Colorado School of Mines

Colorado School of Mines logo
#1130 / #330
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#595
Most Desirable School
Public university in Golden, Colorado, U.S.

Colorado School of Mines at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#330
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
61%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$22,658
Graduation rate
82%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
6,155

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Colorado School of Mines Featured Rankings

About Colorado School of Mines

According to Wikipedia, Colorado School of Mines is a public research university in Golden, Colorado founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on energy and the environment. While Mines does offer minor degrees in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, it only offers major degrees in STEM fields, with the exception of economics. In the Fall 2023 semester, the school had 7,101 students enrolled, with 5,443 in an undergraduate program and 1,658 in a graduate program. The school has been co-educational since its founding; however, enrollment remains predominantly male . It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

Colorado School of Mines Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
9,82161%93%82%140031

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Colorado School of Mines Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$22,658
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$21,504
30K - 48K$22,896
48K - 75K$23,913
75K - 110K$28,115
110K+$38,429

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Colorado School of Mines Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Colorado School of Mines students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $102,077 a year, and 96% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Colorado School of Mines's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
8,1036,1061,997

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Colorado School of Mines?

Colorado School of Mines is located at 1500 Illinois St, Golden, CO 80401.

How Safe is Colorado School of Mines?

Relative to its enrollment, Colorado School of Mines has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of 0.14%. Golden has a violent crime rate of 0.12% and a property crime rate of 2.42%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Colorado School of Mines Known For?

Colorado School of Mines is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Colorado School of Mines's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Colorado School of Mines's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Engineering
#428
World Rank
#453
Historical Rank
#106
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #106 in the U.S. and #428 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Earth Sciences
#417
World Rank
#439
Historical Rank
#106
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #106 in the U.S. and #417 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Chemistry
#806
World Rank
#832
Historical Rank
#178
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #178 in the U.S. and #806 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Physics
#825
World Rank
#866
Historical Rank
#195
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #195 in the U.S. and #825 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Mathematics
#861
World Rank
#926
Historical Rank
#214
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #214 in the U.S. and #861 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Economics
#1327
World Rank
#1337
Historical Rank
#262
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #262 in the U.S. and #1327 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Computer Science
#1214
World Rank
#1218
Historical Rank
#289
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #289 in the U.S. and #1214 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Business
#1122
World Rank
#1123
Historical Rank
#324
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #324 in the U.S. and #1122 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Education
#1686
World Rank
#1691
Historical Rank
#397
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #397 in the U.S. and #1686 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Sociology
#2332
World Rank
#2340
Historical Rank
#688
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #688 in the U.S. and #2332 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Psychology
#2902
World Rank
#2917
Historical Rank
#1106
USA Rank

Colorado School of Mines ranks #1106 in the U.S. and #2902 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees

Who Are Colorado School of Mines's Most Influential Alumni?

Colorado School of Mines's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Chemistry. Here are some of Colorado School of Mines's most famous alumni:

George Saunders
George Saunders
An American writer .
John P. Allen
John P. Allen
A Systems ecologist and engineer, metallurgist, adventurer and writer.
Arden L. Bement Jr.
Arden L. Bement Jr.
An American nuclear engineer.
Vance Haynes
An American archaeologist.
Arthur S. Adams
An American academic .
Purnomo Yusgiantoro
An Indonesian politician.
Jan D. Miller
An American metallurgical engineer.
Roger J. Phillips
An American geophysicist .
Keith A. Kvenvolden
An American geochemist.
Kennda Lynch
An American astrobiologist and geomicrobiologist.
James Taranik
A Geologist.
Souad Naji Al-Azzawi
Souad Naji Al-Azzawi
An Iraqi academic and environmentalist.

Who Are Colorado School of Mines's Most Influential Faculty?

Colorado School of Mines's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Chemistry. Here are some of Colorado School of Mines's most famous faculty:

Jennifer Wilcox
Jennifer Wilcox
An American chemical engineer.
Kennda Lynch
An American astrobiologist and geomicrobiologist.
Kamini Singha
A Researcher ORCID ID = 0000-0002-0605-3774.