Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver orMetro State) is apublic university inDenver, Colorado, United States. It is located on theAuraria Campus, along with theUniversity of Colorado Denver and theCommunity College of Denver, in downtown Denver, adjacent to Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. In the fall 2025 semester, MSU Denver had an enrollment of 17,111 undergraduate students and 1,225 graduate students.[4]
The MSU Denver Jordan Student Success Building opened to students during the Spring 2012 semester
Metropolitan State University of Denver was founded in 1965 as anopportunity school. By design, MSU Denver is required to be accessible to all, which is why it consistently has some of the lowest tuitions of four-year Colorado colleges and universities. Nearly 54% of the student body are students of color.[6]
MSU Denver was the first university to advocate forDREAMers to have a chance at higher education by providing in-state tuition rates under the ASSET bill, signed by then Gov. John Hickenlooper in the Jordan Student Success Building lobby.[7][8] It made national headlines.[9][10][11][12]
MSU Denver shares the Auraria campus with two other higher education institutions, theUniversity of Colorado Denver andCommunity College of Denver. The traditional main entrance to campus is Speer & Lawrence between the North and Science buildings.
Laura Niesen de Abruña was named provost effective January 25, 2024.[14]
On June 7, 2002, GovernorBill Owens signed House Bill 1165 –Concerning the Establishment of an Independent Governing Board for Metropolitan State College of Denver – and named his appointees to MSU Denver's board of trustees.[15][16]
MSU Denver'sstudent government operates under the name "The Student Advocacy Council" (TSAC).[17]
MSU Denver isaccredited by theHigher Learning Commission (HLC). Several programs and units are accredited by disciplinary-specific organizations, including:
The then-Metropolitan State College of Denver Board of Trustees on March 9, 2011, approved a legislative proposal to change the institution's name to "Denver State University" following a vote among students and faculty.[24][25]
University of Denver administration and faculty publicly objected to "Denver State University" as MSU Denver's new name.[26][27][28] As a result of this, the board of trustees decided to cancel the planned name change. Some community members objected and viewed this change of plans as allowing a private university (University of Denver) to decide the fate of a public one (MSU Denver).[29][30]
MSU Denver has produced 239 All-Americans and was one of the seven charter members of the Colorado Athletic Conference in 1989 before joining theRocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 1996. MSU Denver competed as aNAIA member until 1983, when the Roadrunners jumped to theNCAA Division II ranks. Since 1998, MSU Denver has captured 32 regular season conference titles, 35 conference tournament championships, as well as the 2000 & 2002 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championships and the 2004 and 2006 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer national crowns.
