In the Colorado Revised Statutes, the University of Colorado Denver Downtown Campus is defined as follows:
The University of Colorado Denver Downtown Campus shall be an urban comprehensive undergraduate and graduate research university with selective admission standards. The Downtown Campus shall offer baccalaureate, masters, and a limited number of doctoral degree programs, emphasizing those that serve the needs of the Denver metropolitan area. The Downtown Campus has statewide authority to offer graduate programs in Public Administration and exclusive authority in Architecture and Planning.
The fundamental purposes of the Downtown Campus are to:
Provide students with learning opportunities that will enhance the quality of their lives, that will make them well-educated citizens, that will lead to rewarding careers, and that will provide Denver and Colorado with a workforce able to compete in the global economy.
Develop research, scholarship, and creative work that will advance the base of knowledge in our disciplines and that will contribute to the vitality of our culture and/or economy.
Apply the university's skills and knowledge to real problems in the Denver metro area.
Build and maintain an institutional culture of plurality, collegiality, integration, and customer service.