You’ll find rich, diverse opportunities at the University of Northern Colorado. UNC is large enough to offer engaging academic programs, a wide variety of support services and endless ways to get involved. And it’s small enough to be personal, welcoming and caring. You’ll find that UNC is an inclusive community of highly respected faculty members, dedicated staff and friendly, motivated students.
Institutional Profile
History
- Founded: 1889
- Names through years: State Normal School, 1889-1910; Colorado State Teachers College, 1911-1934, Colorado State College of Education, 1935-1956; Colorado State College, 1957-1969, University of Northern Colorado, 1970-present.
- First graduate degrees offered in 1913.
- Designated a doctorate-granting / research university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Campus Location
- Main campus – Greeley: 76 classroom, residence and service buildings on 260 acres of land
- Extended Studies centers - Centerra (Loveland,), Lowry (Denver), UNC Colorado Springs Center (Colorado Springs)
Employees
- Total full-time employees = 1,368
- Total part-time employees = 290
Administration
- President: Kay Norton, 2002-present
- Governing board: Seven board members are appointed by the governor of the state, one faculty member is elected by the faculty and one full-time junior or senior student is elected by the student body. List of current members: http://www.unco.edu/trustees/trustees.htm.
Cost of Attendance (2012-13)
- Tuition (full-time)
- Resident undergraduate: $5,464
- Resident graduate: Varies by program, $7,668 - $11,502
- Non-resident undergraduate: $16,988
- Non-resident graduate: Varies by program starting at $13,860 - $20,754
Financial Aid*
- Total Financial Aid Awarded: $125.8 million
* Latest available from 2010-11
Academics
Academic Year
- Two 16-week semesters (fall: late August to mid-December; spring: early January to early May) and a 12-week summer term with six-, eight- and 12-week sessions.
Colleges
- College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- College of Natural and Health Sciences
- College of Performing and Visual Arts
- Monfort College of Business
- University College
Programs
- 100-plus undergraduate
- 100-plus graduate
- Courses with fewer than 30 students: 61 percent
- Average class size: Ranges from 16-31 students depending on program
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1
Athletics
- 19 NCAA Division I sports primarily in the Big Sky Athletic Conference
- Men's Sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), wrestling
- Women's Sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball
Student Profile
- Total university enrollment: 12,497 (Fall 2012)
Undergraduate: 10,102
- In-state: 8,847
- Full-time: 9,110, part-time: 992
- Average Full-time Course load: 14.3 credit hours
- First Generation: 36 percent are first in their family to attend college
- Number of students living in residence halls: 2,923
Graduate: 2,395
By Degree
- Licensure: 84
- Master's: 1,431
- Specialist: 98
- Doctoral: 570
- Undeclared: 212
Ethnicity (undergraduate and graduate)
- 22 percent identify with ethnic minority
- African American: 410 (3 percent)
- Asian: 188 (2 percent)
- Hispanic: 1,641 (13 percent)
- Native American: 58 (Less than 1 percent)
Graduation Information
- Spring 2012 graduates: 984 bachelor's; 234 master's and above
- Top 5 Undergraduate Degrees Awarded
- Interdisciplinary studies (16 percent)
- Business administration (12 percent)
- Psychology (8 percent)
- English (4 percent)
- History (4 percent)
- Top 5 Graduate Degrees Awarded
- Special education (13 percent)
- Music (10 percent)
- Sport & Exercise Science (7 percent)
- Nursing (7 percent)
- Clinical Counseling (7 percent)
Faculty Profile
- Full-time faculty: 492
- Part-time faculty: 191
- Student-to-faculty ratio: 18:1
Research
- UNC research and sponsored programs, amounting to $25 million in external funding over the past three years, include a range of topics that address serious issues in society.
Examples of Research
- Faculty collaborating with local educators to help beginning elementary teachers deliver high-quality mathematics and science instruction in high-need districts
- Building multi-state networks in academic, governmental, and community settings to support the employment outcomes, independence, and quality of life for people with disabilities
- Operating an 11-state regional center to train interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind
- Delivering a research-based, baccalaureate degree program in American Sign Language-English Interpretation
- Improving environmental conditions that allow for the long-term preservation of invaluable archival and artifact collections in University Libraries
- Conducting research into schizophrenia, a debilitating mental disorder
- Examining several infectious agents and viruses that cause human disease and are carried by bats and deer mice
- Conducting research into studying snake venom for possible cancer treatments, traumatic brain injuries and helmet safety, West Nile virus, noise-induced hearing loss and prevention, and volcanoes.
Alumni
- Alumni Association Website
- Total Number To-Date: 138,653
Geographic distribution
- Top 10 states represented; known addresses
- Colorado: 64,523
- California: 4,667
- Texas: 3,068
- Arizona: 2,540
- Florida: 2,167
- Washington: 1,819
- Wyoming: 1,623
- Nebraska: 1,277
- Illinois: 1,292
- Virginia: 1,197
- New Mexico: 1,144
- Top 5 countries represented, known addresses
- United States: 105,346
- Taiwan: 147
- Thailand: 126
- Canada: 113
- Japan: 64
Notable alumni
- Steve Antonopulos, head trainer, Denver Broncos
- Joe B. Hall, former men’s basketball coach, University of Kentucky
- Vincent Jackson, NFL wide receiver
- Carlotta LaNier, member of Little Rock Nine who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957
- Don Meyer, winningest men's college basketball coach
- James A. Michener, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
- Dick Monfort, co-owner, Colorado Rockies baseball team
- Jack A. Murphy, curator of geology, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- Jeannie Ritter, Colorado first lady and mental health advocate
- Aaron Smith, Pro Bowl NFL defensive lineman
- Dave Stalls, former NFL lineman; president/CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado
- Wellington Webb, first African American mayor of Denver
- Connie Willis, award-winning science fiction author