Current Student FAQs

Course Registration

Dates and deadlines: *this list is not exhaustive, please ensure that you are reviewing the Academic Calendar*

  • August 14th: Fall registration opens for all students at 精品SM在线影片. Make sure that you are enrolled in your fall courses to reserve your spot in the required courses for your degree.
  • August 15th:
  • Sunday, August 17:听 International Student and Scholars Orientation
  • Monday, August 18:听Graduate Student Orientation
  • Monday, August 18th at 5:00 p.m.: ATLAS Welcome BBQ at the *note this is a different location from last year!! Join the ATLAS community (future classmates, returning students, faculty and staff) to kick off the semester! We will be catering food from a local BBQ spot.
  • Tuesday, August 19th at 10:00 a.m.: ATLAS new student orientation
  • Mid-August: Fall 2025 bills available to view online.
  • Thursday, August 21st: First day of classes
  • Thursday, August 28th: last day to register for dissertation credits, independent study, SI practicum, and internship.
  • Friday, August 29th- last day to
    • Add/swap a class
    • Waitlist for a class
    • To be automatically enrolled from the waitlist
  • Friday, September 5th : Fall 2025 tuition due
  • Friday, September 5th: last day to:
    • Change your course鈥檚 variable credits
    • Change a class to no credit
    • Drop a class without penalty
    • Withdraw with 100% refund

If you are not planning on enrolling in a given semester, please submit a听Leave of Absence (LOA). If you do not enroll or apply for LOA before the first day of classes, your student status will be deactivated and require you to reapply for the program.

厂耻产尘颈迟听 on or before August 28th and our staff will get you registered. Your registration will be added in the order received. Please give a few days to see the class on your BuffPortal. Completing the form does not guarantee that you will be able to get into the class, so you should have a backup option.听

If you have any concerns or questions, email Josh Hughes, ATLAS curriculum coordinator:听Josh.Hughes@colorado.edu

Complete the below on or before August 28th. Independent study can be taken as an elective and count towards your degree for up to 6 credits. You will need to identify a faculty member to collaborate with on creating an outline of what you plan to complete during the semester, along with goals, expectations and measurable outcomes.听

  1. Identify the ATLAS faculty member you will work with.
  2. Download and fill out the.
  3. Get required signatures.
  4. Upload the completed form to听 submission -听do not submit a paper copy.

Review the听Graduate School Rules when planning independent study. 鈥淚ndependent study course work cannot exceed 25 percent (rounded to the nearest whole number) of the course work required for the master鈥檚 degree.鈥

No, you cannot take these courses for automatic credit. However, you听could听take them as part of your independent study as long as the faculty member overseeing your independent study agrees to it. You will need to work it out with them directly and outline it in your agreement.听

According to听Graduate School Rules, PhD students are considered full-time as follows:

  • Students enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits of graduate level coursework (Pass/Fail or grade) prior to passing the comps (proposal defense)
  • 8 credits of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework prior to passing the comps.
  • At least one doctoral dissertation credit prior to passing the comps.
  • A minimum of 5 dissertation hours after passing the comps.

According to听Graduate School Rules听MS students听are considered full time as follows:

  • One who is enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits of graduate level course (Pass/Fail or grade)
  • 8 credits of combined undergraduate and graduate course work
  • At least one MS Thesis credit
  • At least one 鈥淢S Candidate for Degree鈥

Review the听ATLAS Current Student page and refer to the checklist for your subplan.

Review the听ATLAS Current Student page and refer to the checklist for your subplan. Unless you have a written confirmation from Ruscha or Bridget, you are expected to have all of the core requirements by the time you graduate.

You can find ATLAS courses on the听Course Offerings page. We do our best to collect syllabi from the faculty, but it can change from year to year. Near the start of the semester, you will get emails from Canvas, CU鈥檚 learning platform, where you will be able to see the structure of the course. In your first semester, we ask all faculty to go over the syllabus in some way during the first week of classes. If you have any questions about the course itself, reach out directly to the faculty. Or connect with current students to get their opinion.听

Fall 2025 Graduation Information

  • Due September 29th:听The Candidacy Application for an Advanced Degree is due to the Graduate School. Applications follow a workflow process and must be approved by the academic department before they are directed to the Graduate School. Applications received after this date may not be processed in time for that semester鈥檚 commencement.
  • Due October 1st:听Apply online to graduate through听on the 鈥渁pply for graduation鈥 card. Must be done whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony.
  • Due October 23rd: 鈥淓xam date鈥 must be set and sent to the graduate school - talk with Ruscha about this.听
  • Visit the graduate school鈥檚 website听for full dates and deadlines for December graduation.
  • Due October 1st:听Apply online to graduate through听on the 鈥渁pply for graduation鈥 card. Must be done whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony.
  • Due November 6th:听Last day for final examination or defense of dissertation. The process must be initiated a minimum of two weeks before the exam for Graduate School review and approval of the committee. Learn more and initiate the form on the听graduate school website.

