Consideration for Admission
All transfer applicants are considered using the same admission requirements and are included in the same selection process. If you have attended both international and U.S. colleges or universities, both your international and U.S. courses and grades will be considered. You may also be required to demonstrate English proficiency.
$76,000 average starting salary for Mines bachelor’s grad
Course transfer from Colorado community colleges with articulated agreements (see below)
Numerous research opportunities available to transfer students
Strong connections with MEP, Veterans Alliance and Non-Traditional Student Alliance
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
International transfer students go through the same application and review process as any other transfer student*. For more information and a detailed list of admissions requirements, please see the table below. When you apply, you must report all international coursework as it would appear on your international academic records.
*International students must meet additional requirements including: syllabi, official course-by-course credential evaluation and official passing English proficiency scores.
- Completion of Calculus I, II and III
- Completion of Chemistry I and II (with labs), dependent on major
- Completion of Calculus-based Physics I and II (with labs), dependent on major
- GPA of 3.25 or higher (out of 4.0)
- Completion of trigonometry and enrollment in Calculus I or higher
- Enrolled in and/or completion of Chemistry with lab and/or Physics I with lab
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (out of 4.0)
Please Note:
- Credits earned more than 10 years in advance of admission will not transfer.
- Online application
- Non-refundable $75 USD application fee (submit via applicant portal)
- Official credential evaluation* and transcript(s) from all colleges attended
If admitted:
- Official evidence of English proficiency (if using TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores, they must be sent directly from the testing agency)
- Upload syllabi or detailed course outlines for any international courses completed to your applicant portal
- Final, official high school transcript or copy of GED – applicants pursuing a second Bachelor’s degree are exempt from providing high school transcripts.
*only required if you attended a university outside of the U.S.
One-on-one advising sessions are available to help you determine your requirement needs as a prospective transfer student! These thirty-minute advisement sessions are available on Tuesday through Friday at 10:00am and 2:00pm and cover unofficial transfer credit evaluation..
If you are unable to make these days/times, you can schedule an advisement by emailing admissions@mines.edu.
Transcript Requirements
To complete your application, ask your college/university to send us your official transcript electronically or by email to admissions@mines.edu or upload an unofficial college transcript via the Supplemental Materials section of your Applicant Portal.
Credential Evaluations
All students who have attended a university outside of the U.S. are also required to submit a credential evaluation to complete their application. A credential evaluation is a comparison of your academic record to standards in the U.S., a verification of validity and a translation of your grades to the U.S.-style system. Please view the following information for a list of exceptions and a detailed explanation of what is needed and how to obtain an evaluation.
Other details:
- All international transcripts must be accompanied by a certified English translation and course-by-course (aka document-by-document) credential evaluation. The cost for an evaluation ranges from about $160-200 USD.
- The preferred evaluation agencies are:
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE),
- World Education Services (WES)
- SpanTran (use this link to obtain our partner discount), and
- International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
- but you may use any National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member that performs course-by-course credential evaluations. Remember to designate Mines as a copy recipient of your evaluation.
- After the evaluation agency completes your evaluation, it will be sent to us electronically.
For questions, please email admissions@mines.edu.
We prefer transcripts to be sent to us electronically, but if you need to use a postal mail service, our address is:
Colorado School of Mines
Undergraduate Admissions
1812 Illinois St. Golden, CO 80401
English Proficiency Requirements
International applicants whose native language is not English (identified by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs) must provide evidence of English language proficiency if they are accepted and decide to enroll at Mines. U.S. Permanent Residents are exempt from this requirement. The English proficiency requirement may be fulfilled by meeting one of the following:
TOEFL
Colorado School of Mines institution code: 4073. Students whose native language is not English must submit acceptable TOEFL scores as part of the application process. Mines requires a minimum score of 79 Internet-based test with minimum section scores as shown below. Tests must have been taken within the past two years to be accepted. If you have multiple valid TOEFL tests, we will superscore your section scores if necessary.
Subject | Internet TOEFL (iBT) |
---|---|
Reading | 20 |
Listening | 21 |
Writing | 17 |
Speaking | 21 |
Total | 79 |
TOEFL AT-HOME TEST: We will accept the TOEFL At-Home Test with the same score requirements as those listed above. This test is now available in most countries.
