Who We Are

As a major economic engine in Colorado, the CSU System is focused on growing Colorado's economy.

We plan to do this through our new strategic plan, Our Commitment to Building a Stronger Colorado, by focusing our teaching, research and service to transform Colorado's future. The plan has four initiatives driven by performance and measurable results. Learn more >>>

The CSU Campuses

The Colorado State University System has three campuses, each with very distinct roles and missions.

The CSU campuses serve the state, region, country, and the world, educating nearly 37,000 new and returning scholars annually. Highly-skilled graduates number more than 6,800 a year, and more than 200,000 alumni live around the globe. The CSU System involves a total operating budget of $800 million, with annual research expenditures totaling more than $300 million.

Colorado State University in Fort Collins, a doctoral-granting research university, was founded in 1870 as the state's land-grant institution. CSU has four unique statewide service entities (Colorado State Forest Service, CSU Extension, Agricultural Experimental Centers and the Colorado Water Institute), and a student body of 26,348. CSU is home to several top centers and programs, including the top-ranked veterinary medicine program in the nation.

Colorado State University-Pueblo serves as a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and is Colorado's fastest growing university with a student body of more than 5,000.

CSU-Global Campus
is the first statutorily independent fully online university in the country. CSU-Global provides opportunities for non-traditional students who have the motivation and desire to earn a degree or to advance their knowledge through one of the most convenient online offerings.

Unique Statewide Presence
The CSU System is unique in that CSU has extension offices in 59 of the 64 Colorado counties. No other institution in the state can claim this level of service focused on the varying needs extending to every corner of Colorado.

The CSU Extension offices deliver community-oriented research-based information, educational and 4-H programs.

The Board of Governors and the CSU System Chancellor work to further the roles and missions of its three universities to ensure campus leadership has the resources to be vital contributors to the economic development of the state. Work force education, research funding, statewide public service and new business and product development are some of the areas where the institutions are excelling.

For a historical perspective on CSU's essential role as a land-grant university, please click here.