First-Year Housing

Welcome to Your New Home in Golden, Colorado!

Living on campus is not only a rite of passage – it’s also one of the best ways to ensure your success. Being a Mines student is definitely a team sport and living on campus helps you build your team that will help put you on the path to earning a college degree and graduating into a meaningful life. You’ll make lifelong friends, meet study partners, and dive headfirst into campus life. Being a college student is a lot of work but it’s also pretty great. We are here to make sure that you get the best possible start on your college journey.

Mines’ Two-Year Live-On Requirement

At Mines, our signature student experience is built on a two-year residential experience in which students live and learn alongside their peers. We believe living on campus plays an impactful and important role in supporting your academic journey and overall success at—and beyond—Mines. That’s why we require all incoming first-year, second-year, and transfer students entering Mines in their first or second year to live on campus.

Your on-campus living experience is immersive! You’ll find yourself surrounded with peers who are experiencing similar transitions, challenges, and successes in their journeys at Mines. And yet, you will also engage with diverse people, ideas, experiences, and cultures. In our communities, students foster friendships, build valuable networks of support, and become part of a vibrant community of scholars.
 
We know that Mines students are learning incredible things in the classroom, and living on campus will complement your academic education by helping you to master essential life skills learned in our residential communities. In their first two years, students will transition to independent living by engaging in problem-solving, improving time management, and building other vital skills (hello – laundry!) that will empower you beyond your time at Mines.
 
Enjoy the convenience of being close to on-campus dining, student support services, academic advising, classrooms, and other campus facilities. Enrich your time at Mines by participating and engaging with the Mines community in intramurals, clubs, and events happening on campus. Form lifelong friendships and long-lasting memories, making your college experience truly unforgettable.
 
Living for two years on campus does all of this: it takes the stress out of finding housing off campus in your second year and living with your friends on-campus beyond your first year keeps you connected to Mines, your classes, and your fellow Orediggers!
 
Who is required to live on campus?

Colorado School of Mines requires all first-year, full-time students to live on campus. Starting in the fall of 2026, all full-time sophomore students are required to live on campus, as well. This applies to the graduating high school class of 2025 and subsequent class years.

Students who were granted an exemption to the first-year residency requirement may remain exempted and additional exemptions based on select criteria will be considered.

Note: sophomores who serve as resident advisors and who are approved to live within an on-campus fraternity or sorority house meet the on-campus living requirement.  

What about transfer students?

Transfer students are subject to the same residency requirements and exception policy as traditional first- and second-year Mines students. Transfer students will live within the residential community that best suits their particular circumstance and will be determined by a variety of indicators including (but not limited to) achieved credit hours, prior on-campus living experience, age, and availability.

If students are transferring into Mines at their sophomore year, they will generally live on campus within a sophomore community. Residence Life works to house incoming students appropriately with their peers, so that students can live and learn effectively in the community where they live.

When does the two-year live-on requirement go into effect?

The change in the housing policy will be in effect for students who will be sophomores starting in the Fall of 2026. As such, deferred students from Fall 2024 who will be first-year students in the Fall of 2025 will live on campus for at least two years. 

Where do first-year and second-year students live and eat?

First-year students live in one of 7 residence halls, each with different offerings. In the first-year residence halls, students live in singles (limited), doubles, triples, and suites. Restrooms are either communal or within the suite. Community kitchens within each building are supplemental only, as rooms and suites do not have in-unit kitchen. Therefore, first-year students are all required to purchase a residential meal plan.

Second-year students live in one of 2 apartment-style communities: 1750 Jackson Street and a brand new building opening in Fall 2026! Each similarly has an array of room types, including double bedrooms and some single bedrooms, within shared apartments. All apartments have full kitchens (refrigerator, stove, range, dishwasher) and living/dining areas within each apartment.

A traditional meal plan, similar to the one required of first-year students living in the residence halls, will not be required of students who live in sophomore apartments or on-campus fraternity and sorority housing. Sophomore apartments are all equipped with full kitchens. Optional meal plans are available for purchase by sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students. The new sophomore apartment opening in Fall 2026 has a café and convenience store located within it. The sophomore apartments at 1750 Jackson are located adjacent to a campus food service outlet (bakery style- breakfast/lunch) and across from a local grocery store, though there is not food service within the building itself.

What about study abroad? How will that affect where I live on campus?

The Office of Residence Life works closely with the Global Education department to coordinate housing on campus before or after students’ Mines study abroad experiences. Students who study abroad during their first- or second year at Mines will generally be accommodated within the residential community that matches their class year when they return to campus or prior to their program abroad.

Will sophomores be allowed to have a car on campus?

We anticipate that sophomore residential students will have the opportunity to purchase a parking permit for campus.

