Mines Acceptance Rate and Admission Requirements (2025)

Colorado School of Mines is somewhat selective in its admission process. The acceptance rate of Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is 58%. This means that 58 out of every 100 applicants get admitted.

How Competitive are Colorado School of Mines Admissions?

Competitive: Applicants need good academics and extracurriculars.
GPA, SAT/ACT, and AP/IB courses significantly impact admission chances.
A holistic review considers essays, recommendations, and leadership roles.

Colorado School of Mines Admission Competitiveness

To secure admission, you must convince the admission staff that you are both mentally and physically fit for the course of study. More importantly, your GPA, class performance, SAT/ACT scores, and IB or AP courses can help your application stand out. Additionally, if you do not perform well in one area, you can showcase your strengths in other areas, as the Mines is not very strict in its admission process, so improving other areas will help you secure admission.

As the acceptance rate is above 50%, you still have a chance if your GPA is not excellent. You can make up for a lower GPA by scoring high on the SAT, and ACT, and taking IB or AP courses.

Additionally, a well-written letter of recommendation, your participation in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, and your interpersonal communication skills can enhance your admission chances.

Colorado School of Mines Admission Requirements

Mines GPA Requirement

The average GPA of the admitted students at Mines is 3.84. This indicates extreme selectivity in admissions.

To have strong chances, you must aim for straight A’s in all courses.

If your GPA is between 3.54 and 3.84, then you need a high SAT or ACT score to compensate. You need a minimum of 3.44 GPA to have a realistic chance of admission.

Can I Get Into Mines Without SAT Or ACT?: Colorado School of Mines considers admission test scores (SAT/ACT) during the application process but does not require them. Although it is not strictly a requirement, the test scores are considered for admission decisions. Hence, it is advisable to prepare well for the test and submit the best scores. Normally, students may appear in the test 4 to 5 times to improve their scores. Hence you are required to plan early and appear in upcoming SAT / ACT tests. Check the schedule of the test and plan accordingly. It is advisable to appear multiple times in the test unless you score well above the average SAT / ACT score of the admitted students, as given below.

Colorado School of Mines (Mines) SAT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for SAT and ACT testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them. The test score policy is already mentioned.

Colorado School of Mines Average SAT Score: 1403
The average SAT score of the admitted students at Colorado School of Mines is 1403 on the 1600 SAT scale.

Colorado School of Mines SAT Competitiveness

This score makes it very Competitive for SAT test scores. You need to do very well to score 1403 on the SAT.

Key Insight:Aim for the 75th percentile (1488 SAT or 33 ACT) to stand out. If your scores are below average, consider retaking the test. Colorado School of Mines allows Score Choice for the SAT and Superscoring for the ACT, giving you flexibility to submit your best scores.

If your score is below 1330, you must retake the SAT to improve your chances of admission to Mines. It is not strange to appear multiple times for the SAT to improve scores. Colleges don’t mind if you have appeared multiple times, but not more than 5 times.

Colorado School of Mines SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections

Section	Average	25th Percentile	75th Percentile
SAT Math	720	680	760
SAT Reading	689	650	728
SAT Composite	1403	1330	1488

It means that if you have scored less than 1330 then you are below most of the admitted students at Mines and your chances of admission are very few. But if you have scored 1488 or more, your chances of admission are higher. 25th percentile means that only 25% of the admitted students have fewer scores than this score. 75th percentile marks the score of the upper 25% of the students. View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1400

Can I get into Colorado School of Mines (Mines) with a 1500 SAT?

With a 1500 SAT Score, your chances of admission at Colorado School of Mines (Mines) are good but the admission staff at Mines tests your all-around personality and your academics. Your GPA, Class performance, SAT/ACT/Test scores, and AP or IB Courses can help your application stand out. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and interpersonal communication skills are very important. Additionally, if you cannot perform well in one area, you have a chance to showcase your strengths and abilities in other areas, improving other areas will help you secure admission. You need to show better performance in all areas. An equally high GPA, taking IB or AP Courses and your role in leadership activities will increase your chances of admission. However, if you equally compete well in all other areas, your chances of admission are high.

Colorado School of Mines (Mines) ACT Requirements

The average ACT Score at Mines is 32.

Colorado School of Mines ACT Competitiveness

This score makes Colorado School of Mines very Competitive for ACT scores. You need to do very well to score 32 on the ACT.

