Colorado State University is one of our nation's leading research universities with world-class research in infectious disease, atmospheric science, clean energy technologies, and environmental science. It was founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College, six years before the Colorado Territory became a state.

Last year, CSU awarded degrees to more than 5,000 graduates, and this year, it attracted nearly $300 million in research funding. Colorado State is a land-grant institution and a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University-Extensive.

Colorado State University is the “university of choice” for Colorado residents – 30% of all of Colorado's science, math, engineering and technology majors pursue degrees at CSU. In addition to its excellent programs in those areas, CSU offers among the very best professional programs in the United States in veterinary medicine, occupational therapy, journalism, agriculture and construction management.

Colorado State faculty are researching and tackling critical global issues, such as the reemergence of tuberculosis, air pollution in Asian cities, severe weather forecasting, nutrition and wellness, and bioterrorism.

CSU's faculty provides an enriched student learning experience by offering laboratory and field experiences from a major research university. This approach – combining the intellectual experience of the classroom with the practical experience of the field and laboratory – is based on the land-grant philosophy.

Colorado State's Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs hosts some of the strongest community-service programs in the country, allowing more than 6,000 students to participate in the university's proud tradition of public outreach. CSU faculty played a significant role in the founding of the Peace Corps, and CSU remains one of the primary sources of Peace Corps volunteers today.

Colorado State is ranked in the top tier of universities in U.S. News and World Report's rankings of “America's Best Colleges and Universities,“ while Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine named CSU one of the top public universities in the United States in terms of educational quality and affordability. More

Created to Serve: Colorado State University’s Impact on the State’s Economy (PDF), was published in January 2009. The report describes the substantial economic contributions Colorado State University makes to the state economy.

Among the significant findings are the following points:

• Colorado State University and its 87,000+ Colorado-based alumni account for more than $4.1 billion in household income, representing 3.1 percent of Colorado’s total household income.
• At the state level, these earnings generate more than $130.8 million in income tax revenue and $50.2 million in sales tax revenue.
• In Colorado, increasing the percentage of workers with a 4-year college degree by only one percentage point (about 5,372 new college workers) increases the average earnings of all college educated workers by $481 per year. But workers without a 4-year degree also benefit from such an increase – the same 1 percentage point increase in college educated workers increases the average earnings for high-school-only graduates by $250 per year.
• CSU generates more than $300 million in annual research expenditures, which translate to innovation that drives research and technology advances for Colorado business.
• CSU research results in a two-tenths of 1 percent (0.2%) increase in overall productivity for firms in Colorado, which equates to $79.7 million annually.
• Annual student spending in Fort Collins alone is estimated at $168 million, supporting 628 non-University jobs in the city. The total CSU effect on local Fort Collins tax revenue is $12.9 million. (Tax revenue consists of sales, property, use, and other taxes.)
• A four-year college degree significantly reduces the likelihood a Coloradan is unemployed.

Simply put, CSU is one of the state’s most important economic growth engines and a cornerstone of Colorado’s economic future. [ download the full report ]

Colorado State University, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is situated on nearly 5,000 acres of land, including the main campus, a foothills campus, an agricultural campus, and a mountain campus. Colorado State also has 4,600 acres for research centers, Cooperative Extension offices, and Colorado State Forest Service stations.

Fort Collins is an award-winning city located on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains with the foothills and 14,000-foot peaks visible to residents. Easy access to hiking, skiing, rafting and other outdoor sports is a great advantage to CSU students, faculty and staff. Located north of the Denver metro area, CSU is less than an hour away from one of the nation's leading airport – Denver International Airport.