Colorado School of Mines vs. University of Colorado Boulder

A side-by-side comparison of Colorado Mines and CU Boulder — acceptance rates (58.0% vs. 70.7%), SAT scores (1340–1460 vs. 1130–1370), tuition, financial aid, and majors, drawn from each school's official Common Data Set.

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Colorado MinesGolden, CO

Acceptance rate

Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.

58.0%acceptance rate
Applied
10,886
Admitted
6,314
Enrolled
1,515

Early action

Colorado Mines offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Colorado Mines is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1340
50th Percentile
1400
75th Percentile
1460

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
30
50th Percentile
31
75th Percentile
33

Class rank

Where Colorado Mines's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class57%
Top quarter of class87%
Top half of class98%

Based on the 43% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Colorado Mines does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Colorado Mines weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Colorado Mines's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$39,529
In-State
$61,609
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$20,040$42,120
Room & Board
$16,110$16,110
Other Expenses
$3,379$3,379
Total
$39,529$61,609

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$17k
$30–48k~$18k
$48–75k~$22k
$75–110k~$28k
$110k+~$35k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants13.6%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
26%
Avg. Package
$17,211
Avg. Need Met
67%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Engineering
Computer & Information Sciences
Mathematics & Statistics
Physical Sciences
Biological & Life Sciences
Social Sciences
Engineering
77.9%
Computing
16.9%
Math & Stats
3.4%
Physical Sci
0.9%
Life Sci
0.6%
Social Sci
0.3%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

17:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return94%
Graduate within six years81%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$100k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$23k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Colorado Mines’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 10 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
93%
In Fraternities
6%
In Sororities
6%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Large suburb
Location
Golden, CO

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
4523J
4622F
5429M
6035A
6945M
8155J
8761J
8459A
7651S
6439O
5330N
4523D
Snow a year
63 in
Precipitation a year
19 in
Days at 90°F or above
28
Days below 32°F
133

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, RALSTON RSVR, CO US station, 5.4 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

68%
32%
Male
3,907
Female
1,825

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White68.8%
Hispanic12.2%
Other11.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander5.8%
Black1.2%
Native American<1%
CU BoulderBoulder, CO

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

CU Boulder CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from CU Boulder CDS (Fall 2025).
70.7%acceptance rate
Applied
73,180
Admitted
51,716
Enrolled
7,397

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state81.3%
14,650 admitted of 18,030 applicants
Out-of-state67.4%
37,065 admitted of 54,968 applicants
International76.2%
2,378 admitted of 3,121 applicants

Early action

CU Boulder offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

CU Boulder is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1130
50th Percentile
1260
75th Percentile
1370

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
27
50th Percentile
30
75th Percentile
32

Class rank

Where CU Boulder's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class26.3%
Top quarter of class57.6%
Top half of class87.7%

Based on the 41.3% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. CU Boulder does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How CU Boulder weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from CU Boulder's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$38,552
In-State
$69,596
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$15,014$46,058
Room & Board
$19,242$19,242
Other Expenses
$4,296$4,296
Total
$38,552$69,596

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$14k
$30–48k~$14k
$48–75k~$19k
$75–110k~$27k
$110k+~$35k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants14.5%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
28%
Avg. Package
$23,118
Avg. Need Met
72%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Engineering
Biological & Life Sciences
Social Sciences
Communication & Journalism
Psychology
Computer & Information Sciences
Visual & Performing Arts
Other
Business
17%
Engineering
13%
Life Sci
12%
Social Sci
9%
Comm
9%
Psychology
9%
Computing
7%
Arts
4%
Other
20%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

19.5:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return91%
Graduate within six years74%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$77k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$20k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

CU Boulder’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 29 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
95%
In Fraternities
9%
In Sororities
22%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
Boulder, CO

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
4722J
4822F
5729M
6335A
7143M
8351J
8857J
8656A
7948S
6637O
5528N
4621D
Snow a year
93 in
Precipitation a year
21 in
Days at 90°F or above
33
Days below 32°F
138

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, BOULDER, CO US station, 1.2 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

52%
48%
Male
17,748
Female
16,353

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White66.4%
Hispanic14.1%
Other10.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander6.5%
Black2.2%
Native American<1%

Writing your Colorado Mines or CU Boulder application essay?

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Colorado Mines vs. CU Boulder: frequently asked questions

Colorado Mines is more selective: it admits about 58.0% of applicants, compared with 70.7% at CU Boulder. Both are competitive, and your odds depend on far more than the overall rate.

The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1340–1460 at Colorado Mines and 1130–1370 at CU Boulder on the SAT. Treat the ranges as a benchmark — a score inside or above a school's range keeps you competitive there.

Colorado Mines has the lower published price for out-of-state students — $42,120 in tuition and fees versus $46,058 at CU Boulder, a gap of about $3,938 a year before financial aid.

Colorado Mines graduates a higher share of its students within six years — 81% versus 74% at CU Boulder.

Neither — about equally. Both Common Data Sets rate the application essay important, so the same draft does the same work in either application.

Source: Colorado School of Mines Common Data Set 2022-2023. Figures transcribed 2026-06-10. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Colorado Mines. Banner photo by Luke Jones, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

Source: University of Colorado Boulder Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-26. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with CU Boulder. Banner photo by Laura Scudder (Laurascudder), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).