Financial Aid / Billing / Scholarships

Everything you need to know about understanding your bill, making payments and getting refunds can be found through the听bursar鈥檚 office.听

Review the billing dates and deadlines for details on when you can expect your fall 2025 tuition bill. The scholarship office recommended us to wait until the first day of classes (August 21) to issue scholarships. With processing time, you can expect the scholarship to be added to your billing account about a week after (generally by August 29).

If it is after August 29th, please connect with Ruscha Cohen to ensure that the form was submitted properly with your information.听

If you decide to pay your bill prior to the scholarship being added to your account, you will receive a refund through your direct deposit or in a check mailed to your mailing address on file. If you decide to wait to pay your bill until the scholarship is added, please know that you still need to adhere to the bursar鈥檚 deadlines to avoid any late fees.听

Direct deposit allows the University to provide you with a refund directly to an account of your choosing. Otherwise, they will mail you a check to the address that is on file. They only send the check once, and often don鈥檛 tell you it was sent. So if they have the wrong address or an old address on file, or if something goes awry with the mail, you will not get your money back.听

Miscellaneous Questions

If you need hourly parking, you can park in the听 (Park Mobile Zone 63205)鈥攗nless the spots are specifically labeled as reserved, you are able to park there. In looking at the听student parking map, lots 204 and 310 are closest to the Roser ATLAS building. If you can鈥檛 get into those lots that are closest to the building, there are free campus buses that can get you to the Roser ATLAS Center from different spots on campus.听

You cannot drive directly to the building since Colorado Ave is closed for except for university buses and affiliates.听

Congratulations! Check out the听ATLAS Current Student page for financial support.听听

The room in the grad lab is not designed to be reserved. Students can take meetings in the space as needed and should be mindful to not use the space for too long. If you need a quiet space, you can reserve a spot in听. There are also smaller study spaces in the UMC and in the CASE building鈥攁ll very close to ATLAS.

The听ATLAS Current Student page has information on how to reserve the Hackery (ATLS 208). If you have another space in mind, start by reaching out to Sara Preston:听sara.preston@colorado.edu

The听CU Anthem Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (also called SHIP) provides annual coverage, and听you will be automatically enrolled unless you actively opt out. The coverage is active as long as you are enrolled in one (1) or more graduate credits and provides on-campus services, mental health coverage, dental, vision, and pharmacy services. Any questions you have about the plan should be directed to the听Student Insurance Office:听

Any questions you have about the plan should be directed to the听Student Insurance Office:听

  • Off Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations:
    • Phone: 303.492.7053听
    • Email: och@colorado.edu
    • website
  • You may also check out the below at your own discretion:
    • Zillow
    • Airbnb
    • VRBO
    • Daily Camera (local newspaper)
    • Facebook groups like Boulder Creative Housing, University of Colorado - Boulder (CU) Housing & Rentals, and Boulder, CO Rentals, Apartments, Housing, Rooms, Sublets, Roommates are all active
    • Whatsapp
    • Other social media platforms

Save the date! There is an on-campus job fair on听. You can also start searching for jobs on听CU's Handshake App. On-campus jobs need to be posted for at least 3 days, and there will be many positions that pop up once the semester starts.听

CU offers discounts on听Linkedin learning,听Google Career Certificates听, and a听听to help you boost your resume.

Additional Contacts

Ruscha Cohen will be taking on the advising portion of the program while Bridget is out in fall 2025. You can reach out to her directly if you have any questions about the program or need assistance with any of the below information.听

  • Student Support and Case Management (SSCM): Reasons to contact SSCM - Concern for mental health, hospitalization (physical or mental health), suicidal ideation, harm to self or others, loss of a loved one, family emergency, food insecurity, housing insecurity, threatening behavior.
  • The Office of Victim Assistance (OVA) has open hours each semester for connecting with a counselor. You can also content them for an appointment time.
    • OVA provides free and confidential information, consultation, support, advocacy and short-term counseling services to students, graduate students, faculty, and staff who have experienced a traumatic, disturbing or life disruptive event, including but not limited to crime, discrimination, assault, sexual assault, partner abuse, harassment, stalking and other types of traumatic experiences.
    • Located at the Center for Community, N450 or 24/7 by phone at (303) 492-8855
  • OEIC addresses situations of discrimination. They can consult about how to handle the situation or address people who have exhibited discriminatory behavior.
  • Attend a screening session at听Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS)
    • 303-492-2277 鈥 CAPS 24/7 phone number for urgent mental health concerns
  • Academic Live Care - free remote therapy for students (just use promo code)
    • This is often the easiest route for support as students can usually get in without much wait.
  • Ombuds serve as a good place to surface, voice, discuss and clarify university-related concerns. We listen without judgment, help people untangle issues, develop options and strategize. We provide an impartial perspective and maintain what is shared with us in strictest confidence. Visitors to our office choose their path of resolution.