Colorado School Of Mines

Published cost of attendance is $40,560. After need-based aid, low-income families pay approximately $16,849, middle-income families pay around $22,192, higher-income families pay approximately $35,112.

Azimuth ranks Colorado School of Mines #1217 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions, in the 14.6 percentile. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $23,000; families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $53,505.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $100,252, median federal debt projects to a monthly payment of about $260 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios, use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.

Graduates of Colorado School of Mines earn median 4-year earnings of $100,252, placing Colorado School of Mines in the 94.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $56,249 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn about $16,580 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Colorado School of Mines in the 93.7 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Colorado School of Mines #66 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings pattern at Colorado School of Mines is anchored in engineering and applied science disciplines, which together account for the large majority of degree output. Mechanical Engineering stands out as the program combining the broadest cohort scale with some of the strongest four-year earnings at the institution, making it a key driver of the school's overall return profile.

The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 304 students with median earnings of $97,087 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #44 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) — at 1.1x the national benchmark for the field. Computer Science and Chemical Engineering follow a similar pattern, with 202 and 155 graduates earning $127,217 and $94,598 respectively — Azimuth ranks Computer Science #61 and Chemical Engineering #72 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering and Petroleum Engineering round out the top programs, each delivering four-year median earnings of $106,012 and $116,691 respectively, with national rankings of #92 and #5 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The concentration in Engineering — with Engineering representing 78% of graduates, other STEM fields at 92%, and Social Sciences at 25% — helps explain why Colorado School of Mines's graduates consistently outpace the earnings of similarly credentialed students at comparable institutions.

Colorado School of Mines's program mix is defined almost entirely by engineering and applied science — a focused, technically oriented portfolio that reflects the institution's identity as a specialized STEM university. Engineering accounts for 78% of graduates, with other STEM fields and Social Sciences representing 92% and 25%, respectively.

Across 14 programs serving roughly 1,186 students annually, the institution's degree output is among the most concentrated in engineering and physical sciences in the Azimuth coverage set. The program anchoring the institution's strongest aggregate return is Mechanical Engineering, which combines meaningful cohort scale with some of the highest median earnings four years after enrollment at Colorado School of Mines.

Among the most popular programs, Mechanical Engineering program graduates 304 students with median earnings of $97,087 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks the program #44 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Computer Science and Chemical Engineering follow as large programs, with graduates earning $127,217 and $94,598, respectively, four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks Computer Science #61 and Chemical Engineering #72 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The highest-earning programs at Colorado School of Mines cluster in petroleum, mining, and advanced engineering subfields — pathways where graduates enter the workforce directly and four-year earnings reflect strong labor-market demand. Computer Science leads with median earnings of $127,217 four years after enrollment; Azimuth ranks the program #61 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Petroleum Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering also post strong early-career figures of $116,691 and $106,012, respectively — Azimuth ranks Petroleum Engineering #5 and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering #92 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These are high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways aligned with energy, mining, and engineering sectors; the [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these fields track against national labor-market trends.