³Ô¹ÏÍø

The ³Ô¹ÏÍø of Colorado Boulder Rural Network (CUBRN)

At CU Boulder, undergraduate students from Colorado’s rural communities and small towns contribute a rich diversity of experiences, perspectives, and ideas to our campus. Their presence strengthens our university community and enriches learning for all.

According to data from CU Boulder’s Office of Data Analytics (Fall 2025), using the CDHE Rural Classification guidelines and the CCDC’s NCHS Urban–Rural Classification Scheme:

• Total rural undergraduate students: 1,615
  Ìý
• 4.8% of all full-time, undergraduate students
  Ìý
• 24.7% identify as students of color
  Ìý
• Students come fromÌý47 U.S. states

The ³Ô¹ÏÍø of Colorado Boulder Rural Network MissionÌý

TheÌýCU Boulder Rural Network (CUBRN) exists to increase access and support for students from rural and small-town communities across the country enrolled at CU Boulder. We are committed to fostering student success, strengthening campus connections, and supporting CU Boulder’s mission to serve the entire state of Colorado.

The CU Boulder Rural Network is a cross-campus group of CU Boulder professionals who support access to and success through the ³Ô¹ÏÍø of Colorado Boulder for students from rural communities, as well as promote the ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s charge to serve the entire state.Ìý CUBRN focuses on issues of access and recruitment, retention and student success, and advocacy and awareness of rurality across the CU Boulder community.

The goals of these engagement opportunities are to spread awareness of rural students as an important population at CU Boulder, amplify the unique perspectives and contributions of rural students, provide a space to engage and make connections with other rural students, and make students aware of the support offered through CUBRN and other university resources.

Our Commitment

CUBRN is a cross-campus coalition of faculty, staff, and campus leaders who:

• Advocate forÌýequity and belonging for rural and small town students
  Ìý
• Build awareness ofÌýrural and small town identity as an underrepresented experience
  Ìý
• Focus onÌýaccess and recruitment,Ìýretention and success, andÌýcampus advocacy

CUBRN launched inÌýApril 2020 following university-wide conversations that identified the need for a coordinated approach to supporting rural students and recognizing rurality as an important and often overlooked identity in higher education.

What We Offer

CUBRN provides a range of opportunities and resources, including:

• Support forÌýCU Boulder students who self-identify as rural or small-town
  Ìý
• AÌýcampus network of students, faculty, staff, and allies with shared rural experiences or commitments
  Ìý
• Resources and programming forÌýfamilies, educators, and community supporters
  Ìý
• Events and engagement that fosterÌýcommunity, visibility, and belonging

Shared Responsibility

CUBRN is grounded inÌýShared Equity Leadership (SEL), where responsibility for equity is distributed across students, staff, and faculty. Together, we work to build a university culture where:

• Everyone’s voice is valued
  Ìý
• Equity-deserving* communities receive intentional support
  Ìý
• All participants help shape the network’s vision and values

*"Equity-deserving" refers to communities that have historically faced and continue to face barriers to equal opportunities, access, and resources due to systemic disadvantage and discrimination.