Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO · Public · Large suburb · Carnegie R1/R2 · CSM · Mines
Public institution in Golden, CO · 5,801 undergraduates · 60% acceptance rate · $97,335 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 2%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- Top 3%Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- Top 8%Median ACT
- Top 9%Full-time retention
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $29,2401,697th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $21,1861,164th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $44,3761,729th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $38,5561,178th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $23,000997th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $97,33542nd highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $82,95052nd highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 79.4%230th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 93.0%172nd highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 59.7%405th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 140397th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 3176th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 5,801438th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,598th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 13.3%1,993rd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 30 mi (DEN)
On 3 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 1
- RDJan 15
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $50
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 17 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $88,785 | $77,213 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $77,124 | $78,971 |
| Mining and Mineral EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $75,518 | $77,715 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $72,022 | $70,886 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,618 | $64,865 |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $67,995 | $58,673 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,473 | $63,463 |
| Engineering PhysicsEngineering | bachelors | $67,420 | $59,124 |
| Metallurgical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $66,701 | $67,420 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,600 | $66,541 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $61,516 | $63,666 |
| Geological/Geophysical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $57,619 | $55,770 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1873source
- Athletic nickname: "Orediggers"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Blue and Silversource
- Mascot: Marvin the Miner / Blaster the Burrosource
- Motto: "Nil sine numine (Latin)"source
- Formerly known as "Territorial School of Mines" (1874–1876)source
- Athletic conference: Rocky Mountainsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Fight song: ""The Mines Fight Song""source
- Notable alum: George Saunderssource
Athletics — 12 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $5,444,981 (M $3,606,263 · W $1,838,718)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitemines.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 126775)
- Compare colleges in CORe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in ColoradoEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Colorado School of Mines vs University of Northern ColoradoHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 12 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.