best known for international studies, business and a heavy study-abroad culture. In skiing it is the historic power, with 24 NCAA team championships, the most of any school, though the last came in 2018 and it has trailed Utah and Colorado since. The team lists Loveland Ski Area as its alpine facility and Devil's Thumb Ranch, about 78 miles from campus, as its nordic home, so training means highway time rather than a hill next to campus. Skiing competes in the RMISA; the rest of the department moved to the West Coast Conference in July 2026. The sticker price is the highest of this group and the university is cutting budgets after enrollment declines, so ask direct questions about aid and program funding.

Know before you commit

  • DU is closing a $20-30 million budget gap after enrollment fell from 14,130 (fall 2021) to 11,499 (fall 2025); it is merging five schools into two, eliminating the religious studies and electrical/computer engineering departments, and nearly 10% of staff have taken buyouts in two years.(cbsnews.com)
  • Total cost of attendance is $87,581 for 2026-27 with no in-state rate, and the training venues are not near campus: Devil's Thumb Ranch is about 78 miles away and Loveland is up I-70, so most training days are road days.(du.edu)

Feel the campus

From first tracks to final exams.

Credited archive photographs of the campus, the town and the hill; not current team photography.

5 of 5 photos shown

Ski team experience

Pioneer history.An RMISA calendar.

Denver skis in the RMISA with two head coaches rather than a director of skiing: Joonas Rasanen holds the Otto Tschudi head alpine post with M.R. Hostetter as associate head coach, and Eliska Albrigtsen leads nordic. The 2027 roster lists 14 alpine and 13 nordic athletes. Alpine trains at Loveland; the nordic team's official facility is Devil's Thumb Ranch, about 78 miles from campus.

View official roster
Team athletes
14
Men / women
6 / 8
International athletes
8
NCAA team titles (most of any program)
24
Conference
RMISA
Alpine disciplines
SL + GS

Where Javier fits today

Not a selection or admission prediction.

  • SLNo comparison
    — · —

    Scoring line 37.69.

  • GSNo comparison
    — · —

    Scoring line 33.36.

  • SGNo comparison
    — · —

    Scoring line 51.17.

  • DHNo comparison
    — · —

    Scoring line 177.12.

Clear · Back to Javier's profile

Academics

What you can study.

DU runs on the quarter system, so a full academic term (winter quarter, January to March) coincides exactly with the RMISA and NCAA season, and each course sequence is short enough that a missed week matters. Small classes (11:1) make attendance visible. The university reports a 74% six-year graduation rate and 89% first-year retention.

  • 5,766
    Undergraduates
  • 11:1
    Student-faculty ratio

8 featured fields · full catalog

  • FinanceBusiness
    A Daniels College of Business BSBA path; compare quarter sequencing and internship timing with the race calendar.
  • International StudiesSocial science
    DU's signature Korbel School field; ask how language study and time abroad fit a winter season.
  • Computer ScienceQuantitative
    Offered in the Ritchie School; note that electrical and computer engineering is being eliminated in the 2026 restructuring.
  • Mechanical EngineeringEngineering
    A BSME with laboratory sequences to review with an adviser before planning winter travel.
  • PsychologySocial science
    Offered as a BA or BS.
  • Environmental ScienceEnvironment
    A BA or BS through Geography and the Environment.
  • Hospitality ManagementBusiness
    A Fritz Knoebel School program with industry placements to schedule around the season.
  • Biological SciencesScience
    Lab-heavy; ask how winter-quarter labs handle race travel.
Explore majors

Source: du.edu

Admissions

Your path here.

Testing
test-optional(du.edu)
GPA
3.58-4.0 weighted, 3.4-3.9 unweighted (admitted middle 50%, Fall 2025)(du.edu)
Application deadline
November 1 (Early Decision I and Early Action); January 15 (Early Decision II and Regular Decision)(du.edu)
  1. Submit the Common Application with one essay from the current year's prompts.
  2. Pay the $65 nonrefundable fee or request a waiver.
  3. Send official high school transcripts and a counselor recommendation (teacher or coach letters are optional).
  4. Decide whether to submit SAT or ACT scores; DU is test-optional and superscores.
Admissions details

Test scores

What admitted students scored.

