Navigating Mines: A Guide to Dining Plans, Meal Options, and Scholarships

The Cost of Attendance at Mines is a thorough budget that includes all of your financial needs for the academic year. Tuition, mandatory fees, and on-campus housing and food (meal plans) are among the expenses that Mines directly assesses. You will also have additional individual costs during the school year, such as books, course materials, and allowances for personal and transportation expenses. The Cost of Attendance includes these allowances so you can use financial aid to cover these "living expenses." It ensures you have enough money to cover all aspects of college life, not just tuition and fees.

Understanding the Cost of Attendance

To fully prepare for the financial aspects of university life at Mines, it's vital to break down the Cost of Attendance. This comprehensive budget covers everything from tuition to personal expenses, ensuring students can manage their finances effectively.

Non-Resident Tuition: $44,760. This is the cost the school charges for instruction.
Mandatory Fees: $3,204. Mandatory fees help fund student clubs, organizations, and the student recreation center.
Housing: $10,922. This is the cost for a double room in any residence hall. All first-year students are required to live on campus.

Read also: Cost of Attendance at Mines
Food: $7,978. This cost is for the Marble meal plan. All first-year students living on campus are required to have a meal plan.
Personal Allowance: $1,650. This out-of-pocket expense covers things like entertainment, clothes, and other personal items.
Transportation Allowance: $1,400. This out-of-pocket expense can vary depending on the student and covers transportation once the student is on campus.

All rates are per person per semester and are charged on a semester basis.

On-Campus Housing and Associated Costs

All first-year students are required to live on campus. Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, the monthly rates for the Village at Mines Park will include utilities. The rates listed below include laundry, internet, water, gas, electric, and trash removal. All units and bedrooms are furnished. This fee is assessed to all students living in the Residence Halls, 1750 Jackson Street, Lookout Apartments, and The Village at Mines Park and is a required fee. Optional bike, ski, and storage lockers are a flat, nonrefundable fee once a year of $150, paid at the start of the academic year.

Navigating Meal Plan Options

A resident meal plan is required for all students residing in the Residence Halls as part of their room and board contract. All rates are per person per semester and are charged on a semester basis.

You’ve got a lot to focus on around campus: classes, studying, work, and extracurricular activities. You shouldn’t have to plan all your meals, as well. Choice meal plans are not required for residents living in 1750 Jackson, Lookout Apartments, and The Village at Mines Park; however, they may be beneficial for you!

Understanding Meal Plan Mechanics

Munch Money: Need more Munch Money? Munch Money rolls over from fall to spring semester.
Meal Swipes: Meal Swipes work for anyone with the Gold or Silver Meal Plans. They cannot be used with the Platinum Unlimited Plan. Any additions, upgrades, or substitutions can be paid for using DBDs, MinerBucks, or Credit/Debit. Note: Purchases at campus convenience stores cannot be made with meals, and must be made with DBDs, MinerBucks, or a debit/credit card. Note: Unlimited meals can only be used in Social House at TJ.
Changing Meal Plans: Students will be given an opportunity the first two weeks into both Fall and Spring Semester to change their meal plan. Students will need to visit the housing portal in order to change their meal plan.

Distinguishing Between Meals and DBDs

Meals Example: The Gold Plan is 400 meals for the year, but 200 for each semester. If you only use 180 meals in the fall semester, those extra 20 meals will expire and will not carry over to spring. Then you will start again with 200 meals for the spring semester.

DBDs: You get half of your DBDs at the beginning of the Fall semester, then the 2nd half at the beginning of the Spring semester.

DBDs Example: For the Bronze Plan you get 3,590 DBDs for the year, so 1,795 at the beginning of each semester. If you only spend 1,000 of those in the fall semester, the rest will carry over to the spring semester in addition to the other half leaving you with 2,590.

Scholarship Opportunities at Mines

Mines offers a variety of scholarships to help students finance their education. These scholarships are supported by the generosity of donors through our Mines Foundation.

Merit-Based Awards

When you apply for admission, you have the chance to receive either the Provost Award OR the President’s Scholarship. These awards are offered to help cover tuition and fees, and the amount will depend on your residency status. If your residency changes, your award amount will also change.

Renewable Scholarships

Renewable Scholarship: This scholarship is renewable for a total of 8 consecutive semesters, equivalent to 4 years of fall/spring undergraduate coursework. It only applies to undergraduate tuition and fees.
Award Amounts: The annual award amounts vary depending on your residency status. If you are a Colorado resident, the award is between $1,000 and $2,000 annually.
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000.
Renewable Scholarship: This scholarship is renewable for a total of 8 consecutive semesters, equivalent to 4 years of fall/spring coursework. It only applies to tuition and fees.
Scholarship Amounts: The annual scholarship amounts vary depending on your residency status. If you are a Colorado resident, the scholarship can range from $3,500 to $7,000 annually.
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.500.

Coverage Details

Coverage: This funding covers full-time (15 credit) tuition and mandatory semester fees after the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend, Mines Admission award (if applicable), Pell Grant, and/or the Colorado Grant. If students attend less than full time, the award will adjust to actual tuition and mandatory semester fees after COF.

