On April 14, Colorado State College becomes the University of Northern Colorado.

The Graduate School introduces the Doctor of Arts (D.A.) degree.

Candelaria Hall and Butler Hancock are completed.

The Board of Academic Control finally agrees to employ an A, B, NC, and I grading system for graduate courses, starting in January 1973.

The institution names its $5 million library and media resource center the James A. Michener Library.

From 1974-1981, the graduate-oriented summer program begins an alarming 39.6% decline. While adverse publicity from a plagiarism issue and the battle of standards contribute to the drop, the real culprit is the significant tuition hike for out-of-state students attending Colorado colleges. Over the same period, the number of in-state students increase. Out-of-state undergraduate students pay 100 percent of the cost, while out-of-state graduate students pay 110 percent, making their tuition more than four times that of in-state students.

Purple and gold are designated the academic colors, and UNC’s diplomas would display both hues, while blue and gold are named the athletic colors.

To improve the level of graduate studies at UNC, an evaluation team called the “Blue Ribbon Panel,” made up of one professor and two deans from three respected Big Ten schools, visits campus to evaluate dissertations and graduate student records.