Coach Deion "Prime" Sanders: The Newest CU Boulder Applicants

Colorado is familiar with avalanches–almost like a snowball gathering momentum as power and force intertwine to become something infinitely greater than its original form. For CU Boulder, records were broken after we saw over 68,000 applicants for the 2024 fall semester, over a 20 percent increase from the year prior.

In the wake of Coach Deion ‘Prime’ Sanders’s arrival to Boulder, there has been an undeniable spotlight placed upon the university, helping garner national attention and visibility. Yet, this has also shined a light on lack of diversity to the overwhelmingly white campus.

CU Boulder’s assistant vice chancellor of admissions revealed that the 2024 applicant pool has had a historical surge as it simultaneously represents the most diverse group of students in all of the school’s existence.

The statistics shared that applications from Black and African American students have surged by approximately 50.5%, Latino and Hispanic students by 25.6%, and nearly 15% by American Indian and Alaskan Native students. All in all, a remarkable uptick of almost 30% non-white applicants has been comparable to the previous year.

When speaking with students on this matter, two Colorado natives expressed differing views when asked about their thoughts with the peak in diverse applicants amongst the hiring of Coach Prime.

Sophomore, Emily Gomez, who is a member of the American Medical Women’s Association, was sure to reflect on the university’s growing diversity, saying, “Coming from a family with immigrant parents, it makes me feel valued to see more students like me around campus and I think this is even more important than sports. It’s encouraging to see students from different backgrounds in your classroom.”

With that, challenges have presented themselves, particularly to ensure there are enough accommodations for the increasing demand regardless of diversity.

Sophomore, Elise Grantoff, expressed her thoughts, saying, “It is undoubtedly exciting to see how our school has really got on the map, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about overcrowding or our resources being stretched thin.”

These students bring up the importance of proactively addressing the infrastructure and resources CU Boulder will need to sustainably accommodate this growing population. Even beyond the logistical considerations, this influx of applications also coincides with a societal shift surrounding the prioritization of diversity and inclusion in higher education.

For alumni like Steven Roberts who studied strategic communications, the increase in diversity goes much deeper than the surface. “I mean, a 20% increase is unbelievable! When I attended CU, a diverse student body was something we sorely needed. We live in a world that needs to understand how important it is to be around individuals who are not like you and it has to go beyond the conversation of athletics.”

This growth has captured the attention of educators, policymakers, and prospective students across the globe. With over 51,000 acceptance letters being sent out, CU has accepted 35,000 non-resident students and nearly 3,000 international students, according to the associate vice chancellor for enrollment.

Still, it is said that applications to Boulder have been steadily increasing since 2012, making it unclear weather or not this major surge has a string attached to Coach Prime.

Now more than ever, pursuing a college degree is viewed to be a pathway towards career advancement and socioeconomic mobility. The current era of economic uncertainty and the fluctuating job market confirms this.