Test-optional · admitted, Fall 2025

  • SAT total1230 – 1410
  • ACT composite28 – 33

Middle 50%: a quarter scored below the low figure and a quarter above the high one. Source: du.edu

Acceptance rate

How selective it is.

85%Fall 2025 (14,205 admitted of 16,637)
  • Admitted
  • Not admitted

DU admits most applicants and considers every applicant for merit scholarships automatically; Early Decision adds a $5,000 award, but the binding commitment should follow a written aid offer, not precede it. Athletes receiving athletic aid are excluded from DU's full-need promise for top Early Decision admits.

Source: du.edu

Cost & financial aid

What a year costs.

2026-27 published figures.

Published costs
Tuition (flat rate, 12-18 credits per quarter)$63,720
Mandatory fees$1,584
Housing (on campus)$11,283
Food$7,532
Total cost of attendance (on campus)$87,581

Official 2026-27 on-campus budget; the total also includes books ($1,000), transportation ($627, plus $763 for non-Colorado residents), personal expenses ($1,782) and loan fees. There is no in-state rate. DU says 79% of undergraduate aid is scholarships and grants; merit scholarships range from $15,000 to $40,000 a year and come with a $3,000 Residence Hall Grant. Athletic aid is allowed under the 16-athlete Division I skiing roster limit.(du.edu)

Financial aid information

Location

Campus, hill, airport.

University Park campus

A 125-acre campus in a residential neighborhood south of downtown, with the University of Denver light-rail station next to campus on the E, F and H lines.

Open in Maps · source

Denver skyline with the Front Range mountains behind, seen from Rocky Mountain Arsenal
Denver skyline and the Front Range from Rocky Mountain Arsenal (2024)

Student life

Beyond the hill.

  • Two years on campus

    All incoming first-year, second-year and transfer students are required to live on campus with a residential meal plan; merit scholars receive a $3,000 Residence Hall Grant.(studentaffairs.du.edu)

  • First Ascent at the mountain campus

    New undergraduates can spend a weekend at the 730-acre Kennedy Mountain Campus about two hours north of Denver; it is an orientation and retreat site, not a ski-training venue.(du.edu)

  • Ritchie Center support

    Student-Athlete Academic Services in the Ritchie Center provides athletics academic advising, study hall and tutoring; the athletics division reports a 96% Graduation Success Rate.(academicaffairs.du.edu)

Athlete voices

Real stories.

  • “I think the biggest thing for skiers is to trust the preparation and know where you are and trust yourself, be yourself, ski fast and have fun with it.”
    Joonas Rasanen, Otto Tschudi head alpine skiing coach · source
  • “It's an amazing honor to have. It's been an exciting time here at Denver—all the memories around all of the races and all of the wins and even all the bad results.”
    Sara Rask, alpine skier · source
  • “It feels really cool. Honestly, the best thing I could have expected. There are so many people here that I know and are here to support me, my old coaches and stuff.”
    Mia Hunt, alpine skier · source

Alumni & outcomes

What came next.

NCAA team championships(denverpioneers.com)
24
Individual national champions(denverpioneers.com)
96
Olympians from DU skiing (2024 count)(denverpioneers.com)
40
Athletics Graduation Success Rate(du.edu)
96%
University six-year graduation rate (2019 cohort)(du.edu)
74%

Related programs

You might also look at.

Sources, rights and updates

Where this comes from.

Every figure carries its reporting period and a link. Rosters and points come from official rosters and FIS or USCSA results. Photographs are Wikimedia Commons archive images under open licences, credited on each image.

37 source pages across 10 sites

Your future in skiing starts here

Ready to learn more about Denver?

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