Aurora students celebrate guaranteed admission to CU Denver

AURORA, Colo. — College always felt out of reach for Alondra Garcia Peña, an Aurora Central High School student who would be the first member of her family to go to college.

Family members told her college would be difficult and expensive, she said.

This fall, Garcia Peña could be among about 900 Aurora Public Schools seniors heading to the University of Colorado Denver, made possible by a new program that guarantees admission for students who earn at least a 3.0 GPA.

Garcia Peña is on track to graduate in the spring with a 3.5 GPA, she said.

“I’m excited but I’m also very scared because it’s so new to me,” Garcia Peña said. 

She hopes to attend CU Denver next fall in the pre-medical school track so she can one day become a doctor.

CU Denver school administrators, who signed the official agreement with APS earlier this month, said they hope the guaranteed admission and waived $50 application fee will encourage more students to attend college. The school opened its applications for fall 2026 in September.

“The whole point is to open up access for students and really notify them that college is a possibility for them,” said Crysta Diaz, CU Denver director of undergraduate recruitment and admissions.

“It makes me feel so much more relief than I felt before today because I was stressing about not being accepted into any college despite my GPA being high,” said Kimberly Villalobos, an Aurora Central High School student who said she has a 3.9 GPA. Students admitted to CU Boulder average a 3.7 GPA, while students at CU Denver average a 3.23 to 3.9 GPA.

Villalobos’ parents did not attend college but both of her older sisters did. One went to CU Boulder and the other to Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Villalobos said she often felt out of place visiting her sisters at those schools because they were predominantly made up of white students.

“If I went to CU Denver, I think I would feel more like I belonged there than I would at Boulder or CSU,” Villalobos said. “I know the people there will be similar to me so that makes the whole thing feel less intimidating.”

According to CU Denver’s website, about half of its undergraduate population are students of color. Conversely, 62% of students at CU Boulder and 70% of students at Colorado State University are white.

If she receives enough financial aid, Villalobos said CU Denver is her first choice of college.

The agreement with Aurora Public Schools and Denver Public Schools does not include an increase in financial aid, said Diaz. CU Denver charges $12,573 per year for Colorado residents.

But cost, not GPA, remains the largest barrier for prospective college students. Only 33% of public undergraduate schools were considered affordable in 2024, according to the National College Attainment Network.

Inability to pay for college is often a reason students opt out of it, said Julie Montijo, Aurora Central High School College and Career Center advisor, who said students should seek out financial aid and scholarships. 

“We want them to see that college is in reach for them,” Montijo said.

So far, CU Denver is the only University of Colorado system to offer automatic acceptance to high schoolers that meet a certain criteria. The announcement comes in the wake of the school’s enrollment hitting a five-year low, with 13,370 students enrolled in 2025.

CU Denver announced the same partnership with Denver Public Schools in September. APS and DPS seniors will now receive letters notifying them of their guaranteed admission, so long as they’ve achieved a 3.0 GPA. Students still have to fill out a formal application.

In 2024, Adams State University announced guaranteed admission for high school graduates in the San Luis Valley.

Metropolitan State University of Denver also guarantees admissions for those 20 or older who’ve graduated high school with at least a 2.0 GPA or a GED.

The Aurora students admitted to CU Denver under the agreement remain eligible for merit-based scholarships and financial aid advising, and Diaz said the stress-free application process allows students to focus on paying for school instead of worrying about getting in.

Aurora Central High School receives Title 1 funding, a federal program serving low-income schools. Seventy four percent of APS students qualify for free or reduced lunch. CU Denver offers several scholarships and programs specifically for low-income students.

“It’s meeting students where they are,” Diaz said.