Can I be exempt from the two-year live-on requirementt?

It depends on your unique situation. First-year, second-year, and new transfer students can request to be released from the live-on requirement if they provide documentation that they meet the criteria for exemption.

Criteria for exemption are as follows:

  • Student is married or has a civil union;
  • Student is he parent or legal guardian of a child(ren) that resides with them;
  • Student is age 21 years or older prior to the first day of classes for the first semester of attendance at Mines;
  • Student is transferring from another post-secondary institution where they lived on-campus for two years;
  • Student is living at home with their parent/guardian(s) at their parent/guardians’ permanent residence within 20 miles from campus and commuting to campus daily;
  • Student is a member of the United States military who has served for one (1) year or more; or
  • Other circumstances approved following appropriate review.

It’s important to remember that students must request to be exempted before signing their housing contract. After a housing contract is signed, students can only request to break their housing contract, and cancellation penalties may apply.

Are juniors and seniors guaranteed on-campus housing?

On-campus housing is not guaranteed after the sophomore year; however, approximately 1,000 students (juniors, seniors, and graduate students) live at the Village at Mines Park on the west edge of campus.

First-Year Communities

Elm Hall

Maple Hall

Spruce Hall

Traditional Halls

Weaver Towers

First-Year Live-On Experience FAQs

How + When do I apply for housing?

Housing Applications can be accessed through the Housing Portal on Trailhead (located within the ‘Incoming Student’ tile and the ‘Residence Life’ tile). You can follow our guide: Navigate to the Housing Portal

Only incoming students who have paid the Admissions Enrollment Deposit will be able to locate and log into the Housing Portal. Please be advised that student access to the Housing Portal in Trailhead will be delayed if students pay the Admissions Enrollment Fee after business hours or on the weekend. Please allow 2 business days for the transaction to be processed.

The timeline for first-year students can be found here: Incoming First-Year Students Application Timeline

How will I be assigned my room?

In the First-Year Housing application, students have the opportunity to choose their own room assignment! Students will be assigned a room-selection timeslot, which is based on their Admissions Enrollment Deposit date. During their assigned timeslot, students can return to the Housing Portal, view all available rooms in our Residence Halls, and choose their own room assignment!

What are Signature Learning Communities?

Signature Learning Communities are a way to enhance your living experience on campus. While there will be lots of opportunities for you to get involved on campus, these communities bring a group of students together and allow them to live with others who share a common passion. These communities are meant to make your entire Mines experience better by supporting you in your academic endeavors, not taking time away from your academic work.

Residence Life provides three types of Signature Learning Communities:

  • Theme Learning Communities
  • Living Learning Communities
  • Affinity Communities

Are Signature Learning Communities the same as Theme Learning Communities (TLCs)?

Kinda! Residence Life is undergoing a name change for these communities! The term Signature Learning Communities is an umbrella term that references Theme Learning Communities, Living Learning Communities, and Affinity Communities!

See the Signature Learning Communities Website for more information about what makes these communities unique!

Thank you for your patience as our staff works to change their own language, and as we continue to update our website and housing applications to reflect this change.

What is Gender Inclusive Housing (GIH)?

Colorado School of Mines is proud to offer Gender Inclusive Housing (GIH) as a residency option. A student who wishes to live in a gender-inclusive room (a room that is not defined by the genders that reside within the same living space) will have the option to choose this as part of their housing application. In the application, you will be asked if you’d like to live in a gender-inclusive room, and at that time may opt into the opportunity.

The Gender Inclusive Housing Community currently resides on the 5th floor of Spruce Hall. However, Gender Inclusive Housing spaces can exist in any of our residence halls if students do not wish to live in Spruce’s GIH Community. Elm Hall, for example also has gender neutral (single stall) restrooms.

You might consider choosing Gender Inclusive Housing or a gender-inclusive space if…

  • You feel more comfortable living with someone who does not identify as the same gender as you
  • You would like to live with a family member or friend who does not identify as the same gender as you
  • You identify as gender queer, transgender, or a nonbinary identity
  • You have a medical need for an aide to live with you who may not identify as the same gender as you

Can I park on campus?

Parking Services has information on their website specific to first-year students, as on-campus parking is limited. Their website is also where you will find the parking portal to purchase a parking permit.

What else do I need to know about living on campus?

Check out our Residence Life Resources page to find our Resident Handbook (policies), our Guide to Living on Campus, mail and packages information, and more!

I have more questions. What should I do?

No problem! We’re here to help!

If you haven’t already, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page. If we still haven’t answered your question, give us a call or email! You can reach the Campus Living Office (CLO) by phone at 303-869-LIFE (5433) or by email at housing@mines.edu. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM (Mountain Time).