IELTS
Minimum overall band of 6.5 with no band below 6.0. We are now accepting the IELTS Indicator At-Home Test with the same score requirements. This test is now available in most countries. If you have multiple valid IELTS tests, we will superscore your band scores if necessary.
Duolingo English Test
The Duolingo English Test is an acceptable test of English proficiency. A minimum overall score of 105, with no subscore below 100 is required for all applicants.
Cambridge English
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency exams with a minimum score of 176, with no skill below 169.
Exceptions
- Applicants who have completed their junior and senior years in a U.S. high school within two years with an SAT ERW score of at least 550 or an ACT English score of at least 23.
- Applicants who have completed four years of high school in a U.S. high school and have graduated within two years.
- Applicants holding a Bachelor’s degree or who have completed a minimum of 30 transferable semester credits including 3 credits of freshman English composition at a college or university in one of the English-speaking countries listed in the chart below within the last two years.
- You are a citizen of one of the following English-speaking countries:
ANTIGUA and BARBUDA NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALIA NIGERIA BAHAMAS NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS BELIZE PHILIPPINES BOTSWANA SAMOA CANADA SOUTH AFRICA GHANA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO IRELAND UGANDA JAMAICA UNITED KINGDOM LIBERIA UNITED STATES MAURITIUS ZAMBIA
DETERMINING COURSE TRANSFERABILITY
In order to determine if your international credits will transfer to Mines, you must first apply and be admitted to Mines. Once admitted, please submit all syllabi (aka course descriptions) from all courses taken internationally and they will be reviewed with your credential evaluation for credit transfer.
A couple of general guidelines:
- Check to see if your school is recognized by your country’s Ministry of Education (or the appropriate government agency) or a U.S. accrediting agency. The school must be well recognized in order for us to accept any credit.
- You must also be enrolled in a university-level academic degree program comparable to a U.S. Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. Terminal vocational or technical programs are often not transferable to Mines even if taken at recognized institutions.
- Determine if your courses are similar to any of the ones offered at Mines. We will only consider transfer credit for courses that are similar to those offered at Mines. You can obtain descriptions of Mines courses in our catalog, If you cannot find a comparable course at Mines, then look in the catalogs of the other Colorado campuses. A course may also be transferable if it is offered somewhere in the Colorado system but most likely will only be for free elective credit.
- Remedial academic subjects, such as English taught as a second language and high school level math, are not transferable.
Whether or not you believe your coursework will be transferable, you will be required to report ALL college and university coursework undertaken in your application. No final decisions on transfer credit will be made until you officially apply and enroll at Mines.
Admission Information for Specific Countries and Educational Systems
The information in this section is intended to supplement admission requirements for first-year and transfers, not replace them.
13-Year Educational Systems
If pre-university education is 13 years long in your country, you must complete all 13 years before entering Mines. You must graduate from secondary school in your country earning a certificate of completion that enables you to attend a university in your country. Admission to Mines is not offered prior to completion of the 13th year.
British System and Singapore
You must complete at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/GCE O Levels, and at least 3 GCE A Levels to be considered for admission. AS levels will also be considered. The exact credit amount will be determined after you have been formally admitted and provide your official certificate.
India and Pakistan
You must complete your standard XII years of education and sit for 10th and 12th year board/state examinations.
International Schools
Your international school must have an appropriate level of recognition in the educational system it follows. You must also be earning a certificate of completion that will allow you to enter a university in that educational system. If your international school follows a U.S. curriculum, your school must have U.S. accreditation and you must graduate with a U.S. high school diploma or an equivalent credential.
International Baccalaureate
If you are completing your IB diploma or simply taking some IB courses, make sure to report your IB status in your application.
Malaysia
You must complete your SPM and STPM or A Levels to be considered for admission.
Sri Lanka
You must complete Sri Lankan GCE O and A Levels. You may also complete O and A Levels through a British Examination Authority.
New Zealand
You must complete Form 7 earning your Higher School Certificate. If you will be receiving a Bursary or NCEA Level 3, please indicate this in your application.
