Metropolitan State University of Denver, is a public university located in Denver, Colorado. Situated on the Auraria Campus, alongside the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver, in downtown Denver, next to Speer Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. In the fall of 2023, Metropolitan State University of Denver had a total of 16,345 undergraduate students enrolled. Metropolitan State University of Denver was established in 1965 as an opportunity school. The university is designed to be accessible to all students, with consistently low tuition compared to other four-year Colorado colleges and universities. Approximately 54% of the student population consists of students from diverse backgrounds. Metropolitan State University of Denver was at the forefront of supporting DREAMers to access higher education by offering in-state tuition rates under the ASSET bill, signed by then Gov. John Hickenlooper in the Jordan Student Success Building lobby. It garnered widespread national attention. Metropolitan State University of Denver is located on the Auraria campus along with two other higher education institutions, the University of Colorado Denver and Community College of Denver. The typical entrance to campus is located at Speer & Lawrence, situated between the North and Science buildings. The campus is strategically situated in the central business district, surrounded by popular attractions such as Ball Arena, Elitch Gardens, the Colorado Convention Center, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Larimer Square, and the 16th Street Mall. The former Callie Maher brewery, shut down in 1969, has been transformed into the Tivoli Student Union. It now includes the Tivoli Brewing Company Taphouse, catering to all three schools on campus.