Colorado School of Mines ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections

Section	Average	25th Percentile	75th Percentile
ACT Math	31	28	34
ACT English	32	29	35
ACT Composite	32	30	33

Can I get into Colorado School of Mines with a 33 ACT?

With a 33 ACT Score, your chances of admission at Colorado School of Mines are good but the admission staff does not check your ACT Score only. The College Admission process tests your all-around personality and academics. Your GPA, Class performance, SAT/ACT/Test scores, and AP or IB Courses can help your application stand out. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and interpersonal communication skills are very important. Additionally, if you cannot perform well in one area, you have a chance to showcase your strengths and abilities in other areas, improving other areas will help you secure admission.

SAT Vs ACT: Which score to send

You can compare your scores in SAT and ACT to the average SAT and ACT Scores of the admitted students at Colorado School of Mines. More importantly, comparing your scores with the 25th and 75th percentiles of SAT and ACT scores will give you a better understanding of where you stand. If your score on the SAT is near the 75th percentile SAT score, then you must send your SAT score. If your ACT score is near the 75th percentile, then you must send your ACT Score.

But there is more, if both of your scores are in the same range, then it is better to send an ACT Score, as in the case of ACT, you can control which score to send as opposed to SAT.

Here is how: When sending the ACT Score, you can decide which score you want to send to the colleges. You could take 8 ACT tests, and only send your highest one. This is not the case with the SAT, where your score report mentions all of your attempts.

View a list of all colleges with an average ACT score of 32.

Mines Profile

Name: Colorado School of Mines (Mines)

City: Golden

URL: www.mines.edu/

State: Colorado

Type: Public

Zip: 80401

Campus: Main

Accredited by: Higher Learning Commission (NCACHE)

How much does a degree from Mines Cost?

The average annual cost of the degree at Colorado School of Mines is USD: 37114. As most of the students receive Pell Grants and Federal Grants the average annual net price a student has to pay at Colorado School of Mines is USD: 27978

How can I get a scholarship?

13.3% of the students are receiving Pell Grant and 35.33 percent are receiving Federal Grants. So it is a better choice to go to Mines and apply for PELL or federal loan grants.

At Colorado School of Mines, you will have no problem receiving any scholarship from the federal government. Fill in the FAFSA application form at the earliest and enlist Mines as your choice in the form.

How much a Mines Graduate make?

The average annual salary of the Mines graduate after 4-6 years of graduation is USD 97335. An average Mines graduate makes this much after 10 years of enrollment (4-6 years after graduation).

The average annual income of a graduate in the United States is USD: 40595

Less Competitive Schools

These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Colorado School of Mines. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower than the requirements of Colorado School of Mines, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School	Location	SAT	ACT
Loyola Marymount University	Loyola Marymount University, CA	1378	31
Santa Clara University	Santa Clara University, CA	1379	31
Westmont College	Westmont College, CA	1380	32
Trinity College	Trinity College, CT	1387	31
American University	American University, DC	1386	31
Wheaton College	Wheaton College, IL	1367	31
Centre College	Centre College, KY	1366	30
St. John's College	St. John's College, MD	1378	32
Clark University	Clark University, MA	1373	31
Emerson College	Emerson College, MA	1373	31

Equally Competitive Schools

These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Colorado School of Mines. If your SAT or ACT score are competitive for Colorado School of Mines, you'll be competitive for these schools also.

School	Location	SAT	ACT
Pepperdine University	Pepperdine University, CA	1399	30
Colorado College	Colorado College, CO	1402	31
United States Air Force Academy	United States Air Force Academy, CO	1401	31
University of Florida	University of Florida, FL	1397	31
University of Miami	University of Miami, FL	1409	32

More Competitive Schools

These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Colorado School of Mines. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School	Location	SAT	ACT
Occidental College	Occidental College, CA	1434	33
Scripps College	Scripps College, CA	1467	33
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus, GA	1480	33
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL	1440	32
Grinnell College	Grinnell College, IA	1480	33

Degree Programs

Bachelor Degree Programs

Full list of All degree programs offered by Colorado School of Mines.

Data on this page is sourced from IPEDS, College Scorecard's latest data as provided in 2024, US Department of Education's latest 2024 statistics, Institute's official websites and printed material as well as additional publicly available sources.