For the second time, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has named CU Denver | CU Anschutz a First-Generation-Serving Institution. The designation recognizes schools that help uplift first-gen students and demonstrates CU Denver’s student-focused public service obligation to expand access to all learners.
CU Denver is one of 10 four-year Colorado institutions that earned the recognition by having an average first-gen resident undergraduate student population that is higher than the statewide average during the most recent three years of available data. As of early 2026, half of CU Denver’s learners are the first in their families to attend college. Thirteen two-year colleges also received the designation.
First-gen students and alums like Isabella Luna and William Navarrete Moreno found success at CU Denver in part because of the variety of resources the university offers to support them on their academic journey. Some of those resources include the Lynx Summer Academy, Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs, the Business School’s First-Generation and Multicultural (FaM) Program, and more.