Prospective Parent and Family Hub

The Block Plan is one of the first things families ask about—and one of the things our students come to appreciate most about Colorado College. 

The pace here is certainly different, but it also allows students to receive frequent feedback from professors, develop strong relationships with classmates and faculty, and devote their energy to one subject at a time. 

Our faculty teach differently on the Block Plan—they don’t just take lesson plans and lectures that would work on a semester system and use them on the Block. Teaching on the Block means reinventing the way one teaches. It means going deep on the most important topics rather than teaching many topics superficially. 

Can learning on the Block Plan be stressful? Of course, but so can taking four or five classes at a time.

Every student has a challenging class at some point. The advantage of the Block Plan is that support happens quickly.

Because professors work closely with students every day, they often recognize when a student needs help long before they would in a traditional semester. Faculty, academic advisors, tutors, and support staff work together to help students get back on track.

If things really go wrong in a class, students have until the day before class ends to switch from taking the class for a grade to taking the class credit/no credit. Our advisors and faculty don’t recommend that students take advantage of that option frequently, but it’s there when students need it. And if a student has to drop a block? We offer a Wild Card block—one tuition-free block over the summer.

And because each course lasts just 3½ weeks, students begin a new class—and a new opportunity to succeed—every block.

Yes. About 40% of Colorado College students are majoring in a STEM field, and our graduates regularly pursue medical school, graduate programs, and careers in STEM fields.

Students benefit from close faculty mentorship, undergraduate research opportunities, dedicated pre-health advising, and hands-on learning experiences—including work in our cadaver lab. The immersive nature of the Block Plan also allows students to spend extended periods in laboratories and the field (including study abroad), experiences that are often difficult to schedule in a traditional semester, especially for STEM students.

We believe finances shouldn't stand in the way of a Colorado College education. That's why we meet 100% of every admitted student's demonstrated financial need through a combination of grants, work-study, and student loans. In addition, students at the top of our applicant pool are offered a $15,000 annual merit scholarship, and we offer additional merit scholarships covering up to the full cost of attendance through a competitive application process. 

Students from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah may also qualify for our most robust need-based support through the Four Corners Pledge. 

We encourage every family to use our Net Price Calculator to estimate their costs and connect with our Financial Aid Office to discuss their individual circumstances.

The safety and wellbeing of our students is one of our highest priorities. Students are supported by:

• 24/7 Campus Safety officers who provide patrol, emergency response, and campus support. 

• A partnership with the Colorado Springs Police Department, including additional patrols near campus and police support for special events. 

• A campus-wide emergency notification system that sends text, phone, email, and web alerts during emergencies. 

• Residential Life staff, Safe Ride, bystander intervention education, and ongoing prevention and safety programs. 

We encourage families to review our Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and Daily Crime Log to better understand both our safety practices and our campus crime statistics.

Supporting student wellbeing is an important priority at Colorado College. The Student Health Center, operated in partnership with UCHealth, provides routine and urgent medical care, while the Counseling Center offers individual counseling, group counseling, medication management, workshops, and referrals to specialized care when needed. Students also have access to 24/7 telehealth counseling through TimelyCare, including immediate support through TalkNow from anywhere in the world. 

In addition, the Wellness Resource Center offers frequent workshops on topics like stress management, healthy relationships, substance use, sleep, and sexual health.

Students don't have to change who they are to find community at Colorado College.

Colorado College students come from different backgrounds, pursue different interests, and define success in different ways. There isn’t one “CC type.” Some students are researchers, artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians, or outdoor enthusiasts. Many are several of those things at once.

What they tend to share is a willingness to engage—with their classes, with one another, and with new experiences. They step into unfamiliar territory, explore interests they didn’t expect to discover, and support their classmates’ passions even when those interests are different from their own.

Students build community through more than 100 clubs and organizations, club and intramural sports, outdoor programs, student employment, cultural organizations, music ensembles, volunteer opportunities, and leadership programs. Many also find connection through identity-based communities and affinity groups.

The result is a campus where students are encouraged to explore who they are, take meaningful risks, and grow into the people they want to become.