General Scholarship Application

You are invited to complete the General Scholarship Application! You must complete this application first before viewing or applying to other Mines scholarships. The application is available in the Scholarship Portal, found at my.mines.edu. Completing the general application as early as possible opens more opportunities for other scholarship applications. The general application is not required for the Provost Award or President’s Scholarship. The priority date for completion is March 1st. Review of applications will begin at that time.

If you receive additional scholarship awards from non-Mines sources your Mines scholarship will not be reduced unless the outside scholarship is specifically for tuition and fees or the amount is more than the cost of attendance. Outside scholarships may affect other need-based assistance Mines offers based on the information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

The Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship is available to transfer students. If you are a member of Phi Theta Kappa and are pursuing your first bachelor’s degree, you may be eligible for a scholarship from Mines. Citizen or Permanent Resident.

Scholarship Renewal: The Phi Theta Kappa scholarship is awarded for 3 years (6 semesters) of undergraduate coursework for fall/spring semesters. This scholarship does not apply to summer. Your Phi Theta Kappa scholarship will automatically renew each academic year as long as you maintain a minimum 2.500 cumulative GPA.

General Scholarship Application You are invited to complete the General Scholarship Application! This application is not required to be evaluated for the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship. The general application is available in the Scholarship Portal, found at my.mines.edu. The priority date for completion is May 1st for the Fall semester. Need help with navigating the portal?

Coverage: This funding covers full-time (15 credits) tuition and mandatory semester fees after the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend, Mines Admission award (if applicable), Pell Grant, and/or the Colorado Grant. If student attends less than full time, the scholarship will be adjusted to actual tuition and mandatory semester fees after COF.

Disability Support Services (DSS)

Disability Support Services (DSS) works collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to minimize barriers and support an accessible campus community. When barriers to access occur, Disability Support Services works one-on-one with students to determine accommodations and facilitate access to programs and services. This includes academic, housing, dining, and temporary accommodations for incoming and currently registered students.

DSS recognizes students with temporarily disabling conditions which are a result of injuries, surgery, or short-term medical conditions may require access to services and resources provided by the DSS office. The process to request accommodations includes submitting an online request, meeting with a DSS specialist, and providing any available disability documents. DSS uses a variety of sources of information to assist in determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Students are asked to submit any disability documentation they would like DSS to review as part of the accommodation request. Disability documentation may consist of assessments, reports, diagnostic evaluations, and letters from qualified professionals (e.g., healthcare providers, psychologists, diagnosticians, licensed mental health clinicians). In addition, copies of accommodations approved at previous schools such as 504 plans, IEPs, or standardized exam accommodations can be helpful sources of supporting documentation.

Types of Accommodations

A DSS specialists will work one-on-one with you to determine reasonable accommodations that are designed to mitigate the unique impact of your disability/disabilities. Reasonable accommodations may be approved to address disability-related barriers you may face in regard to Mines housing, dining, and academics.

Transfer Students and Accommodations

I’m a transfer student; will I receive the same accommodations at Mines that I had at my previous institution? Accommodations are determined through the interactive process and do not automatically transfer from one institution to another. DSS specialists work with you to determine reasonable accommodations at Mines. I already have an IEP/504 plan from high school. Accommodations from high school will likely look different in a higher education setting. Please refer to Accommodations in High School vs. College for more information.

Requesting and Receiving Accommodations

How long does it take to be approved for accommodations? Typically it takes 2-3 weeks to meet with a DSS specialist and determine accommodations. You can request accommodations at any time; however, some accommodations are limited based on availability (e.g., housing accommodations). Some accommodations require more coordination than others and could be subject to availability at the time of the request. Students initiate the process to request formal DSS accommodations and can include their parents/guardians to the extent they choose.

Important Information Regarding Accommodations

Accommodations are not retroactive. Students are responsible for notifying professors of their approved accommodations through the AIM student portal. This should be done once registered and at the start of each semester.

No, DSS does not offer evaluation or diagnostic testing services. Students seeking diagnostic services should work with their doctor or provider if applicable.

Confidentiality

Yes. DSS is dedicated to preventing unauthorized access to information, maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality of information and ensuring the appropriate use of information. DSS strives to put in place appropriate safeguards to secure the information we collect in all formats: on paper, electronically, and verbally. These practices are consistent with the policies of the university as well as applicable laws and regulations. DSS office complies with FERPA guidelines.

Challenge Program

Challenge is an intensive and exciting four-week summer bridge program that prepares a cohort of up to 30 incoming first-year students for the academic rigors of Colorado School of Mines. Generously funded by our corporate partners, all costs for the four-week Challenge Program are free to students, including room and board, textbooks, class materials, and transportation to off-campus activities.

Challenge students engage in daily classes, workshops, and activities during the four-week program. You will take Mathematics 100 (Pre-Calculus) and Chemistry 111 (Intro to Chemistry), as well as weekly Engineering Design labs and skill-building workshops from departments across the Mines campus. These courses and workshops introduce you to a variety of campus resources, the science of learning, test preparation, stress management, time management, financial aid services, career planning, and other tools to aid in your success at Mines. You will also have the opportunity to participate in team-building activities and a service outreach project designed to help build community and social awareness.

Challenge is made up of both fully admitted students and conditionally admitted students.

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