Personal statements and letters of recommendation (optional)
If you wish, you may submit a personal statement essay with your application to explain special circumstances in your life that have affected you or your education. Use the Personal Statement section of the online application to submit your essay, or after 24 hours, you will receive a link to your Applicant Portal where you can also upload an essay.
Letters of recommendation are not required for admission to Mines as an undergraduate but can be included in support of your application for admission. If you want to add a letter of recommendation to your application, we recommend the letter be submitted by an academic reference (teacher or counselor), be no longer than one page, and be emailed directly to admissions@mines.edu.
Cost of Attendance and Tuition Classification
Most international students will pay non-resident tuition and fees. Please see the Non-Resident section of the Financial Aid website here: https://finaid.mines.edu/cost-of-attendance-undergraduate/ for information on the cost of attendance.
International students in the following categories cannot qualify for in-state tuition: F-1, F-2, H-3, H-4 (if the visa holder is the spouse or child of an H-3), J-1, and J-2 (if the J-1 visa holder is a student or trainee), M-1 and M-2.
If you are a refugee, an asylee, or an international student and hold a visa type different than one listed above, you may be eligible for in-state tuition after one year of Colorado residence and should contact the admissions office to learn more about how to petition for in-state/resident tuition.
Demonstrating financial resources
More info on acceptable sources of funding can be found on the F-1 Visa & I-20 Acceptable Source webpage.
INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGES AND DIPLOMA PROGRAMS
You are required to report your junior/community college or diploma program courses along with all other post secondary coursework in your application. However, Mines generally does not transfer credit from junior/community college programs that are technical or vocational in nature, or that do not lead on to further academic study at a university. Usually, coursework from Japanese and Malaysian junior colleges does not transfer. Limited transfer credit may be considered for Indian engineering diploma programs when students have continued their education in a bachelor’s degree program. Applicants usually are not able to transfer directly from Indian diploma programs to Mines.
Visa and Immigration Information
Please visit the Global Education Office website and click on the drop down menu titled, “Which visa is right for me?” You will also be able to learn more information on F-1 visas on this page. For more information on J-1 visas, click here.
Steps to Apply
1. COMPLETE THE ONLINE APPLICATION
2. PAY THE $75 USD APPLICATION FEE
3. ORDER A CREDENTIAL EVALUATION* AND SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS FROM ALL COLLEGES AND/OR UNIVERSITIES YOU HAVE ATTENDED
4. UPLOAD ANY OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS TO YOUR APPLICANT PORTAL**
5. IF ACCEPTED, SUBMIT SYLLABI FOR ALL INTERNATIONAL COURSES AND OFFICIAL EVIDENCE OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
*Required only if you attended a university outside of the U.S. Please see the transcript requirements section on the left for more detailed information.
**Optional: Resume, test scores, letter of recommendation, etc. Applicant portal access is granted 24 hours after submitting the online application.
Deadlines
SPRING ADMISSION
October 15
Application file completion deadline for spring international transfer students who will need a student visa. Must receive a complete application, app fee and transcript on/before October 15.
November 1
Application file completion deadline for spring international transfer students who have already obtained a student visa. Must receive a complete application, app fee, credential evaluation and transcript on/before November 1.
December 1
Spring enrollment confirmation deadline and deadline to submit official proof of English proficiency (if required).
FALL ADMISSION
April 1
Priority application file completion deadline for fall transfer. Must receive a complete application, app fee, credential evaluation and transcript on/before May 1.
May 15
Fall enrollment confirmation deadline and deadline to submit official proof of English proficiency (if required).
For details about transfer credit, please visit the Office of the Registrar website.
Do you have more questions?
If you are already in the U.S. and would like to visit campus, take a tour and/or schedule a transfer advising appointment, click the link below. If you are in the U.S. or abroad and wish to contact us with additional questions, please email admissions@mines.edu or call +1 303-384-2027.
All admission decisions are final, with one exception. If you admission to the Colorado School of Mines is denied based on information you provided on your application for admission regarding your criminal history, pending criminal charges, or disciplinary history at another academic institution, you have the right to an appeal. Appeals must be in writing and should be submitted to the Associate Provost for Enrollment management at admission@mines.edu within 14 days of receipt of the admission decision. Appeals should include all relevant information you would like the Associate Provost to consider. You will be notified of the outcome of your appeal within 14 days of receipt.