Colorado College combines the community feel of a small college town with the opportunities of a growing city.

With around 750,000 residents, the Pikes Peak Region offers students access to internships and community engagement opportunities across industries including aerospace, technology, sports management, nonprofits, health care, and more, while still feeling approachable and easy to navigate.

Downtown Colorado Springs is just a few blocks from campus and is accessible on foot, bike, scooter, or via our free local bus, the Zeb. Students grab coffee, meet friends for dinner, attend a concert, or explore local shops without needing a car. The downtown area has the feel of a close-knit community, with local businesses, neighborhood events, and a growing arts and food scene. 

Our sold-out hockey games at Ed Robson Arena give students frequent opportunities to come together with CC alumni, families, and community members to cheer on the Tigers.

A lot! Colorado College graduates pursue careers and advanced degrees across a wide range of fields, from medicine and technology to business, education, government, and nonprofit work. The combination of the Block Plan with the liberal arts gives CC graduates the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and adapt quickly—skills that employers and graduate programs value in a changing world. 

With the help of our Career Center, students receive guidance at every stage, from exploring possible paths and finding internships to preparing for graduate school applications and launching their careers.

Check out our First Destinations and Postgraduate Pursuits, Five Years Out surveys, as well as our alumni magazine, The Peak, for more on what our graduates are up to.

• First-year students may not bring cars to campus.
• Starting in their second year, students can bring a car but must purchase a campus parking permit.

• Colorado Springs Airport: Just a quick 20-minute ride from campus, with ride-share options available.
• Denver International Airport: About 90 minutes away, with reliable service from Groome Transportation.
• For school breaks like Fall Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break, CCSGA organizes bus transportation to Denver International Airport, but space is limited and reservations fill quickly.

• New student housing selection (including roommates) begins in early summer, after the full first-year class is admitted and enrolled.
• On-campus housing is required for a student’s first three years, ensuring a strong community experience.
• Returning students begin the housing selection process in late fall.

• All students living in traditional residence halls (which includes all first-year students) are enrolled in the full meal plan, offering access to meals at the dining hall and campus cafés. Students living in on-campus apartments (available to some upperclass students) enroll in the apartment meal plan, offering more flexibility to cook for themselves.
• Learn more about dining options and menus through Bon Appétit, our dining provider.

• Students must completely move out of their rooms for Summer Break, as residence halls are used for conferences and academic programs.
• On-campus storage is not available. Students are encouraged to: 
  • Take items home for the summer.
  • Rent space in a local storage facility.
  • Consider door-to-door summer storage or shipping services.
• Bike and ski storage: Most students store their outdoor equipment (including skis, snowboards, mountain bikes, and road bikes) in their residence halls. Bikes that are used daily for transportation around campus and Colorado Springs are often stored outside on a bike rack but must be locked with a high-quality lock, as bike theft is a problem on our campus.
• A bike shed for locked, outdoor storage of gear exists at Matthias Hall, but space is limited. 

• First-year students will be automatically registered for their first four blocks (fall semester) and will receive their first-semester schedule before arriving on campus in August. Their First-Year Program courses are chosen for them and may not be changed. In mid-October, students will work with their Hub Advisor and Faculty Advisor to register for Blocks 5 through 8 (spring semester).
• Working with their Hub Advisor and Faculty Advisor, students register for their fall courses in the middle of the spring semester and spring courses in the middle of the fall semester. 

• Outdoor Education runs hundreds of outdoor trips and skill development courses each year. Students register for trips and courses through an internal platform called Summit.
• Students can rent gear through the Ahlberg Gear House. The Gear House has a broad inventory of gear, and rental rates are well below market.
• The closest ski resorts to Colorado College are two to two and a half hours away. The Freerider’s Union organizes bus transportation to a variety of Colorado ski resorts on Saturdays during ski season; buses leave campus early in the morning and return to campus the same evening. The cost of a bus ticket is $5 roundtrip. 
• Epic and Ikon ski passes are available through the Freerider’s Union at a discount, and passes purchased through the Freerider’s Union enable the Union to give away deeply discounted passes to students with financial need.