The University was formed in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado. It has a strong background in educating teachers, and was the third public institution of higher education in Colorado.
Northern Colorado is a member of the national Voluntary System of Accountability. The VSA is  committed to providing required information on charge of attendance, student experiences, and student learning results to prospective students.

In 1970 the School to the University of Northern Colorado changed its name to the current  which reflects the institution's expanded roles and academic offerings. UNC offers a solid liberal arts foundation, relevant professional coursework and real-world experiences in an environment where faculty and staff value personal attention as a key to learning. The university presents a broad array of undergraduate programs in the fields of arts, sciences, business, education, humanities, and human sciences. As a rule, undergraduate degrees are 4 year programs and degree programs have a strong emphasis in liberal arts education.

Almost all classrooms and lecture halls has computer, multimedia and network technology to enhance teaching and learning. The whole campus is full of technology students need to succeed.

Financial Aid
Attending the University of Northern Colorado is surprisingly affordable and there’s a variety of scholarships and need-based financial aid programs to help qualified students with their educational expenses.

Admission
If a student applies as a freshmen and does not attend Northern Colorado or any other college and changes enrollment term within one year of the original application date, no additional application or processing fee is required.

Admission requirements are the following: 1) completion of 18 total college prep units; 2) a GED score of a 550 composite; 3) students may be admissible (on a space available basis) if they do not meet college prep units above but have an index score that is admissible.