What IELTS score do you need for Colorado School of Mines?

Graduate applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents submit English scores, except those taking an online program from outside the US. For TOEFL taken before 20 January 2026 the minimums are 79 overall with Reading 20, Listening 21, Writing 17 and Speaking 21. For tests after that date they are 4 overall with Reading 4, Listening 4.5, Writing 4 and Speaking 4. IELTS needs 6.5 with 6.0 in each band, Duolingo 105 with 100 in each subscore, and PTE 51 with Reading 53, Listening 48, Writing 62 and Speaking 46. Mines accepts TOEFL MyBest scores and will superscore TOEFL, IELTS and PTE sections across valid tests. See graduate admission requirements.

You can self-report scores when you apply; official scores are needed if you are admitted or if your scores would expire before your first semester. Scores are valid for two years.

Mines lists the only circumstances in which the test may be waived, and you must ask grad-admissions@mines.edu: a degree (or at least 18 credit hours) in a university-approved country within the last two years; two semesters of English composition with C or better at an accredited US college within two years; current OPT from a US university; or a bachelor's or master's from an approved country while still living there and using English daily in a STEM job, confirmed by your employer. Citizens of the listed countries, which include Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa and the Philippines, are also covered. India and Pakistan are not on the list.

Undergraduates need the same TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or Cambridge scores, but only once they are accepted and decide to enrol. Mines also accepts the TOEFL At-Home test and the IELTS Indicator at-home test at the same scores. Other routes are four years at a US high school, or junior and senior years at a US high school with SAT Verbal 550 or ACT English 23, or citizenship of a listed English-speaking country. US permanent residents are exempt. See first-year requirements.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement Mines sets for admission, which leads to your Form I-20. For the wider picture of studying in the US with each test, see IELTS for the USA and PTE for the USA.

Requirements change between admission cycles. Check the Mines graduate admission requirements page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.