Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado · Also known as Mines · Website
$97,335
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$97,335
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Colorado School of Mines is a public 4-year college in Golden, Colorado with 6,155 undergraduates and 1,849 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $28,690 a year (tuition and fees $21,914 in-state, $45,824 out-of-state). It admits 61% of applicants and 82% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $97,335 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$28,690
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$21,914
Out-of-state $45,824
Admission rate
61%
US median 78%
Completion rate
82%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,000
About $244 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$97,335
Rank 58 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $28,690
- Tuition in-state
- $21,914
- Tuition out-of-state
- $45,824
- Cost of attendance
- $40,560
- Students with a need-based grant
- 14%
- Students with federal loans
- 32%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $16,849
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,162
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $22,192
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $28,183
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $35,112
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $17,353 in 2015-16 to $21,914 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 61%
- Average SAT
- 1,412
- SAT reading, middle
- 685
- SAT math, middle
- 705
- ACT, middle
- 31
- Undergraduates
- 6,155
- Graduate students
- 1,849
- Part-time students
- 3.6%
- Women
- 32%
- Students per teacher
- 18
- Completion rate
- 82%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 88
- Endowment
- $386.4M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 58 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 69 in Colorado (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CO median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $28,690 | $17,042 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $21,914 | $9,958 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 61% | 89% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 82% | 62% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,000 | $11,008 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $82,950 | $36,984 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $97,335 | $42,169 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 91% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 90% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
88 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 321 | $23,000 | $74,145 | $97,087 | $92,135 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 222 | $22,500 | $86,268 | $127,217 | $107,009 |
| Chemical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 149 | $26,798 | $68,318 | $94,598 | $98,158 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $23,402 | $70,301 | $94,228 | $86,517 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 80 | $21,500 | $80,815 | $106,012 | $100,647 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 68 | $20,500 | $102,686 | $147,702 | $145,571 |
| Metallurgical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | $25,745 | $78,984 | $94,902 | $92,722 |
| Petroleum EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | $26,500 | $77,400 | $116,691 | $104,823 |
| Engineering PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $21,500 | $72,858 | $97,497 | $89,154 |
| Mechanical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 52 | $30,500 | $89,093 | $115,085 | $115,974 |
| Geological/Geophysical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $27,000 | $68,694 | $88,484 | $77,880 |
| Systems EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $144,565 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsMaster's | Master's | 40 | $23,150 | $85,338 | $123,855 | $125,651 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesMaster's | Master's | 35 | Withheld | $79,523 | $109,407 | $79,463 |
| Applied MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $21,500 | $50,398 | $98,190 | $91,532 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $23,250 | $69,102 | $87,278 | $81,171 |
| EconomicsMaster's | Master's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,743 |
| Civil EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 28 | Withheld | $74,174 | $93,132 | $98,323 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health EngineeringGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Geological/Geophysical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 27 | Withheld | $81,719 | $102,007 | $94,646 |
| Chemical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $115,468 |
| Mining and Mineral EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $113,005 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Metallurgical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $113,209 |
| Data ScienceGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Golden and Colorado on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Colorado
- Homes: Homes for sale in Colorado
Questions and answers
How much does Colorado School of Mines cost?
$28,690 a year is the average net price at Colorado School of Mines after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $21,914 for in-state students and $45,824 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $40,560. Families earning under $30,000 pay $16,849 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Colorado School of Mines?
61% of applicants are admitted to Colorado School of Mines. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,412 and the middle ACT score is 31. The median admission rate of colleges in Colorado is 89%.
How much do Colorado School of Mines graduates earn?
$97,335 a year is the median pay of former Colorado School of Mines students who work, 10 years after they started ($82,950 after 6 years). That ranks 58 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 69 in Colorado. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Science (Master's) at $102,686.
How much student debt do Colorado School of Mines graduates have?
$23,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Colorado School of Mines graduates, about $244 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 32% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Colorado School of Mines?
82% of first-time, full-time students at Colorado School of Mines finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Colorado School of Mines?
Mechanical Engineering (321 bachelor's graduates), Computer Science (222 bachelor's graduates), Chemical Engineering (149 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 88 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.