UNIV: College Success

UNIV Courses

New to college?  Worried about what to expect?  Not sure how to prepare? Relax. We’ve got you covered.

These tuition-FREE first-year courses dedicate the entire fall semester to four primary goals, helping you learn the ins and outs of college life and get prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead. In addition to developing academic skills and strategies, the class serves as your own first-year community on campus. You’ll get added support and mentoring from faculty, staff, and peer leaders. By the end of the semester, you’ll feel capable, confident, and ready for success.

  • Polish your skills and practice strategies for success. We’ll fine-tune the essentials, including writing, critical thinking, and research, and work on college survival skills like time and stress management.
  • Get connected and be supported. This is your home base to explore the campus and discover all that CU Denver has to offer. You’ll also learn from experts across campus, including the Writing Center, Auraria Library, Learning Resources Center, Lynx Center, and Career Center.
  • Be the best you in college. It isn’t all about learning class stuff, it’s also a lot of learning about YOU. We’ll work on self-exploration so you can discover your interests, leverage your strengths, define your path, and achieve your goals.
  • Discover community. CU Denver is immensely diverse and, because of that, it’s immensely awesome. You will learn to appreciate the global experiences and perspectives of our students that make CU Denver truly special, and your place within it all.

UNIV Course FAQs

    Per the university rules and regulations, CU Denver must post all tuition and fee charges for every class the student registers for. However, UNIV course tuition will be covered by the FYE office. Below are the options you have when it comes to paying your bill:

    • If you pay your bill in full, you will be reimbursed for your UNIV course once Fall Census passes.
    • If you are on a payment plan, the plan will automatically drop the balance and payments for the UNIV course once Fall Census passes
    • If you choose to pay your bill, you can choose not to pay for the UNIV course and you will see that tuition covered once Fall Census passes

    For Colorado residents: The UNIV tuition remission covers the tuition cost of UNIV post-COF (College Opportunity Fund) application. Please be sure to accept your COF authorization at orientation. COF provides a discounted per-credit hour rate for tuition for 145 total undergraduate-only credit hours, which is more than the average amount of hours needed for a CU Denver student to receive their bachelor’s degree, meaning accepting COF and having it applied to your total UNIV tuition will still allow you to access additional COF coverage for your total degree credit amount during your time at CU Denver. For more COF information, please visit College Opportunity Fund (college-assist.org) 

    Please note that only the UNIV tuition is covered - all credit-bearing fees are assessed by the university and are not covered by the tuition remission UNIV process. For a full breakdown to calculate your per-credit hour fees at the university for all your classes, please visit Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

    Students can pay their bill at any point when charges are added to their account. Please adhere to the university billing calendar for more information regarding charges and due dates. 

Fall 2026 Options

Fall 2026 options are listed below. Please be sure to read carefully, as some UNIV courses are only offered to specific student populations and majors of study. 

General Sections

These UNIV courses are open to any student, regardless of major. They’re not paired with other FYE program courses so when you choose one of them, it’s the only FYE course you will take during your first semester at CU Denver. 

CourseDay
 
Time
UNIV 1110-001 (Condensed)
 
Tuesday/Thursday 

9:30am-10:45am 

*This class is condensed, meaning the course will end after the first 8 weeks of the Fall 2026 semester

UNIV 1110-002Tuesday2:00pm-3:15pm
 
UNIV 1110-003Wednesday11:00am-12:15pm
UNIV 1110-004Thursday 9:30am-10:45am
UNIV 1110-017Thursday9:30am-10:45am
UNIV 1110-E21Online Online 

Specialized Sections

These UNIV courses are specific to certain majors and programs of study. This allows you to take a course with folks who are also in your major, allowing you to make connections with folks from day one! 

CourseDay
 
Time
UNIV 1110-015 (Computer Science Majors)Tuesdays11:00am-12:15pm
UNIV 1110-016 (Architecture Majors) Tuesdays9:30am-10:45am
UNIV 1110-018 (Architecture Majors)Thursdays2:00pm-3:15pm
UNIV 1110-005 (Criminal Justice and Public Administration Majors)Tuesdays11:00am-12:15pm
UNIV 1110-007 (Business MajorsTuesdays9:30am-10:45am
UNIV 1110-008 (Business Majors) Mondays11:00am-12:15pm
UNIV 1110-011 (Business Majors)Tuesdays9:30am-10:45am
UNIV 1110-013 (Business Majors) Tuesdays2:00pm-3:15pm
UNIV 1110-014 (Business Majors) Thursdays11:00am-12:15pm
UNIV 1110-E19 (Business Majors)OnlineOnline
UNIV 1110-E20 (Business Majors) OnlineOnline