Second-Year Housing

Your Home on Campus

University life is more than academics, and you probably learned that in your first year! It’s about having new experiences. It’s about discovering new educational and social opportunities. It’s about stepping out on your own as an adult. Living on campus will help you make the most of your University experience, and we are excited to continue supporting you in your second-year at Mines!

Application Process

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, meal planning, and cooking in your apartment!) 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, and it takes the stress out of finding housing off campus in your second year. Living with your friends in an on-campus apartment in your second 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.

Second-Year Communities

1750 Jackson Street

New Sophomore Apartment Building Coming Fall 2026!

Application Processes

Rising sophomores (i.e. current first-year students) can apply for Second-Year Housing during the Spring semester of their first year at Mines.

Students can expect marketing and information sessions during late Fall and early Spring to help them get acquainted with the application process.

Winter Break: students and their families receive a postcard about Second-Year Housing sent to home/emergency contact address
January: students and their families are invited to attend information sessions about the Second-Year Housing application process, held virtually
February: students apply to Second-Year Housing and participate in the lottery process

Second-year students who are seeking on-campus housing for the Spring semester of their second-year may submit their applications during November of their second-year.

This group of students typically includes second-year students who are returning from studying abroad, sophomore transfer students, and second-year students who are interested in returning to on-campus living.

Housing offers are made based on availability. Residence Life monitors the occupancy of second-year communities toward the end of the Fall semester and works with other university departments to determine which of our current residents might be moving out at the end of the Fall semester due to withdrawal or their own study abroad experiences in the Spring.