International Students
Our international community is representative of over 40 countries and nearly 150 students. No matter where you are in the world, we hope you can see yourself making Colorado College your next home. As one of the top liberal arts and sciences colleges in the U.S., our graduates take the skills they learned and nurtured here and use them to make a positive impact around the globe.
Want to be a part of the next generation of CC changemakers? Keep reading.
International vs. Domestic
If you do not hold U.S. citizenship and will be seeking an F-1 visa or will remain on another visa status during your time at Colorado College, you will apply as an international student.
If you have dual citizenship with the U.S., are a permanent resident, are a DACA and/or undocumented student living in the U.S. and not seeking an F-1 visa, and/or are an American citizen who lives abroad, you will apply as a domestic student. You are still welcome to attend our International Student Orientation and connect with international organizations on campus.
Our application process is largely similar across citizenship cohorts. Both international and domestic applicants may use the same application platforms (the Common Application or Coalition/Scoir Application) and apply with the same deadlines.
Application Requirements
Please submit all required items by your decision plan deadline for full consideration by our admission committee. There is no fee to apply to Colorado College.
We accept the Common Application or Coalition/Scoir Application.
We require your transcript(s) through the end of your penultimate year of secondary school at the time of application. Eventually, we will also require your mid-year grades (first semester or trimester of final year) and final end-of-year grades. Official transcripts issued in languages other than English must be translated into English by a certified translator.
Your counselor will also submit a school report, which will help us better understand your high school's available curricula and student demographics.
A counselor letter of recommendation is recommended. If a school counselor cannot submit this letter, two teacher recommendations are required.
In addition to your required college essay (also known as personal statement), we also recommend an optional short supplemental essay.
Prompt: One of the benefits of Colorado College’s Block Plan is the opportunity to immerse yourself fully in a single subject for 3.5 weeks. We see this as the luxury of focus—the joy and value of directing your full attention to one thing. Tell us about a time when you experienced this kind of deep focus in an academic or extracurricular setting. What were you doing and how did it turn out?
Optional: If you’d like to share the outcome—a project, performance, paper, or other result—you may upload a document or provide a URL.
Your response will be limited to 300 words.
We require one teacher evaluation (also known as a letter of recommendation), preferably from your penultimate year teachers in core subjects—English or language arts, math, science, social studies, or world language. We will accept additional recommendation letters from teachers, supervisors, coaches, and others. Please ask your recommenders to upload letters through application software platforms or email them to admission@coloradocollege.edu. You may not submit them yourself.
Colorado College is test-optional.
However, if your native language is not English, or if you are applying from a school where English is not the primary language of instruction, we require that you submit evidence of English proficiency. We will consider your highest score.
Please submit the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo directly from the testing agency. Colorado College’s institution code for ordering TOEFL score reports is 4072.
If you cannot afford to send official test score reports from the testing agency, you can ask your guidance counselor (or other most appropriate school administrator or EducationUSA officer) to send us your test scores by one of the following methods:
- Via the Common Application (preferred method). Counselors can submit a copy of your score report when they submit your Secondary School Report and high school transcript
- As an email attachment sent to us. The counselor’s name and email must match the Secondary School Report portion of your application
We will consider applicants who provide official scores more favorably. However, if these required language exams are not available to you, you can request a waiver after you apply by emailing admission@coloradocollege.edu. Please be sure to include your full name as it appears on your application and your date of birth.
We do not provide fee waivers for English language proficiency exams.
Colorado College is test-optional. We believe in empowering you to share information with us that best represents your academic abilities and potential. SAT or ACT scores are not required for admission and if submitted, are only part of a comprehensive, holistic review that also includes careful assessment of personal accomplishments, community involvement, and writing.
You can choose to opt-in to include SAT or ACT scores as part of your application. We will only use submitted test scores if they enhance your chance of application.
If you choose not to submit test scores or submit scores that do not strengthen your application, we will place greater emphasis on your academic performance.
Please visit our Test-Optional page for more information regarding our testing policy.
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Decision Plans & Deadlines
You may choose to apply through Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Action. Early Decision is a binding method of application where you commit to attending prior to receiving an offer of admission. Early Action and Regular Action are non-binding and you will have until May 1 to respond.
| Decision Plan |
Deadline | Decision Released | Candidate Reply |
| Early Decision I |
November 1 | Mid-December | January |
| Early Action | November 1 | Early January | May 1 |
| Early Decision II |
January 15 | Mid-February | March |
| Regular Action | January 15 | Mid-March | May 1 |
FINANCIAL AID
Our application portal will specifically ask you if you will be applying for financial aid. (You might see this called "need-based financial aid." It means the same as "financial aid.") You must apply for financial aid at the time of applying; you cannot change your mind on this for an additional two years if you mark "no."
Once you indicate yes, you will have a financial aid checklist on your Applicant Portal.
Please note: International applicants seeking financial aid comprise our most competitive group of applicants each year. We are only able to fully fund a handful of students out of thousands of applicants.
We determine eligibility based on your submitted financial aid materials.
- If you attend a United World College (UWC) and are applying for financial aid, you will need to complete the CSS Profile.
- We only issue CSS Profile fee waivers for UWC applicants.
- If you do not attend a UWC and are applying for financial aid, you will have the option to submit either the CSS Profile (and pay any College Board-assessed fees) or the Colorado College ISFAA, which you may access through your applicant portal. If you do not see the ISFAA on your portal checklist, please scroll down within your portal homepage to ensure that you've first submitted the Required Financial Aid Supplement.
Please visit the financial aid website for more information.
Visa Advising
Our International Student & Scholar Services team organizes an International Student Orientation prior to New Student Orientation and will also support you with your visa application process. Please feel free to contact them at isss@coloradocollege.edu.