Tuition, Fees, Financial Assistance

Tuition and fees are established by the Board of Trustees of Colorado School of Mines following the annual budget process and action by the Colorado General Assembly and governor.

Tuition

The official tuition and approved charges for the academic year will be available prior to the start of the academic year and can be found online on the bursar's webpage.

Fees

The official fees, approved charges, and fee descriptions for the academic year will be available prior to the start of the academic year and can be found online on the bursar's webpage.

Payments and Refunds

Financial Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to abide by Mines payment and refund policies when registering for classes.

  • Full payment of tuition and fees are due by 4 p.m. MST on the first business day following Census Day for each term. Please see the bursar's webpage for specific semester information.
  • Students are responsible for viewing their account balance online through Trailhead. Mines generates electronic invoices only; no paper invoices will be mailed.
  • Students are responsible for dropping their courses by the published drop deadline if they don’t plan to attend. Failure to do so will result in charges incurred on the student account.

If you don’t fulfill your financial obligations:

  • At 4 p.m. MST on the due date, any unpaid balance will be assessed a 1.5% late fee.
  • An additional 1.5% late fee will be assessed to any unpaid balance each month thereafter.
  • Accounts not paid in full by the last day to drop classes are considered past due. Holds will be placed on past due accounts preventing registration, transcripts, diplomas, and access to other student records.
  • Accounts not paid in full at the end of each semester are considered delinquent. Delinquent accounts will be turned over to a collections agency in accordance with Colorado law, and all collection fees and costs will be added to the account balance. The collection agency may report delinquent accounts to the national credit bureau.
  • Students whose accounts have been sent to a collection agency must pay their balance in full and prepay for any subsequent semester before registration will be allowed.
  • Any students whose debt to Mines was written off due to a bankruptcy discharge will be required to prepay for future semesters before registration will be allowed.

Refunds

The amount of tuition and fee assessments is based primarily on each student's enrolled courses. In the event a student withdraws from a course or courses, assessments will be adjusted as follows:

  • If withdrawal from a course or courses is made prior to the end of the add/drop period for the term of enrollment, as determined by the registrar, tuition and fees will be adjusted to the new course level without penalty.
  • If withdrawal from a course or courses is made after the add/drop period, regardless of whether the student officially withdraws from Mines, no adjustments in charges will be made.

Please note: students receiving federal financial aid under the Title IV programs may have a different refund as required by federal law or regulations.

Room and board refunds are pro-rated to the date of checkout from the residence hall. Arrangements must be made with the Housing Office.

Student health insurance charges are not refundable. The insurance remains in effect for the entire semester.

Financial Assistance for Graduate Studies

Graduate study is a considerable investment of time, energy, and money by serious students who expect a substantial return not only in satisfaction but also in future earnings. Applicants are expected to weigh carefully the investment they are willing to make against expected benefits before applying for admission.

Students are also expected to make full use of any resources available, including personal and loan funds, to cover expenses, and the school can offer some students financial aid through graduate research and teaching assistantships and through industry, state, and federal fellowships.

Purpose of Financial Aid

The Graduate School’s limited financial aid is used

  1. To give equal access to graduate study by assisting students with limited personal resources.
  2. To compensate graduate students who teach and do research.
  3. To give an incentive to exceptional students who can provide academic leadership for continually improving graduate programs.

Employment Restrictions and Agreements

Students who are employed full time or who are enrolled part-time are not eligible for financial aid through the Graduate School.

Students who are awarded assistantships must sign an appointment agreement, which gives the terms of appointment and specifies the amount and type of work required. Graduate assistants who hold regular appointments are expected to devote all their efforts to their educational program and may not be otherwise employed without the written permission of their supervisor and the graduate dean. Students with assistantships during the academic year must be registered as full time. During the summer session, they must be registered for a minimum of 3 credit hours, unless they qualify for the summer research registration exception. Please see https://www.mines.edu/graduate_admissions/ for details on summer registration exception eligibility.

Aid Application Forms

New students interested in applying for financial aid are encouraged to apply early. Financial aid forms are included in Graduate School application packets and may be filled out and returned with the other application papers.

Graduate Fellowships

The departments and programs may award fellowships based on the student’s academic performance.

Graduate Student Loans

Federal student loans are available for graduate students who need additional funding beyond their own resources and any assistantships or fellowships they may receive. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed to apply for these loan funds. Students must be degree-seeking graduate students, taking courses toward their degree, and attending at least part-time (4.5 hours) per semester (including summer) to be eligible. Degree-seeking students who are approved for reduced registration (4 hours/semester fall and spring and 3 hours summer) are also eligible. Students seeking a certificate or taking undergraduate courses to prepare them for graduate courses are not eligible.

Financial aid is only able to pay towards courses that will count towards a student current degree program.  Students must be enrolled in at least half-time in those courses to be eligible for aid.

Specific information and procedures for filing the FAFSA can be found on the Financial Aid Office web site at https://finaid.mines.edu/. The Financial Aid Office telephone number is 303-273-3301, and the email address is finaid@mines.edu.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Federal Student Loans and Colorado Grad Grant

Students receiving assistance from federal or Colorado funds must make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree. Satisfactory progress is defined by maintaining adequate pace toward graduation and maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA at all times. The pace is measured by dividing the overall credit hours attempted by the overall credit hours completed. Students will be required to maintain a 75% completion rate at all times. Satisfactory standing is determined after each semester, including summer. If students are deficient in either the pace or grade-point average measure, they will receive a one-semester warning period during which they must return to satisfactory standing.

If this is not done, their eligibility will be terminated until such time as they return to satisfactory standing. Financial aid eligibility termination may be appealed to the Financial Aid Office on the basis of extenuating or special circumstances having negatively affected the student's academic performance. If approved, the student will receive a probationary period of one semester to regain satisfactory standing.

Late fee for Application to Graduate after stated deadlines - $75.

The deadline to apply to graduate and participate in commencement is Census Day of the term in which the student intends to graduate/participate.

Any request to be added to the graduation list and/or commencement ceremony after Census Day and at least five weeks prior to commencement ceremony of the appropriate semester may be made in writing and will be considered by the Office of Graduate Studies. 

If the request is denied, the student will be required to apply for the next available graduation/ceremony.  If the request is approved and all other conditions are met (i.e., degree requirements can be met, required forms are turned in, and outstanding hour limitations are not exceeded), a mandatory $75 fee will be applied to the student’s account.  This fee cannot be waived and cannot be refunded if the student does not meet the graduation checkout deadlines.

No graduate student will be added to graduation or commencement when the request is made within less than fve weeks to the commencement ceremony.