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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Colorado School of Mines Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/colorado-school-of-mines/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/colorado-school-of-mines/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/colorado-school-of-mines/admissions/)[Majors](/school/colorado-school-of-mines/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/colorado-school-of-mines/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Colorado School of Mines cost after financial aid?

Colorado School of Mines publishes a cost of attendance of $40,560. That figure includes $21,914 in resident tuition and fees and $17,531 for housing and meals.

Nonresidents pay $45,824 in tuition and fees. For aid recipients at the university, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $28,690.

That average net price sits $14,622 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $11,870 against the sticker price.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,206 for affordability among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The affordability pillar sits in the 15th percentile.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $28,690 for first-time, full-time students on an in-state basis. That is $14,622 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 15th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lowest income band averages $16,849 and the highest averages $35,112, a spread of $18,263.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans, $1,771 above the median for comparable institutions. Price and debt both run above their peer medians, pointing the same way.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) average $16,849. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $18,162 in the $30,001–$48,000 band, $22,192 in the $48,001–$75,000 band, $28,183 in the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $35,112 for families earning over $110,000.

13.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $18,263.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$16,849

**$30–48K**
$18,162

**$48–75K**
$22,192

**$75–110K**
$28,183

**$110K+**
$35,112

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$28,690**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands shows lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at lower incomes, though the increase across the bands is steady.

The lowest band averages $16,849 against a published cost of $40,560, while the highest band averages $35,112. The $18,263 spread between the two ends describes a pricing structure that tilts toward lower-income families.

But the average net price for the lowest band still sits above the peer median for comparable institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Colorado School of Mines is $40,560. Azimuth ranks the university #1,206 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $16,849, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $22,192, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $35,112. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $18,263.

Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $28,690, which is $14,622 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans. That is $1,771 above the $21,229 peer median.

91.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $53,505 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is the norm at Colorado School of Mines: 91.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For those who complete, the median federal student loan debt is $23,000.

That median runs $1,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program are a separate population, with a median of $53,505.

Graduates of Colorado School of Mines earn a median of $100,252 four years after completing a degree, and they earn about $15,633 more than the model expects for similar students. The earnings advantage is substantial: the median sits at the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and the beyond-expectations result is at the 92nd percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a typical outcome of $100,252, with a downside of $90,466 and an upside of $123,662. The median federal debt at completion is $23,000, which is $1,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $53,505. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$53,505

**Estimated parent payment**
$680/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$23,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$53,505

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$261/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$680/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$941/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $100,252, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.0%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=colorado-school-of-mines#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.